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Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
necropolis now
This could have been a very good book indeed. after all, death and its accompaniments are endlessly fascinating and a cultural history of death in the world's most vibrant and interesting city could be a particularly good read. unfortunately, this whistle-stop tour of several millenia of the disposal of London's dead (with a prolonged halt in the Victorian period and an unnecessary diversion to Princess Diana's death and funeral) just doesn't come up to expectations. Catherine Arnold is very good... more info
Victorian London and its dead I started reading this book and thought it was brilliant - really off-the-wall subject matter. However, about a third of the way through the focus shifts to the Victorian era and while it was obviously a major changing point in the matter of funerals etc, I felt the book devoted too many pages to the period. Still, it's a fascinating read and will certainly attract attention if you are reading it in public!
What a shame - A great opportunity wasted... I did some courses at University on death and mourning rituals and they were fascinating. When I lived in London I also used to spend a fair amount of time visiting Highgate cemetery, also fascinating. Coming across this book seemed like a blessing, dealing with and adding knowledge to areas of interest. Sadly, I think I know too much. The issue with this book is that it is 'death lite'. I think that it's great as an introduction to the subject, but if you already know things, it's not going to take... more info
Poorly researched; weak structure Catharine Arnold is not a historian - and it shows. Although the bibliography lists a number of authoritative books, too much of the research is based on out of date texts and laymen's websites. She uses Isabella Holmes book from 1896 on London churchyards not just as a source of information on Victorian burials but as source for opinions and academic thought on periods before the 19th century. Similarly, much of the information about the Danse Macabre comes from a book of 1931. Websites used include... more info
