Meeting Location will be at Upstate Ziplin e\, 138 Museum Circle\, Sunset\, SC
\nThis month we will be reading The Frozen River\, by Ariel Lawhon.
\nBook Summary:
\nNEW YORK TIMES \;BESTSELLER \;* \;GMA \;BOOK CLUB PICK \;* AN NPR BOOK OF THE YEAR \;* From the \;New York Times \;bestselli ng author of \;I Was Anastasia \;and \;Code Name Hé\;l&e grave\;ne \;comes a gripping historical mystery \;inspired by the life and diary \;of Martha Ballard\, \;a renowned \;18th-centu ry midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American his tory.
\n"Fans of \;Outlander's Claire Fraser will enjoy Lawhon's Martha\, who is brave and outspoken when it comes to protecting the innoc ent. . . impressive."--The Washington Post
\n"Once again\, Lawhon wo rks storytelling magic with a real-life heroine." \;--People Magazine< /p>\n
Maine\, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes\, entombing a man in the ice\, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine ca use 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. Mo nths 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 fo und 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.
\nOver the course of one winter\, as the trial nears\, and whispers and prejudices mount\, Martha doggedly pur sues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal\, implic ating those she loves\, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loya lties lie.
\nClever\, layered\, and subversive\, Ariel Lawhon's newe st offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything le ss than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not hea rd. \;The Frozen River \;is a thrilling\, tense\, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains near ly forgotten to this day.
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