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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
Murder investigation; the violence of a colonial winter; some scenes depicting the aftermath of assault
Language
Barely any
Period-appropriate literary prose
Sexual Content
Some
Sexual assault is referenced as the crime at the center; not depicted graphically but clearly established
Substance Use
Barely any
None
Emotional Intensity
Some
The weight of being a witness whose word means less because she is a woman
What this book is about
Based on the actual diary of Martha Ballard, an 18th-century midwife in Maine, Ariel Lawhon's novel follows Martha as she investigates the rape and potential murder she witnessed while navigating the brutal New England winter and the social forces that discount women's testimony.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Sexual assault as the central crime
Reader Verification
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