The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Here is a great example of me seeing a book multiple times in multiple places, thinking “Eh” and being completely wrong about said book.
Step back in time to the day after Christmas. I am trekking through an airport, needing to kill time so I pop into one of the stores. Wandering to the back of the store where the airport books are always kept, I spot this on the shelf. On impulse I buy the book because I am thinking I might need a second book to have on this trip as I am well into the one I had brought with me and foolishly didn’t bring a back up read.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon was my last read of 2024. (Yes, it has taken me a hot minute to get this review written.) This is a story takes place during the cold Maine winter of 1789 and is a tale of murder, survival and justice. Martha Ballard, the main character, is a fifty year old midwife and healer who is asked to examine a body pulled from Kennebec River.
Martha is based on a real historical figure whose diary gives a glimpse into life in post-Revolutionary America. Society was very patriarchal and women were dependent on the men in their lives for whatever freedoms they had. Being a midwife and healer gave Martha some power that women didn’t typically have during the this time period. Besides the medicinal aspect of her practice, Martha was also privy to the inside lives of the families she served. During this time in American history, what community meant and the close knit relationships that are formed meant there was a high level of interdependency in order to survive. Therefore, Martha must constantly walk a line between being respected in the community and regarded with suspicion because of the knowledge she possessed.
Because of her position in the community, Martha is involved in the investigation of the murder of the gentleman pulled from the river. As the investigation progresses, Martha is needed to testify to what she knows about how the death occurred as well another crime that may be connected to the murder. Complicating matters is the arrival of a Harvard educated doctor who not only places no value in Martha’s medical knowledge but actively tries to turn townspeople against her. As the story moves forward, she realizes that members of her own family may know something about what happened.
What made me take the leap of faith and choose this book I couldn’t tell you but I am so glad I did. What I loved about this novel was the time period of the story - it made the whole premise of the book. The story would not have the same emotional and intellectual impact if it was set in 1889 or 1989. Another reason I adored this novel was Martha Ballard herself. She was a smart, independent minded woman who had to figure out how to work within the social confines that existed at that time. She showed immense bravery. Her relationship with her husband, Ephraim, came across as genuine and very clearly loving. (And let’s talk for a minute about what a great husband he was! He always had Martha’s back except that one time…and even then his words were meant to be helpful.) Lastly, and what surprised me, was her parenting style. It was so relatable! The concerns she had about each of her children; the way she saw things her children didn’t know she saw and how she kept it to herself, using the information to help her have the right conversations with each one. Her acknowledgment that parenting adult kids who still live at home takes different skills.
Kennebec River, Maine
It’s still cool in many parts of the country and this is a great read if it is a ‘grab the blanket’ kind of day.
P.S. - As I was putting this post together, a new novel came to my attention: Isola by Allegra Goodman. I haven’t read it (yet!) but it is another story about a woman having to survive in society and, when she finds herself marooned, in nature.
The Head’s Tale by Susan Kinsolving
“Maybe it was just some freedom you wanted to try. Freedom you never had as an adolescent?” - Justine, The Head’s Tale
Head of School Miranda Crandell is determined to maintain control of herself and the elite private school she oversees. She is someone who prides herself on epitomizing the cool, calm and collected persona as is befitting her role as leader of this exclusive school. That is until she hires a biologist to help develop her passion project - one she hopes will cement her reputation as one of the finest educational leaders in this academic environment. What she did not plan for was his ability to make her lose control of herself in ways that mirror the trials and tribulations she must deal with when working with privileged students and off-beat educators.
The Head’s Tale is a humorous and biting commentary on life in an upper echelon New England prep school. At first, I was a little bit off by the story as I found it very cliche and shallow but as the plot developed I started to see the parallels and hypocrisy that Miranda found herself living in and my thinking shifted as I started to appreciate the messaging. The pacing is fast and engaging and the unique personalities of the characters add flavor.
The one area for improvement is the repetitive information about characters and/or their thinking. For example, Miranda’s thoughts on Evelyn and her own internal dialogue about herself and her predicament.
Thank you to NetGalley and Girl Friday Productions for the advanced copy to read. This novel is available April 29. All opinions here are my own.
Where Only Storms Grow by Alyssa Colman
“I looked in her eyes and found determination. Her speech was halting, imperfect, and exactly what I needed to hear. We were full of dust and dreams, but something stronger too. Something that couldn’t easily be blown over.” - Howe, Where Only Storm Grow
This historical fiction novel about a pair of twins living in Oklahoma in the spring of 1935 is engaging and fast-paced. This story uses duel narrators, twins Joanna and Howe Stanton, to give a glimpse into what it was like to grow up during the Dust Bowl. Themes of family, community and survival are all present.
I especially enjoyed the relationships among the characters in this story. Regardless of how they were connected, there is kinship and a ‘we are all in this together’ aspect that lent hope regardless of the trials and tribulations each of the characters were facing.
As a former middle school ELA teacher, I think this novel is well-researched and would be a good complement to a non-fiction piece about the Dust Bowl and/or Black Sunday.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishers for the advanced copy to read. This book will be available August 19. All opinions here are my own.
Open for Book Reviews
I’m very happy to announce that I’ve been approved to review upcoming and new novels on NetGalley! I’ll be reading and writing reviews for Middle Grade, Teens & YA, Historical Fiction, Women’s Fiction and Mystery & Thrillers.
