Books have an intrinsic ability to transport us in places that we have never been, bringing us back in time and even reminding us of the wonders where we live. Below, Vanessa de Turnipseed Travel shares a book criticism from Thames Frozen. And as a person who is in a love story with London, I can appreciate how incredible it would be to see the frozen random.
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While the days of frozen February surround me, I try to make the most of the extremely cold winter – no easy thing, because I live in the coldest capital in the world, Ottawa! But we always manage to get the most out of snow and ice and each year, we celebrate winter. At a basic level, Winterled celebrates the freezing of the Rideau canal – the longest outdoor skating rink in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From this, Winterlude has become a festival with various events, including concerts and ice sculpture competitions. With Frost and Feetes in my mind, it seems appropriate to take a look at the Thames Frozen by Helen Humphries, an author who lives very close to Ottawa, in Kingston nearby!
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Books Review of Thames Frozen
By Helen Humphries
The Frozen Thames is a collection of forty vignettes and everyone tells a story for each time that the Thames of London frozen solid. From 1142, under the seizure and at the edge of the famine, Queen Matilda escapes when time using a freshly frozen ravity as part of her plan to reach a safe refuge. The Humphries vignettes tell the story of kings and commoners, princes and peasants whose life is transformed on rare occasions that the Thames freezes. You gain such an appreciation for the difficulties and the joys that have occurred over the years. The daily aspects of life, such as gambling with friends, fighting against the plague and fighting against the authorities, are written in detail as warm as the ice is cold. And extraordinary events – as Henry the VIII rushes to London when Catherine d’Aragon dies – are even more magical when you consider that the royal car is drawn in the middle of the frozen river.
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A constant element that makes an appearance in many vignettes is that of Freezing fair. During the London Frost Fair, which only appeared on the rare moments when the river froze, festivities took place on the banks of the river, the stands would sell markets (a bit like European Christmas markets) and special treats would be sold on the frozen ice. Anyone for heated cakes cooked in greedy bears fat ?? While Ottawa is more likely to sell pastries of Castor’s tails than Roast Ox, I can always appreciate the common theme of community pleasure. The Thames has never frozen only 40 times in recorded history and, in many cases, see that it was a unique experience for London.
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This book looked like a hidden gem which, once discovered, I could not deposit. The stories are lively, charming, soft and evocative, I think it would be the perfect book for a business traveler with an eventful schedule – they can dive into and get out of stories without having to commit too much time. And it would be even better for all those who travel to London and deplore the cold weather. The chances are that if the Thames is not frozen, time is not too bad after all!
Vanessa Chiasson blog on affordable travel and culinary and cultural adventures at Journey.
I would like to thank Vanessa for her reflected book review of the Thames Frozen.
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