I never know how much I'm going to like "much-hyped" books, but I really did love this one. It's my first book by this author. The story is set in 1789 Maine. The main character is Martha Ballard, a midwife. Martha is married to a wonderful man, Ephraim, and they are happily married. This is always a refreshing change! They love each other, respect each other, support each other and trust each other. They had nine children, six still living. (Three children died from illness when they were young.) Their oldest son, Cyrus, is mute. This seems to be a result of the illness that killed his siblings. Unfortunately this fact hinders his chances at finding a wife and having the children he would love to have. Back in the 1700s, many people were illiterate. So even though Cyrus could write his thoughts (thanks to Martha), most people couldn't actually read them!
One night at a "Frolic", which is like a town dance, a man (recently accused of rape) tries repeatedly to get one of Martha's daughters (Hannah) to dance with him. Hannah does not want to and Cyrus steps in and this interference ends up in a fist fight between the two men. Later that night (after midnight) this same man is found dead in the river. Cyrus is accused of murdering him (eventually). The complication is that Martha sees the dead man first and declares it a murder by hanging, but the new Harvard-educated medical doctor in town insists that it's an accidental drowning. A third party eventually agrees with Martha, but then Cyrus is accused of the murder.
The wealthy Judge North, who runs the town, was also accused of raping the same woman as the man who was murdered. He exerts his power continuously to shape the narrative. Martha's goal is to expose him for the man he is. Martha also wants to defend the honor of the woman who was raped, Rebecca Foster, who happens to be the wife of the minister. He was out of town when it happened. Rebecca finds herself pregnant as a result of the brutal rape. Ultimately, North wants to beat the rape charge and take over the majority of the town's property, including the homestead, mill, and acreage of the Ballards. They have lived there for 12 years. Martha & Ephraim have their work cut out for them as they try to stop this evil man they have actually known since they were young teenagers.
Great storytelling! Lots of different things happening between the births, rapes, court cases, children finding their "mates" for life, and of course the frozen river, which is a central piece of the landscape.
Wendy's Rating: *****
