The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon was published on December 5, 2023. The story is set much earlier, in 1789, but that is the period it depicts—not the year the novel was written.
A precise date for when Lawhon completed the manuscript is not publicly established. This article separates the book’s publication date from its historical setting, explains the real diary behind the story, and shows how to check which Frozen River a source means.
when was frozen river written: the publication date
Ariel Lawhon’s historical novel The Frozen River was published in the United States on December 5, 2023. Doubleday, an imprint of Penguin Random House, published the hardcover edition. Other formats and editions may have different release dates, so a listing for an audiobook, paperback, or international edition may show another date.
The novel was not written in 1789. That is the year in which its story takes place. It is also not possible to name a confirmed year when Lawhon finished the manuscript from the book’s publication date alone. Unless the author or publisher has provided a reliable account of the drafting timeline, the most accurate answer is the publication date: 2023.
This distinction matters because searches about a book’s date can refer to three separate things: when the story happens, when the author wrote the manuscript, or when readers could first buy it. For this title, the first is 1789, the second is not publicly confirmed, and the third is December 5, 2023.
Three dates readers may mean
| Date or period | What it refers to | Best answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1789 | The historical period of the novel’s events | The story is set in winter in Hallowell, Maine, near the Kennebec River. |
| Manuscript completion | When Lawhon finished drafting or revising the book | No definitive public completion date is established by the publication information. |
| December 5, 2023 | The U.S. publication date for the novel | This is the clearest answer if “written” means when the book came out. |
Book catalogs usually record publication dates, not the dates an author began or finished writing. A copyright year is another clue, but it does not necessarily identify the day a manuscript was completed or the date an edition went on sale. For a straightforward answer, cite the 2023 publication date and explain that the novel’s events occur in 1789.
What happens in the novel’s 1789 setting?
The Frozen River is a historical mystery centered on Martha Ballard, a midwife and healer living in Hallowell, Maine. In the novel, a man is found frozen in the Kennebec River during the winter of 1789. Ballard’s knowledge of the community and her daily work draw her into questions about the death and an alleged assault.
The setting is important to the plot, not just a period backdrop. Winter conditions affect travel and communication, while the river and the settlement shape how people meet, work, and exchange information. Ballard’s role as a midwife also gives her regular contact with households and private events that might otherwise remain hidden.
At the time of the story, Maine was part of Massachusetts. Maine did not become a separate state until 1820. Calling the setting “Maine” is still a useful way to identify the modern location, but readers should keep the period’s political boundaries in mind when comparing the novel with historical records.
The book is historical fiction. It uses a real person and historical material, but it builds a shaped narrative with scenes, dialogue, and a mystery. It should not be treated as a verbatim account of every event or conversation in Ballard’s life.
The real Martha Ballard behind the story
Martha Ballard was a real midwife who lived from 1735 to 1812. She kept a detailed diary over many years, recording her work, family life, community relationships, weather, and local events. Her surviving diary covers the period from 1785 through 1812, which makes it a rare record of everyday life in early New England.
Ballard’s notes are a major historical source, but a diary is not a modern, all-knowing account. Its author records what she saw, heard, did, or considered worth noting. It can preserve details that other records leave out, yet it also has gaps and reflects one person’s point of view. That context helps explain why a novelist can draw on the diary while still needing to interpret and imagine parts of the story.
The diary became widely known through historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s book A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785–1812, published in 1990. Ulrich’s work examined the diary as a record of women’s labor, family, and community life. Readers interested in the documented history can use that book as a companion to Lawhon’s fictional retelling.
The distinction between source and novel is useful. Ballard’s diary provides historical details and a foundation for the character, while Lawhon’s novel turns that material into a suspenseful story. A scene that feels vivid or personal may be a work of fiction even when the central character and historical setting are real.
How the diary and the novel differ
Historical fiction often combines a documented person with invented or reconstructed moments. The challenge is to tell a coherent story without implying that every detail has the same level of evidence. In The Frozen River, the diary gives the author a strong historical starting point, but the finished novel remains a creative work.
- Documented person: Martha Ballard was a real midwife, and her diary survives.
- Documented period: The diary records life from 1785 to 1812, including the years around the novel’s setting.
- Fictional construction: Narrative pacing, dialogue, private thoughts, and connections between events may be imagined or shaped for the story.
- Historical interpretation: The author selects and interprets details, as any writer does when turning records into a novel.
This does not make the novel less valuable. Fiction can help readers picture the pressures and relationships behind a historical record. It simply helps to keep the book’s purpose clear: it is a novel informed by history, not a replacement for the diary or a scholarly biography.
How to verify the date for a particular edition
If you need the date for a school assignment, book list, or citation, check the edition you actually read. A first edition and a later paperback can have different publication details, even though they contain the same novel.
- Check the title page and copyright page. The title page identifies the book and publisher; the copyright page usually gives edition and copyright information.
- Look for the format. Hardcover, ebook, audiobook, and paperback releases may each have their own publication date.
- Use the publisher’s listing for the U.S. hardcover release. For the original U.S. edition, the publication date is December 5, 2023.
- Keep the date labels precise. Write “published in 2023” rather than claiming that the manuscript was completed that year unless you have a reliable source for the drafting date.
For a school citation, follow the requested style guide and use the edition’s own publication details. If a source asks when the story takes place, give 1789 instead. If it asks when the book was released, give the edition’s publication date.
Why different websites may show different years
A reader may find different dates for the same title without any source necessarily being wrong. A retailer might display the release date for the format it sells, while a library record may describe a later edition. International releases can also be scheduled separately from the U.S. edition.
Some pages show a copyright year rather than a precise release date. Others may list an advance edition, audiobook, or reprint. Check the format and publisher information before treating a date as the original publication date. For the first U.S. hardcover release, December 5, 2023, is the useful date to report.
There is another possible source of confusion: Frozen River is a title that can refer to works other than Lawhon’s novel. A result about a film, song, or another book may have a different creator and date. Including the author’s name—Ariel Lawhon—makes a search or citation much clearer.
Is the story based on true events?
The novel draws on a real historical figure and her diary, but it is not simply a retelling of a complete, documented case. Ballard’s life, work, and written records are historical; the book’s plot is shaped as fiction. The clearest description is historical fiction inspired by a real person and historical records.
That distinction can guide further reading. For a narrative about Ballard and the winter mystery, read Lawhon’s novel. For a detailed historical study of the diary and its context, turn to Ulrich’s scholarly work. Comparing the two can show how a novelist uses a source differently from a historian.
Quick answers about the book’s date
Was The Frozen River written in 1789?
No. The year 1789 is when the novel’s story is set. Ariel Lawhon’s book was published in 2023.
What is the exact publication date?
The original U.S. hardcover edition was published on December 5, 2023. Later editions and formats may carry separate release dates.
Do we know when the author finished writing it?
A definitive manuscript completion date is not established by the book’s standard publication information. Do not treat the publication year as proof of when drafting ended.
Is Martha Ballard a fictional character?
No. Ballard was a real eighteenth-century midwife and diary keeper. The novel uses her as its central character, but its dramatic narrative is historical fiction rather than a documentary transcript.
What book provides more historical context?
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s A Midwife’s Tale is a major historical study based on Ballard’s diary. It offers a nonfiction perspective alongside Lawhon’s novel.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon was published on December 5, 2023. Its story takes place in 1789, and its central figure, Martha Ballard, was a real midwife whose diary survives.
So, when was frozen river written? The reliable date to give is its 2023 publication date; a precise manuscript completion date is not publicly confirmed. For a citation, check the copyright page of the specific edition you read.