The Iceweaver takes place around twenty years after The Burning Bride, the third historical mystery about Massachusetts midwife Hannah Trevor, and it is just as exquisite as her other three post-Revolutionary fiction portraits. Margaret Lawrence continues to write amazing prose that dances over the page and delights the senses.

This book begins with Jennet, Hannah and Daniel Josselyn's daughter, and introduces her as a singular character except for her memories of her parents, brothers, great-aunt, and the Markhams in Maine. She is in New Forge, New York and Hannah Trevor fans will be dismayed to learn of her mother's recent death and Jennet's travails previous to and after it. Rescued by a mysterious mountain man--John Frayne--who has come back to reclaim his birthright, Jennet struggles for independence as well as the ability to trust. Other characters cluster around the two of them and form an interesting alliance as Jennet mourns her mother, discovers her ability to survive on her own, and Frayne searches for his son's love and his lost legacy.

Once again, Lawrence's poetic phrasing colors the pages as she creates one effective metaphor after another and twists them into a surreal and powerful tapestry. Bay House itself, Frayne's decaying old mansion, finds new life as the characters do, and the ice takes on subtle and obvious dimensions as the author weaves this spell-binding tale of loss, redemption, and home.

Like all three books of the previous historical trilogy Hearts and Bones, Blood Red Roses and The Burning Bride, The Iceweaver combines a compelling plot entwined around a finely etched picture of the people of a newly formed country.

Click here for reviews of the historical trilogy mentioned above.

Lucius Beebe Memorial Library - This page last updated 9/05/00 - lme.