The Frozen Thames. by Helen Humphreys

What an exquisite little book! Initially, I was not happy as it was not available on Kindle, but having ordered it anyway, I now understand. This is a jewel to be savored and held in the hand, and would never translate to the electronic page. The vignettes are vivid, and the illustrations so fitting.

Helen Humphreys is a Canadian writer that I think, has not yet been discovered by the American public. Her books are simple but very poetic. She writes from the heart.

All of the stories in this book relate to the freezing of the Thames over the years, how lives were affected by the changed terrain. The rebuilding of London Bridge corrected the problem, but the tales remain. In this intimate collection, replete with colorful period art, the author revisits the Thames through that unique period, from 1142 to 1895. Humphreys' rich imagination infuses her vignettes, people from each era contemplating the phenomenon, from flowing water to solid ice. In 1142, Queen Matilda of England has been locked in battle with her cousin Stephen for seven years. Laying siege for the last three months, Stephen hopes starvation will weaken Matilda, barricaded behind the thick walls of her Oxford castle. At night, starving folk in the castle huddle together like dogs for warmth. Under the cover of blinding snow, a nightgown-clad Matilda and three of her men descend from a tower window, their rope light-colored linens tied together. In nightcaps and gowns, soldiers and queen reach the ground, stealthily navigating between the fires of Stephen's troops, the swirling snow giving cover. The frozen Thames delivers Matilda from her cousin to fight another day. Years pass. In 1309 a brown hare scurries along the "long white river". The fellow unleashing the dogs in pursuit of the hare does not think "it is fair to bring what is meant for the filed out onto the ice". He tips the odds in favor of the hunted animal, but not so obviously to will be caught, or lose the promised small wage, bottle of ale and loaf of bread he has been promised. This man could freeze in the bitter cold of the frozen Thames, but his life is of little import; it is the greyhounds that are treasured: "the dogs are the dogs of noblemen" who wish to be entertained on a long winter day. In 1506 three boys skate across the Thames; one of them falls behind his companions. Surrounded by so much ice, the lagging boy is suddenly covered in sweat. He realizes with dread that he has contacted the sweating sickness, a disease unique to England. Within a short time he will be dead; still he fights the outstretched arms of his returning companions, knowing they will only hasten his end. He will not be allowed to spread the disease, but will be bludgeoned to death on the ice where he has come to skate. The boy's brutal demise is but one of the precise vignettes (and illustrations) in this small book, intimate stories that focus on the historical and the mundane incidents on the frozen river. From ordinary folk to royalty, nature's phenomenon- the frozen Thames- has consequences, some remarkable, some dire, tales of man vs. nature. Luan Gaines/2009.