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Hannah Trevor Trilogy #3
The Burning Bride
As a small Maine town tries to recover from the bitter divisions caused by the War of Independence, the deaths of two men threaten to shatter a fragile peace among the townspeople, and midwife Hannah Trevor steps in to investigate the killings. Reprint.
392 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
2 people are currently reading
138 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Lawrence
7 books40 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Lorraine Margaret Keilstrup, wrote as Margaret Lawrence, Margaret K. Lawrence and M. K. Lorens. Her last name is pronounced KEEL-strup. She was born in February 23, 1945 and died on January 8, 2012 in Freemont, Nebraska at her home.
Keilstrup graduated valedictorian from Fremont High School and then summa cum laude from Midland Lutheran College, now Midland University, in 1967. Keilstrup was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. She earned a Master of Arts and doctorate degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, writing a doctoral thesis on The Myth of Cain in the Early English Drama in 1974. She taught there for several years and also taught in Fort Hays, Kansas.
She won several writing competitions during these years and then had plays produced at the Omaha Playhouse and on Nebraska-ETV, before giving up teaching and moving to New York City to pursue a career as a writer and playwright. Her plays were produced by the Hudson Guild and the New York Shakespeare Festival and she was a finalist for the Blackburn Prize in drama.
She wrote scripts for CBS-Universal Studios, notably for "The Equalizer" television series. The episode, "Riding the Elephant," received a superb rating on tv.com.
Keilstrup returned to Fremont to care for ailing family members, and lived in her 120 year old ancestral home, which was originally built by her grandfather in a cornfield outside Fremont and which starred a garden that contained her grandmother's roses and poppies first planted from seeds brought from Flanders Field after World War I. The Keilstrup home is the oldest home in Fremont continuously lived in by the same family.
After her return home, she began writing novels, first as M. K. Lorens and then as Margaret Lawrence.
As M. K. Lorens, she wrote five novels starring featuring Winston Marlowe Sherman, mystery-writing Shakespearan professor, beginning with SWEET NARCISSUS (Bantam, 1990) and ending with SORROWHEART (Doubleday, 1993). As Margaret Lawrence, she wrote three novels starring Hannah Trevor, Revolutionary War era midwife, and a number of other historical novels.
For these novels, she was a finalist for The Edgar, Anthony, Agatha, the UK’s Golden Dagger, and other literary awards. Her books were translated in to a number of other languages for nations like Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic and Japan. She also published poems and short stories.
Known to her friends and family for her intelligence, wit and humor, her deep compassion for others, and for her liking for privacy, she was also known for many creative talents, including her fluency in Danish, German, Spanish and French. She played the piano, composed folk songs, and excelled at Danish papercutting, needlework and quilting. Many of her projects were profiled in magazines. She died on January 8, 2012 at her home in Fremont, Nebraska.
Lorraine Margaret Keilstrup, wrote as Margaret Lawrence, Margaret K. Lawrence and M. K. Lorens. Her last name is pronounced KEEL-strup. She was born in February 23, 1945 and died on January 8, 2012 in Freemont, Nebraska at her home.
Keilstrup graduated valedictorian from Fremont High School and then summa cum laude from Midland Lutheran College, now Midland University, in 1967. Keilstrup was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. She earned a Master of Arts and doctorate degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, writing a doctoral thesis on The Myth of Cain in the Early English Drama in 1974. She taught there for several years and also taught in Fort Hays, Kansas.
She won several writing competitions during these years and then had plays produced at the Omaha Playhouse and on Nebraska-ETV, before giving up teaching and moving to New York City to pursue a career as a writer and playwright. Her plays were produced by the Hudson Guild and the New York Shakespeare Festival and she was a finalist for the Blackburn Prize in drama.
She wrote scripts for CBS-Universal Studios, notably for "The Equalizer" television series. The episode, "Riding the Elephant," received a superb rating on tv.com.
Keilstrup returned to Fremont to care for ailing family members, and lived in her 120 year old ancestral home, which was originally built by her grandfather in a cornfield outside Fremont and which starred a garden that contained her grandmother's roses and poppies first planted from seeds brought from Flanders Field after World War I. The Keilstrup home is the oldest home in Fremont continuously lived in by the same family.
