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The Frozen Thames
The Frozen Thames
Author: Helen Humphreys
In its long history, the river Thames has frozen solid forty times. These are the stories of that frozen river.So begins this breathtaking and original work, which contains forty vignettes based on events that actually took place each time the historic Thames froze solid. Spanning more than seven centuries?from 1142 to 1895?and i...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780385342810
ISBN-10: 0385342810
Publication Date: 3/24/2009
Pages: 192
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 3

3.8 stars, based on 3 ratings
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Members Wishing: 3
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

janete avatar reviewed The Frozen Thames on + 22 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
The river Thames, has, in its long life, frozen 40 times. Helen Humphreys (The Lost Garden; Coventry) commemorates these singular events by devoting one brief chapter to each instance in which the river freezes, beginning in 1142, when a frozen Thames helped Matilda flee from her cousin and enemy Stephen, a rival for Englands throne. Humphreys chronicle of the frozen Thames is a memoir of the river at its least river-like state. This is an odd and oddly attractive piece of writing. The only work I can compare it to is Ivo Andrićs unforgettable Bridge on the Drina. A frozen Thames is just on the boundaries of what is normal in climatic variations. Its just strange enough to create diversions to those wealthy enough to survive in very cold winters, and to be disastrous for those whose livelihoods depend on a wet, unfrozen river (bargemen, ferrymen, fishermen, gardeners). 4 stars
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