Book Notes | ‘The Frozen River’
The Frozen River is a book of historical fiction based on the real life of Martha Ballard, a midwife and healer in 1789 colonial Maine. Seventy-five percent of the story follows history and the rest is "what could have happened," author Ariel Lawhon has noted. She refers readers to A Midwife's Tale, the biography of Ballard by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich.
All 12 members of the UMRA Book Club really enjoyed reading The Frozen River. Members described the main character as a “trailblazer,” a “real life heroine,” and “ahead of her time.” One liked Martha as a person as well as for her work, both midwifing and as a healer.
Women at the time had no rights and sexism was rampant. The character Rebecca, who was raped by two prominent men and pregnant, had no justice. The court system, such as it was, was corrupt. Women who had babies “out of wedlock” were fined. Martha could only testify for Rebecca in court (held in a tavern) if her husband, Ephraim, was present. We agreed Ephraim was a really good man, in contrast to some others in this story. A couple members of the book club felt there were too many characters.
We discussed the challenging births Martha assisted. Arrogant Dr. Benjamin Page from Harvard sometimes took over and caused harm. Women wanted Martha for their birthing, and for healing. One member of our group, a doctor, commented on some aspects that weren't quite correct.
Couples had many children, all of them needed from an early age to help farm and in other ways. Often, children died from diseases. One of Martha's own sons became mute after he had diphtheria.
Joseph North, a lead character and one of the men who raped Rebecca, sat on the court and worked to take over the land where Ephraim and Martha farmed. He had a sordid past. His wealth came from bounties for scalping Indians. Near the end of the story, Martha does “justice” on Joseph in a fictionalized scene.
We liked the first-person narrative with Martha telling the story. Also, the descriptions of the woods and landscape, the Ballard mill, and the Kennebec River. It is a good read.
—Judy Helgen, UMRA Book Club I
Book Club I May 16
Fri, May 16, 2025, 2pm
The UMRA Book Club will discuss The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon when it meets via Zoom on May 16.
The main character, Martha Ballard, is an 18th century midwife who investigates a rape and murder that threatens her entire community. She keeps a diary that contains many of the town’s secrets and is used in a trial causing much grief throughout the community.
Email Pat Tollefson for more information.
Upcoming Events
Wood Lake Nature Center is a peaceful 150-acre cattail marsh, woodland, and restored prairie that is a haven for migrating birds and waterfowl. This UMRA hike is a great opportunity for those who would like a shorter, easier hike. The trails are dirt, grass, and woodchip, with some bridges and a bit of paved trails. Only a couple small hills to navigate, the park is mostly flat.
University of Minnesota Regent Penny Wheeler, MD, will be the featured guest for the UMRA luncheon forum on May 20. In place of the usual speech format for our forums, Regent Wheeler will be interviewed by UMRA member and liaison to the Board of Regents John Finnegan, professor and dean emeritus of the U of M School of Public Health.
I, Claudius by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934, will be up for discussion when UMRA's Fourth Friday Book Club meets via Zoom on May 23.
June is the perfect time for an urban hike! Bev will lead a 4-mile hike from Lake Nokomis Community Center along Minnehaha Creek to Minnehaha Falls and back.
The UMRA Photo Club will meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library, in the small shopping center at New Brighton and St. Anthony Boulevards.
The theme is hats.
Join Michael for a 4-to-5-mile hike at one of the most popular parks in the West Metro, Richardson Nature Center in Bloomington. It is located at the north end of Hyland Lake Park Reserve at 8737 East Bush Lake Road in Bloomington.
The UMRA Book Club will discuss The Great River by Boyce Upton when it meets via Zoom on June 20.
Learn about writing memoirs, technology for seniors, campus architecture, and more at the fourth annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held in the McNamara Alumni Center on the Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis on Monday, June 23.
Catch up with friends and former colleagues, meet new UMRA members, enjoy delicious food, and participate in the third annual UMRA Summer Social Quiz at the Como Lakeside Pavilion in St. Paul on Wednesday, June 25.
The UMRA Hiking Club will hike two wonderful county parks in Monticello, MN on Monday, July 7. Lynn Anderson will lead the hikes and we will meet at her home at 9:30 a.m. and carpool from there.
Our July 14 "hike" is a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles led by Barb Friedman and Bev Moe.
Join hike leader Nanette Hanks on August 4th for a “Trail in Two Cities” hike.