After her return home, she began writing novels, first as M. K. Lorens and then as Margaret Lawrence.
As M. K. Lorens, she wrote five novels starring featuring Winston Marlowe Sherman, mystery-writing Shakespearan professor, beginning with SWEET NARCISSUS (Bantam, 1990) and ending with SORROWHEART (Doubleday, 1993). As Margaret Lawrence, she wrote three novels starring Hannah Trevor, Revolutionary War era midwife, and a number of other historical novels.
For these novels, she was a finalist for The Edgar, Anthony, Agatha, the UK’s Golden Dagger, and other literary awards. Her books were translated in to a number of other languages for nations like Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic and Japan. She also published poems and short stories.
Known to her friends and family for her intelligence, wit and humor, her deep compassion for others, and for her liking for privacy, she was also known for many creative talents, including her fluency in Danish, German, Spanish and French. She played the piano, composed folk songs, and excelled at Danish papercutting, needlework and quilting. Many of her projects were profiled in magazines. She died on January 8, 2012 at her home in Fremont, Nebraska.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 2, 2013
3.5 stars. Lawrence is still a masterful writer and I was still very invested in Hannah and those she loves, but when the books are read one right after the other the violence and injustice can just get to be too much. Or at least they were for me.
October 12, 2017
This book was good, but it took a long time for me to read because I thought it was depressing. The settlers had little recourse to pay their debts, some people were greedy and cruel and happiness seemed to live in another country.
September 26, 2023
This tale takes place between 6 November and 24 December 1786.
Widow midwife Hannah Trevor has always been an independent soul, even when wed to her unsavoury husband. So, even though she is pregnant by Daniel Josselyn, Major of the Continental Army, and a landowner, she is not committed to the betrothal. Yet, as circumstances begin to crush them all, she relents: ‘If marriage be a bond, I am ready to bear it. If love be a fire, I am already burnt’ (p269).
Daniel had once been the friend of Hamilton Siwall, but that was a long while back.
Siwall is a land merchant, moneylender, magistrate and member of the General Court. When he tries debtors, he often acquires the offender’s land in settlement, continually extending his power and prestige. It seems that Siwall is keen to lay blame on Daniel for the slightest perceived infraction, and it is not long before the opportunity presents itself.
Marcus Tapp is the High Sheriff of the county and a creature of Magistrate Siwall. ‘Tapp’s eyes scanned the yard, missing nothing…Strange eyes, they were, so pale they seemed in daylight to have no colour at all, glass eyes that the world passed through without effect, to be recorded by the raw ends of his nerves’ (p23).
At this time there is a big issue regarding taxation among the townspeople of Rufford, Maine: ‘Tax upon tax had been laid on them, debts from a war that set rich men free to get richer, but ground out all hope from the labouring poor’ (p2). There are too many debtors; often the prison is bursting at the seams.
‘Rich men elected other rich men and they scratched one another’s backs like sleek cats and did not understand why poor men resented them, and any who resisted the growth of their power was labelled as traitors and fools. So it would be under governors and presidents, as it had been under kings and popes and caesars’ (p235). Anarchy does not seem too far off…
Another of Siwall’s creatures is the town’s local doctor, Samuel Clinch; he is a drunkard and a misogynist: ‘These country midwives are no more skilled than a witch with a broomstick, with their pawings and strokings! What does a woman know of such matters? Can she spell, sir? Can she read and write and cipher Latin like a man? No, she cannot! Women are soft for our pleasures, but they ain’t got the brains of a sheep where Science and babies is concerned!’ (p128). As implied, he is not averse to taking payment for his doctoring of female patients with pleasures of the flesh. Until, that is, he is found murdered in the forest. A mystery surrounds the violent death.
For different reasons, both Siwall and Tapp soon accuse Daniel of the murder, though there is little conclusive proof.
Hannah is kept busy with her midwife role. ‘It was always there at a borning, the spectre of dying, the other side of the treacherous coin of hope’ (p335). Yet, in reality, she would prefer to spend her time quilting and finally preparing for her wedding to Daniel. Several quilt patterns are named throughout the book: Bridges Burning, China Dish, Cross and Crown, Cradle in the Wilderness, Flame in the Forest, and Star of the Forest. Instead, she finds herself puzzling over the unpleasant doctor’s murder. That is, when she is not laying out the men who’d been sentenced to death by the loathed magistrate.
‘This is her work in the world, to reconcile living and dying. To wash away fear and shame and loneliness with a touch the dead must somehow feel where they stand watching, invisible, behind their window of clouded glass’ (p244).
Again, we meet Hannah’s deaf mute daughter Jennet, always depicted with compassion and eloquence. As before, Lawrence’s prose and imagery suck you into the story, and into the period:
‘A woodpecker rattled in the crown of an oak tree, and a flock of kinglets chattered as they flew from one tree to another, their scarlet crowns a flash of fire against the heavy hung branches. And now and then a limb creaked with the weight of slowly melting ice, and a burden of wet snow fell with a plop to the ground…’ (p398)
Here you will find poignancy, cruelty, anger, despair, injustice, love, hate, suspense, and tension aplenty.
A fitting end to an engrossing historical series.
Widow midwife Hannah Trevor has always been an independent soul, even when wed to her unsavoury husband. So, even though she is pregnant by Daniel Josselyn, Major of the Continental Army, and a landowner, she is not committed to the betrothal. Yet, as circumstances begin to crush them all, she relents: ‘If marriage be a bond, I am ready to bear it. If love be a fire, I am already burnt’ (p269).
Daniel had once been the friend of Hamilton Siwall, but that was a long while back.
Siwall is a land merchant, moneylender, magistrate and member of the General Court. When he tries debtors, he often acquires the offender’s land in settlement, continually extending his power and prestige. It seems that Siwall is keen to lay blame on Daniel for the slightest perceived infraction, and it is not long before the opportunity presents itself.
Marcus Tapp is the High Sheriff of the county and a creature of Magistrate Siwall. ‘Tapp’s eyes scanned the yard, missing nothing…Strange eyes, they were, so pale they seemed in daylight to have no colour at all, glass eyes that the world passed through without effect, to be recorded by the raw ends of his nerves’ (p23).
At this time there is a big issue regarding taxation among the townspeople of Rufford, Maine: ‘Tax upon tax had been laid on them, debts from a war that set rich men free to get richer, but ground out all hope from the labouring poor’ (p2). There are too many debtors; often the prison is bursting at the seams.
‘Rich men elected other rich men and they scratched one another’s backs like sleek cats and did not understand why poor men resented them, and any who resisted the growth of their power was labelled as traitors and fools. So it would be under governors and presidents, as it had been under kings and popes and caesars’ (p235). Anarchy does not seem too far off…
Another of Siwall’s creatures is the town’s local doctor, Samuel Clinch; he is a drunkard and a misogynist: ‘These country midwives are no more skilled than a witch with a broomstick, with their pawings and strokings! What does a woman know of such matters? Can she spell, sir? Can she read and write and cipher Latin like a man? No, she cannot! Women are soft for our pleasures, but they ain’t got the brains of a sheep where Science and babies is concerned!’ (p128). As implied, he is not averse to taking payment for his doctoring of female patients with pleasures of the flesh. Until, that is, he is found murdered in the forest. A mystery surrounds the violent death.
For different reasons, both Siwall and Tapp soon accuse Daniel of the murder, though there is little conclusive proof.
Hannah is kept busy with her midwife role. ‘It was always there at a borning, the spectre of dying, the other side of the treacherous coin of hope’ (p335). Yet, in reality, she would prefer to spend her time quilting and finally preparing for her wedding to Daniel. Several quilt patterns are named throughout the book: Bridges Burning, China Dish, Cross and Crown, Cradle in the Wilderness, Flame in the Forest, and Star of the Forest. Instead, she finds herself puzzling over the unpleasant doctor’s murder. That is, when she is not laying out the men who’d been sentenced to death by the loathed magistrate.
‘This is her work in the world, to reconcile living and dying. To wash away fear and shame and loneliness with a touch the dead must somehow feel where they stand watching, invisible, behind their window of clouded glass’ (p244).
Again, we meet Hannah’s deaf mute daughter Jennet, always depicted with compassion and eloquence. As before, Lawrence’s prose and imagery suck you into the story, and into the period:
‘A woodpecker rattled in the crown of an oak tree, and a flock of kinglets chattered as they flew from one tree to another, their scarlet crowns a flash of fire against the heavy hung branches. And now and then a limb creaked with the weight of slowly melting ice, and a burden of wet snow fell with a plop to the ground…’ (p398)
Here you will find poignancy, cruelty, anger, despair, injustice, love, hate, suspense, and tension aplenty.
A fitting end to an engrossing historical series.
December 11, 2025
I've enjoyed the 2 other books in this Series & was looking forward to this one. I'm not completely disappointed in this one but I don’t think it was as good as the other 2. First the main characters weren't as likable as in the other books. And there were a lot of other characters that were new & not introduced to us so we weren't sure of their parts in the plot.
And the Ending was very disappointing as it was hard to follow, what with Name Changes & some characters that appeared only briefly Until the Ending. Add to that that it's the Last book in the Series & no particularly satisfactory conclusions given.
And the Ending was very disappointing as it was hard to follow, what with Name Changes & some characters that appeared only briefly Until the Ending. Add to that that it's the Last book in the Series & no particularly satisfactory conclusions given.
October 3, 2008
The third book about the life of midwife Hannah Trevor in post-American Revolution Maine. This was my least favorite out of the three, but the book still provided some great detail about life in this time period.
I didn't like that this book was choppy...it didn't flow very well. The narration was separated with journal entries or "testimonies" of towns people. They didn't contribute much to the overall plot and just were unnecessary.
I did like the details about the time and the continuing story of Hannah and Daniel who live happily ever after in a matter of speaking. (Well...as much as they can when everything was taken away and they are living as fugitives...)
I didn't like that this book was choppy...it didn't flow very well. The narration was separated with journal entries or "testimonies" of towns people. They didn't contribute much to the overall plot and just were unnecessary.
I did like the details about the time and the continuing story of Hannah and Daniel who live happily ever after in a matter of speaking. (Well...as much as they can when everything was taken away and they are living as fugitives...)
October 14, 2014
***SPOILER ALERT!!!
Her third book into this series gave me a sense of "Thank the LORD I did not live in this time" which tells something about just how little "entertaining" Lawrence is doing. Yes, the prose is still worthy; yes, the characters are still top notch and the plot good. BUT. My patience is thinner. It's soooo dark and morbid. Will Hannah ever win? No. Really bummed me out.
I doubt very much if I'm going to read the next book, Ice Weaver that takes up where her poor daughter is burying a dead body...I won't say who. Just TOO much. Sorry.
Her third book into this series gave me a sense of "Thank the LORD I did not live in this time" which tells something about just how little "entertaining" Lawrence is doing. Yes, the prose is still worthy; yes, the characters are still top notch and the plot good. BUT. My patience is thinner. It's soooo dark and morbid. Will Hannah ever win? No. Really bummed me out.
I doubt very much if I'm going to read the next book, Ice Weaver that takes up where her poor daughter is burying a dead body...I won't say who. Just TOO much. Sorry.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2010
Not the best of the three books in this series but I still enjoyed it enough to be surprised at the solution to the mystery. It got a bit jumbled throughout the story because the the different "names" attached to the characters. Who was "Sheba"? "Leah", "Siwall"? Who is married to whom? I still think Book #1 (Hearts and Bones) is the best. And I can tell there will be a #4 book because of the way "The Burning Bride" ended...
September 7, 2012
What I like best about Margaret Lawrence's novels is how she weaves a vivid, detailed sense of the time period (and a time period less well known than it should be, at that: the early decades of the U.S.). She reads lots of historical scholarship and distills it to create a realistic setting. This was my least favorite of her Hannah Trevor series, though; I found it hard to witness the repeated victimization of female characters, in the same ways, by villanous men.
December 21, 2008
Just OK. The narrative is rather chopped up, and the behavior of some of the characters is not very credible.
July 25, 2014
For anyone that thinks everything was happy and (all the white) people were free after the Revolutionary War, these books will suggest otherwise. Life sucked, unless you were rich and connected.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews