I was excited to see Death and Destruction on the Thames in London listed on NetGalley as I'm a huge history fan and Anglophile. The premise of the book sounded interesting but unfortunately it didn't pan out. The writing was rather juvenile and some of the anecdotes were fantastical. On a scale of 1 to 5 I'd rate this a 2 at most.

An interesting look at the history of the Thames by focusing on death and destruction, this book had its ups and downs. Each chapter is roughly divided to give you floods, fires, wars, and other disasters by theme. One or two events tends to get most of the focus and Galvin goes into good detail behind the story. Others get brief nods. It seemed like at the end of almost every section was a touristy kind of ad for where to go today to see more about the highlighted disaster/death, which, no matter how often it happened, always struck me as not fitting in well.

The writing was often jerky and it lacked a steady flow. Some sections were highly repetitive and the book overall could have used more editing. I think reading it in small helpings, a few pages at a time, would probably reduce the annoyance factor of the writing, while not detracting from the idea of the book itself. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I'd read it that way.

By the writing style I assumed this was for young readers. Then I read a passage quoting Samuel Pepys's description of him having sex with one of his servants and it was a bit explicit for the ages 6-8 set. So then I though, "perhaps it's just condescending." This was verified as I read further. It's condescending and annoying and not very historical. It's full of anecdotes, mostly told badly, with some asinine sexist jokes. There's little actually about the Thames; the connections are very tenuous, as in Jane Grey was executed and was transported via the Thames to the Tower. Give it a miss.

Thank you to Sapere Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Thames runs through the heart of London, and acts as a silent witness to Londoners history and as unwitting accomplice to death and destruction.

The book looks at the history of the Thames and it's surrounding areas, spanning from the time of the Romans to the present day and covers everything from shipwrecks to murder.

It's a great book for reading front to back or for dipping in and out of whichever you prefer. There were a few errors in historical facts and locations but these can be forgiven as I still found the book to be quite an interesting read and full of fascinating stories.

I don't think anyone can read this book and quite not look at the Thames in the same light again

If you enjoy your history this is definitely a book you should read

I loved this book! With such an old history, the city of London has been through so much! Not only parliamentarily, but naturally as well! It was so fantastic to read about how the citizens of London and its surrounding towns rolled with the punches, learned and expanded their arsenal to combat whatever was coming!
This book was expertly researched and so enlightening! I feel so much more knowledgeable after having read this!

“Death and Destruction on the Thames in London” (D&D) is an entertaining and fascinating history of London’s Thames River experience. D&D is chalk-full of Thames River interest about drownings, shipwrecks, war, weather, whales, construction, and more. Without pictures or maps, I constantly flipped back and forth to the internet to visualize what the author presented. Inspired by the author’s descriptions, I began planning a trip to London to see the setting first-hand. I would like to visit locations he described that were off the beaten paths of my past tours of London—Queen Boudicca’s statue, the York mansion’s gate on the Strand, and the walls that remain from the debtors’ prison, Marshalsea—to name but a few. A traveler to London would do well to have this book in hand for reference.
D&D is not written in the eloquent style of contemporary non-fiction writers like Erik Larson, Hampton Sides, or Kate Moore. There were redundancies in his recounts of the fires and beheadings along the Thames. The author overused, and in some instances, misused the contractions “but” and “however.” I also kept tripping over his use of colloquiums and certain phrases. Switching my default dictionary from “English (U.S.)” to “English (U.K.)” helped address, but did not solve, my problems with the writing. I learned, or as the author wrote, learnt, that “learnt” is not grammatically incorrect, at least not in England.
Despite these hiccups, D&D is no less informative or less well-researched. I am grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for an opportunity to read and share an honest review of such interesting subject-matter.

Every time I start to feel down or depressed, then I need to think about this book. From the very start of Londium to Henry the XIII and beyond. This was a hard scrabble life! I can't say much for those cold blooded bastards who enjoyed bloodshed, hangings or beheadings. That is something I will never understand. Heck, I'll just about crash my car just to avoid looking at car wrecks. Mostly because I'm afraid of what I'll see. I don't need those nightmares! I can't imagine that you're so poor and downtrodden that you would actually pack a.picnic lunch for these things! The city being burnt down so many times, yet the royals were safely tucked into their stone castles? Yeah, sorry, but I'd have killed you once you left home. They lived off the sweat and took of these people. Yet, when their houses and businesses burned, they were left destitute. No help from the Royals. The Tower? Oh my gosh, what a ghastly place. I've always wanted to go to Britain, and if I went, I would have to spend at least a year there. But, London has never been on my list of places to visit. This confirms it!
Still, this is everything ghastly that I expected. I can't fault it for that! I'd actually love to visit the Tower of London, except that I know me well enough to know I'd freak out! It's just a thing, but I don't like being in places where strong emotions linger. Maybe it's all in my head, but. I am left with impressions. It's why I don't visit battle.site's here in the U.S. But hey, my daughter is like that too! She just processes it differently. I hope to one day go to Scotland with her.