First up is a Middle Grade novel titled Where Only Storms Grow by Alyssa Colman.💨🌾
Books I Have Loved 2024
In 2024 I read 27 books; I didn’t think I had read that many (the year was a dumpster fire for me personally) so I was pleasantly surprised. In no particular order, here were some of my favorites:
Full disclosure, just about one fifth of these books was the Sarah J Maas’s ACOTR series. Which I CRANKED through…ya, ya I’m late to the game with this one. That series is like a potato chip - you just can’t read one.
Unusual for me but perhaps keeping with the trend of reading multiple books by the same author in a year (see above), I read The Inmate, The Locked Door and The Teacher. Freida Mc Fadden definitely has become extraordinarily popular over the past year or so. Like many other readers, I read The Housemaid and found her writing engaging.
Nora Roberts continues her prolific pace of writing novels with a new trilogy series title The Lost Brides. The Inheritance is the first in the series and as usual, the well paced spook of a mystery story and characters drew me in fast. I want a best friend like Cleo, to live in a little village like Poole, MA, and have a house (really its a mansion) that is staffed by ghosts who do the cleaning and choose the music. (As I write this post, I just began reading the second book in the series - The Mirror.)
When my oldest daughter asked me if Amy Tintera’s Listen for the Lie would make a good choice for her book club I immediately said “Yes!” The story uses one of today’s most popular social media platforms (podcasts) as a tool to drive the story: like an updated version of a diary entry. That in itself makes the book unique. The characters were an unexpected bonus: down to earth and at times, funny considering the overall somber tone of the plot.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon took me by surprise, into another time period, and has stayed with me long after I finished reading the novel. I am writing a book review on this book so I don’t want to say anymore about it here except to read it!!
I will end this post with my last favorite read of 2024; an author I make an immediate trip to a bookstore to purchase her latest work whenever it is released: Alice Hoffman’s When We Flew Away. Gosh, I was so taken in by this imaginative look about what Anne Frank’s life was like from just before the German’s invaded the Netherlands to when she was literally walking into the building where the family’s hiding spot was located. Even though Ms. Hoffman had to imagine much of the novel, it is based in as much fact as she could research and glean from people who knew Anne and her family. She walks the reader through how the Germans slowly narrowed down the world of the Jews living in the country. I have a deep respect for how that population adapted and so sad they had to experience such outcasting.
By sharing my thoughts on these novels, I hope it inspires you to try a new read. Don’t forget to share your own favorites from 2024 —I’d love to hear what was on your list!
ACOTAR series Midway Musing: Feyre
Admittedly, I am late to the game in reading this series. But I am making up for it by inhaling the books now. I just finished the third, A Court of Wings and Ruins. I am thoroughly enjoying the world and characters Sarah J. Maas has created.
Well, most of them.
As I read, something started to bother me about Feyre. She changed, of course. She is one of the protagonists in the story, on her hero journey, and that is to be expected. But some shift in her character arc doesn’t sit right. I cheer that she learned how to live with her Under the Mountain experiences. I swoon when Rhysand steps in to help her along with this healing. I adore the dynamic between these two characters and I knew the dance around their feelings would eventually come to an end. BUT. I didn’t think it would take one book (out of five) and once Feyre and Rhysand came together, that’s when I began to feel disappointed. The capitulation that Feyre does once she accepts Rhysand is her mate turns me off. Now, she does have a history of falling fast - her interest in Tamlin happened quickly too. And as Under the Mountain proves, she goes all out when she’s in love. There is also a history of men letting her down - besides Tamlin, her father also falls into that category. So I would have liked to see her struggle to trust Rhysand for a longer time. This would have added depth to her character and maintained the tension I loved between them.
And to be completely honest, I would have liked Rhysand to be harder to trust. He clearly knows when to be a strategic SOB.
Basically I would have liked to see the tension between the two characters go on for another book. Extending the mistrust would enrich their dynamic and add another layer of complexity.
Anyway, on to book four!
Fourth Wing Playlist
Just after the holidays, with less than a week left of Christmas break, I was at loose ends about what to read. On every social media platform I participate in this book, Fourth Wing, kept popping up. In all honesty, this isn’t a genre I normally read but I kept hearing so much about the novel. I hemmed and hawed about whether I wanted to invest in this.
Oh boy……did I invest in this! I couldn’t put the book down and finished it in a matter of days. I enjoyed Violet’s spunk but I really admired how she used her intelligence in lieu of physical strength in situations that required her to be physically strong. Xaden’s integrity and his depth of feelings for Violet are traits that are revealed slowly as the story progresses. Taking this approach made him wildly attractive! The slow burn of their romance…..🔥
When it came time write a review of this novel, I decided I wanted to change things up a wee bit. After a whole lot of searching and listening, I came up with a playlist for this novel. In no particular order, here is a list of songs whose lyrics, I feel, relate in some way to the storyline or characters of this romantasy novel:
The Fighter (Gym Class Heroes feat. Ryan Tedder
Brave (Sara Bareilles)
Warrior (Demi Lovato)
Home (Gabrielle Aplin)
Say Something (A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera)
Solidier (Gavin DeGraw)
Shake It Out (Florence and The Machine)
Titanium (David Guetta feat. Sia)
Natural (Imagine Dragons)
If Today was Your Last Day (Nickleback)
A Thousand Years (Christina Perri)
Let me know what you think of this playlist!🎶