Review of The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon and Recipe for Maine’s famous Whoopie Pies

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawton is a compelling read. In fact, when I finished it, and then read the Author’s Note, I closed it and said out loud, “Holy moly, that was a really great book!”

This is historical fiction, set in Maine in the late 1700s. It is the story of midwife Martha Ballard, and it is based on her actual journals, which she kept over a 27-year span. These told of the lives and events in the town of Hallowell, which sits on the Kennebec River. It is here that the story begins, as the cold waters that have turned to ice entomb a man’s body in its cold embrace.

Martha is called in to make observations about the cause of death, and it doesn’t take long for her to come to the conclusion that he has been hanged. But why, and by whom? The local doctor, new to town, has a differing opinion, and it is not long before the reader learns that he has his own reasons for calling it an accidental drowning. Tensions between the midwife and the physician continue throughout the book, just one of many conflicts.

This is not a simple who-done-it, but rather a tapestry of the daily lives of the inhabitants of Hallowell, the births, deaths, transactions, and everyday events that are woven into a novel that is historical fiction at its best. We learn about illegal land deals, greed, lust, rape, and the lengths that some will go to for power. This story is all the more amazing because it is based on facts as recorded by Martha, whose faithful journaling provided a detailed account of those tumultuous years.

Martha was a real person, a gifted healer, a mother and wife. She is also the great-aunt of Red Cross founder Clara Barton, and the great-great-grandmother of one of the first physicians in the US, Mary Hobart.

The Frozen River is clearly one of the best books I’ve read in a while, and I am happy to give it a 5-start rating, my highest. Don’t miss this one; it’s a real page-turner.

“Maine has long been considered the unofficial capital of whoopie pies. According to local lore, the first whoopie pies were created by Maine farmers’ wives who would use leftover cake batter to make small, portable treats for their husbands to take with them to work.”

This is a direct quote from Google’s web page. Really! Who knew? I’m sure that Martha Ballard never made a whoopie pie in her life, but apparently lots of people from Maine, and elsewhere, enjoy these tasty treats.

Here’s the recipe that I use:

Maine’s Famous Whoopie Pies

Chocolate Cookies: You can use a cake recipe and make your life easy. Just make the batter as directed, and plop it in cookie-size piles on a greased sheet; bake at 350 for about 10 minutes; let cool completely.

Filling: