The Frozen Thames by 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 illustrated with stunning full-color period art,The Frozen Thames is an achingly beautiful feat of the imagination…a work of fiction that transports us back through history to cast us as intimate observers of unforgettable moments in time.

Whether we’re viewing the magnificent spectacle of King Henry VIII riding across the ice highway (while plotting to rid himself of his second wife) or participating in a joyous Frost Fair on the ice, joining lovers meeting on the frozen river during the plague years or coming upon the sight of a massive ship frozen into the Thames…these unforgettable stories are a triumph of the imagination as well as a moving meditation on love, loss, and the transformative powers of nature.

If I recall correctly, I added this book to my TBR list a couple of years ago. It was therefore something of a surprise when I started reading the book and realised that I either had never noticed or had forgotten what the structure of this book was.

Rather than a through narrative following a set of characters, The Frozen Thames is a series of vignettes with each being set at a different year when the winter was so cold that the river Thames froze over. Each of the forty different stories is perhaps three or four pages long, certainly not many were much longer, and so just give a glimpse of life at a particular moment in time. When you have forty or so short stories some will be stronger than others and that is definitely the case here, but what you do get is some fascinating glimpses of these particular moments in time.

The first story is set in 1195 and is about Empress Matilda, would be queen of England. She is in a castle on the banks of the Thames, besieged by the forces of her cousin, King Stephen when she manages to escape during a blizzard by dressing all in white and crossing the frozen Thames. Now, if you didn't know that this was a true story and I hadn't read of it in books by authors such as Elizabeth Chadwick and Sharon Kay Penman, it is possible that you would think that it was a fanciful piece of writing! Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.

At other times the frozen river became home to frost fairs, something which turned out to be a great social leveller as both the higher levels of society and the lower classes all took advantage of the unusual conditions to linger on the ice. I recently read about one of these frost fairs in The Gilded Lily by Deborah Swift and so it was fun to see more about these. Of course, for all the fun of the frost fairs there are also the ferrymen, porters and others who rely on the river for their livelihood who are affected as well and their story is not forgotten either.

I liked the fact that there was a mix of social classes through the stories as well. We saw young boys waiting for the King's carriage to drive past them on the ice and the pub owner's who have an iced-in boat tied to their pub. There were even two stories that were linked which I loved. A young woman takes a risk crossing the river as it started to melt and then her grown child has to face his fears in a later story.

Along the way, the author skates (pun intended) through history, touching on things like the hearth taxes and window taxes, the plagues that caused such death, and more.

As an object, this is a beautiful book. It is a small volume, with thick paper and the text is interspersed with some pictures from the relevant eras which made it a joy to look at.

In some ways, it is a shame that it is highly unlikely that the Thames will freeze again, thanks mainly to the fact that the bridges across the river have such wide spans now, along with the other man made interventions such as the embankments, and global warming. Then again, when I read this it was a more than 40 degrees celsius day so I was reading to help myself feel cooler. Now, as I finish off this review, I am watching the news about more flooding in Queensland and New South Wales where homes and lives are being destroyed and lives lost so it is best that we don't wish for those kinds of extreme weather conditions. It is hard enough to deal with when they come without wishing for more.


Rating 4/5

Coventry by Helen Humphreys

On the evening of November 14, 1940, Harriet stands on the roof of the cathedral in the British town of Coventry and marvels at the magnificence of frost glittering beneath a full moon. But it is a bomber's moon. The Germans are coming to unleash destruction. For Harriet, Jeremy, the young man who shares her duties as a firewatcher, and his free-spirited mother, Maeve, this single night will resonate for the rest of their lives.

In a story of breathtaking beauty, with the wondrous poetic style that has earned her international acclaim, Helen Humphreys recreates the terror of the infamous Second World War bombing raid on Coventry. As Harriet and Jeremy make their way through the burning city in search of Maeve, their trek becomes a journey of fear and awe as they witness butter from the dairy flowing down the streets in a burning stream and landmines on parachutes swimming like jellyfish out of the darkness. Cold dread brings to life both a grief and a love that Harriet thought she had put behind her forever.

Drawing on actual events of that horrific night in 1940, Coventry is an astounding work, at once tense and lyrical, shocking and exquisite. Touching on themes of love, loss, loneliness and remembrance, Humphreys has crafted a story that will seize readers' hearts and imaginations.

This little book packs a bit of a punch. I am a big fan of books set during the World Wars, so I am always on the look out for new ones. This new novel by Helen Humphreys covers a little bit of the First World War, but it is mostly centred around one evening during World War Two. Coventry is the setting of this book. It is where all the action in the novel takes place. This one night in history will affect three people for the rest of their lives.

Harriet is the central character. She has lived a rough life. She married young, when she was only 18, and her husband signed up to fight during the First World War. He never came home. This is just one of many bitter disappointments that Harriet has had to put up with in her life. She is always waiting for someone to come back to her and it seems that they never make their way back. Then, it is 1940 and Harriet has been thrust into firewatch duty because the older gentleman that lives in her flat has fallen and hurt himself. It is because of this that she finds herself a part of the devastation. Fires are spreading, bombs are exploding, buildings are destroyed, and bodies litter the streets. It is a night that Harriet will not soon forget.

Joining her on this evening is a young boy named Jeremy. He is on firewatch duty on this tragic night at the same chapel that Harriet is set to watch. He becomes young and frightened and turns to Harriet for comfort. She feels responsible for the young man and becomes determined to get both herself and him home before the night is over. All he wants is to get home to his mother and make sure that she is alright. Harriet is alone in the world, but she still feels a compulsion to get home. This is their night. They see things that will never leave them during a night that will be forever marked as a horrific night in European history.

The last character part of this night is Jeremy's mother, Maeve. She is a single-mother and an artist hiding in a cellar while her son is trying to get back to her. Her life has not been perfect, but she has always managed to see the bright-side of things. Tonight, all she is concerned with is her sons' safety. She just needs to know that he is okay and has made it through the night unharmed. Harriet and Jeremy will become separated during the night, and then Maeve's and Harriet's stories will intertwine. They are both two women desperate to know the fate of a young man while bombs are exploding in the street. It is a tense and tragic night.

In just a short amount of pages, Humphreys manages to bring this night in history home to readers who were not there to experience it. She draws on real events from that night to make it all seem real. This book captures many emotions for such a small book. I found myself caught up in the story, and while it is not the best book on the subject I have ever read, I read it in one sitting. I recommend it!

My thanks to Harper Collins for sending me this book!

(This book also counts towards The 2nd Canadian Challenge, Eh?)