One last thing before I go . . . True stories of doomed figures from British history—and what they announced to the world as the Grim Reaper drew near.
Nothing focuses the mind more starkly than impending death. In this book, you can mount the scaffold and share in the final utterings of the condemned, and join the stricken in their deathbeds as their deeply entrenched secrets are finally unshackled.
Famous Last Words collects a fascinating selection of destinies, culminating in their often flamboyant, always captivating comments just before they shuffled off this mortal coil. Revealed inside are tales of sangfroid bravery, astonishing ironies, and overdue confessions often betraying grave miscarriages of justice. Writer and poet Sir Walter Raleigh had some typically forthright and goading words for his executioner as the hesitant axeman displayed fear and reluctance to perform his stately duties. The final words of convicted murderer Ernest Brown may have been a candid confession to another killing he had committed deep in the Northumberland Moors some two years previously. And what of Britain’s first actor to have had a knighthood bestowed upon him? Discover the staggering irony that saw his final words on stage prophetically turn out to be his last in life . . .
Kirsty
4 out of 5 stars
Fantastic example of micro-history
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 12, 2022
Format: Kindle
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From medieval beheadings, Victorian hangings, deathbed confessions and even heartbreaking suicide notes, Wood has created a thoroughly dark and entertaining book looking at various individuals who left a mark on history as they departed from the world.
The level of research that has clearly gone into this book is compelling with the narrative gripping and never falters.
A fantastic example of micro-history, each chapter details a specific individual making it perfect to devour in one sitting or to steal away with in bite-size reads.
While the welcome addition of well known figures such as the tragic Lady Jane Grey and the adventurous Sir Walter Raleigh are included, I feel one of the strengths in this book lies with the diligent recording of more obscure figures who were just as (if not more!) fascinating than their better known counterparts.
The stand out distinction for Wood's writing however, was his dark humour which was very effective with certain cases for example Thomas David Cunnington. While suicide is of course a tragic event, Cunnington was in total control of his being worrying at one point "I'm getting to think gas will run out" as he chronicled his surprisingly upbeat suicide letter. He was also very adamant not to have to see his suicide letter recipients if his attempt failed. Perhaps a very selected humour, but one I felt was distinctly British in nature.
Discover the right words for every moment. The Best Smart Quotes Book gathers 1,100+ razor-sharp lines of wisdom—from Plato to Bob Dylan—curated to spark insight, lift your day, and sharpen your thinking.
Ed
4 out of 5 stars
A book of wonderful sayings
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2020
Format: Kindle
Verified Purchase
To keep in context, this is a book of
Sayings by wonderful people,
Wonderful sayings by some people.
Sayings that make you wonder
Sayings that you wonder what they mean
And if you read several pages at one sitting, you will have a wonderful headache.
“I’ll tell you how I would like to be remembered: As a black man who won the heavyweight title – Who was humorous and never looked down on those who looked up to him – A man who stood for freedom, justice and equality – And I wouldn’t even mind if folks forgot how pretty I was.”
Muhammad Ali
No one has straddled the world of sport, politics and popular culture as Muhammad Ali did.
He was born in Louisville in 1942 in an America where blacks were subjected to a brutal apartheid and were treated as second class citizens. He rose, through his boxing skill and character, to become the most famous person in the world at the time.
He was most famous for styling himself as ‘The Greatest’. There is a consensus that he was the greatest of boxers during an era of great boxers. However, he was far more than that. He was a very great man a moral leader, anti-war and fierce opponent of racial prejudice.
A career beyond boxing as a black political leader, fighting for the rights of an oppressed minority, seemed inevitable. Fate had another twist however and Ali suffered from Parkinson’s Disease for 30 years, possibly exacerbated by an extended boxing career. This rendered his full potential as an advocate for black rights impossible.
This book is some of the wit and wisdom of a much loved and complex man through his own words.