Death and Destruction on the Thames in London, by author Anthony Galvin, is a collection of short chapters tracing the city's history through the disasters, crimes, murders and other tragic events that have occurred on and around the famous river. It's easy to read and filled with interesting facts, many of which were new to me. I wish it had more maps or other information to help me, an American who has never been to England, understand the surrounding cities and points of interest that were often mentioned. I did notice some repetition, and the book felt too short, as if it needed more content to really tell these grim stories. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an e-copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Princess Fuzzypants here: The. Thames has played a pivotal role in the history of London. As it wends its way through the centre of the Metropolis, it has been a huge advantage. In fact, it was because of the river, London grew up around its shores from Roman Times on. For all the good it did, it also has a long and deadly story from heads on pikes to catastrophes galore including disease and destruction. It may not have a “Pretty” history but it certainly is fascinating.
For any fan of London, particularly those who know the city well, this is a great compilation of some of the best and the worst moments. It is well written and researched providing nuggets of information. Some of it may have been on the grisly side but it didn’t detract from the enjoyment of the book.
Four purrs and two paws up.

This book provides a series of brief, grim stories centered around the Thames from throughout London's history. The author talked about disasters, accidents, crime and murder, destruction occurring during war, disease, floods, river pollution, smog, suicide, execution, and more. Many of these stories provided interesting bits of London's history, like the Gunpowder Plot, the many fires including the Great Fire, the building of various tunnels under the river, and the Frost Fairs. We're given details about what happened and even some quotes from people who witnessed the events. However, some chapters, especially the chapters on the executions and suicides, focused so much on the grisly details of the death and violence that it wasn't pleasant reading. I ended up skimming about a third of the book because of that. While I have heard details of many of these events in other books, I did learn some new things about the river.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via Netgalley courtesy of the publisher.

Galvin’s book presents the history of the Thames in terms of flooding, shipwrecks, and other issues. At times, one wonders about the use of the phrase “on the Thames”, there is a bit much on the Great Fire of London, some on terrorist attacks, and a bit on Jack the Ripper.
Yet, the book is good. There is a ton of detail here. Galvin includes a list and brief history of the bridges of London as well as a detailed look at the history of the famous London Bridge. There is a list of the hulks on the Thames as well. Galvin goes in depth about the river has influenced the law in regards to certain “crimes”, such as the policies put in place to help prevent suicides.
Additionally, Galvin includes information about various museums that have a more detailed story about places and events. It would be possible to use this book as a resource for a tour of the city.
Galvin’s writing style is chatty which makes him a pleasure to read. It is almost like he is walking alongside of you telling you the various stories. He covers the Tudor period as well as WWI quite well. The books is has several lesser known historical stories.
Highly recommend for those interested in London.

A good and engaging history book that can be read like novel.
it's well written and well researched, very interesting.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Sapere Books and Netgalley for this ARC

This is a fascinating read about a fascinating subject. Galvin uses Thames as a unifying theme of London's history and its less than pleasant moments: fires, executions, drownings and other atrocities. The writing is not so bleak in itself so the text is more interesting than utterly depressing, despite the themes.

One downside of this book is its length. At around 200 pages, it is too short to develop its themes fully. Also, as another reviewer has pointed out, there are no sources. This is a problem in a book like this. Ultimately, the book is an interesting read, but it is not for academics or those seeking deeper knowledge of its subjects.

"Death and Destruction" packs a lot of the darker side of London's past focused through the lens of the Thames River, making it a perfect book for all the history lovers who enjoy reads that are informational but chilling right down to the soul.

An interesting and fascinating read. Cholera, fires, and hangings are amongst the many things that have happened along the banks of the River Thames. My only gripe is that the author has not given a list of his sources.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.