by Ariel Lawhon
Please note, this Circle will meet on the fourth Monday of this month!
The PW Book Review Circle typically meets the third Monday of every month at 7:00pm in the church library and by Zoom. Anyone is welcome to join us at any time. We try to select books that are readily available at public libraries or are out in paperback.
Questions? Contact Susie Highley at shighley@aol.com
Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.
Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.
Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.
Future Book Review Circles
- February 16, 2026: Author in Chief by Craig Fehrman
- or The President’s Wife by Tracy Emerson Wood
- March 16, 2026: The Good Part by Sophie Cousens
- April 20, 2026: TBD Wendell Berry Book
- May 18, 2026: The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick
- June 15, 2026: The Martha’s Vineyard Beach & Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly
- July 20, 2026: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
