Famous Last Words: Confessions, Humor and Bravery of the Departing by Chris Wood, an instructive and interesting reading about the different ways in which humans face a situation common to all living beings: death.
When I started this book, I thought I was going to find a list of quotes with the last words of famous people, but I have been pleasantly surprised to find not only the promised final words, but also the historical context in which each character lived and that led to their death, which made reading more enjoyable, since I am very fond of history.
As I said before, a very instructive read, if a little macabre...
I thank the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
The opinion I have expressed above is based solely on what I think and feel about this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I thought that this book was really interesting!

The wide variety of people covered was great, I really enjoyed the mix and the descriptions that the author provided, as well as sharing what was said, or reported to have been said at the time.

The book was well written and well laid out and each story has its own merits and interesting parts. I knew about some of those selected to be featured in the book, but not all.

It is 4 stars from me of this one, a really interesting book, it was great to be able to dip in and out as needed as the chapters were punchy and covered just the right amount of detail – highly recommended!

i really enjoyed learning about people's last words, this was a really well written and researched book. It was a really well done read.

Thanks to the publishers, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

More of anthology of some interesting cases of murder and suicide in Britain than a collection of 'famous last words' this book in still quite engaging.

There are some very well researched and in-depth accounts of stories that you might already know, like the story of Burke & Hare or Lady Jane Grey. Others like the story of Frederick Fleet which tells the story of that young sailor who said the fateful words 'iceburg ahead' on the Titanic are equally compelling.

This is more of an account of interesting cases of death than last words, so don't rely on the title for the content. But this is a quick and enjoyable read for history lovers.

These stories were interesting, but this felt chaotic and poorly planned, there was no coherence and it just felt all over the place. I think with some work and more structure could be an exceptional read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

While this book should have been a perfect read for me-I felt like it was lacking something-maybe just better organization? I felt that this skipped around quite a bit-rather than be in a cohesive reading manner-like by deaths or time frames-just flip-flopped.

I did love the illustrations and the aesthetics aspects of this book.

I also appreciated the author using figures from a wide span of time-from queens to murderers.

Overall, a nice read-not something I would buy myself.

My thanks to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book

A collection of insight and advice distilled from the last words of some of history's most interesting figures.

Some of the last words spoken by a selection of people from history, some famous some not. Brutal murderers, star crossed lovers, the innocent, mysterious deaths and grave robbers. They are all there. Some I found interesting, some I found long winded and some I wondered why they were included. Didn't really hold my attention, perhaps it was the people chosen.

Famous Last Words – Confessions, Humour and Bravery of the Departing was a bit different than what I expected it to be. I was expecting a true crime book looking at what people said as they stared down the gallows – perhaps entirely made of quotes or something. There is a bit of that here, but this book is a LOT more as it covers a large swath of noteworthy people and what they said before their (usually) untimely demise. The book looks at executed murderers, celebrities, esteemed royalty, and even would-be terrorists, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Chris wood takes great care to explain every detail of what leads up to the infamous final breaths, and adds context to what they are saying. In this regard, this is a very interesting history book with a number of surprises.

“Nothing focuses the mind more starkly than impending death. Its inevitable spectre greets us all; from princes to paupers and nobility to the needy. Prepare to mount the scaffold and share in the final utterings of the condemned; join the stricken in their death beds and witness unburdened tongues wag their closing, and often remarkable confessions as deeply entrenched secrets are finally unshackled in the wake of imminent death.”

I think the most interesting one in here, for me at least, was that of Sir Henry Irving, a famous Victorian actor that literally delivered his last words in a play he was acting in wherein the character he was playing was killed. Playing the lead in Becket, he uttered “Into thy hand, O Lord, into thy hands!” as the curtain fell on both the play, and sadly his own life. Irving was taken back to his hotel after folks realized his health was failing, and he died soon after. Imagine being in the audience for something like that, and realizing that was his final minutes on Earth – the sheer morbidity of it all would be crazy.

This is an enjoyable book, and an easy “read a chapter before bed” sort of thing. Pend and Sword did a Similarly structured book a while back called First World War Trials and Executions that I also enjoyed a lot for the exact same reason. It’s full of interesting facts and had some things, being outside of the UK, that I was unaware of. Definitely recommended.

Famous Last Words is a little confusing because I hadn't heard of a lot of these people (granted, I'm American, so my opinion on that should be taken with a grain of salt), but they also weren't particularly memorable last words. If a book is titled Famous Last Words, I go into it thinking that there will be something setting apart these last words from regular ones. Something has to be special about them to get their own individual chapters in a book dedicated to last words. And honestly, I didn't find any to be special. Lady Jane Grey's story was interesting once the political history stuff was over, but that was about it. Also, I wasn't a fan of the author's writing style. Extremely dramatic and flowery in a way I don't personally care for when reading nonfiction. There's definitely a way to write nonfiction that isn't boring, and I feel like the author tried way too hard to be interesting nonfiction that it became too extra. I hope to see this book do well, though, because death positivity and fascination with death need to be embraced and more normalized!

Perfect for the macabre loving and historical fans like myself. Definitely would like to read more about this particular subject in the future.

Princess Fuzzypants here: I expected this to be a rather light book filled with witty and humorous last words. It is not what this book delivers. Oh, there are a few pithy final utterances but what the author has done is present a fairly comprehensive background to the final moments and then, when possible, repeated what the deceased said. Sometimes it was heartbreaking and sad, particularly when the person is brought to his or her end by circumstances beyond his or her control. Lady Jane Grey is a prime example.

Sometimes it is a protest of innocence, occasionally borne out by future revelations. Sometimes it is simply a request for forgiveness. Sometimes it is a confession for crimes committed but unpunished. There is really no particular theme that I can perceive but that does make for some compelling reading. It is includes the famous and the obscure ,and the infamous.

It, like many of the books from this publisher, can be consumed in a continuous reading or taken in smaller bite-sized morsels. Four purrs and two paws up.

Famous Last Words is a well written series of short biographies (and the end of the lives of the subjects) written and presented by Chris Wood. Due out 30th June 2021 from Pen & Sword, it's 216 pages and will be available in paperback format.

This is a fascinating account of the deaths of 23 historical figures. They range from the very well known (Lady Jane Grey, William Burke) to the previously unfamiliar (to me). The accounts are written simply and engagingly in plain language. Despite the often gruesome nature of the murders, poisonings, and other crimes which led directly to the executions, the descriptions are neither too graphic nor disturbing (most of them happened many many years ago and have lost the immediacy of horror). They're not all executions, several are related stories from the deaths of non-criminals (Liam Whelan, Sir Henry Irving).

The author has included a number of illustrations from extant historical records, drawings, and some photographs. There are no annotations or bibliography included in the advance copy I received for review which are listed in the table of contents and will be included in the final release version. Ditto the index which will be available in the final release copy.

This would be a good selection for library acquisition, or for history fans. It would also be a good choice for true crime fans.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

My thanks to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Last words can be pithy, brave, confessional, sad, or even leave a long legacy of confusion and o mystery. Chris Wood in Famous Last Words: Confessions, Humour and Bravery of the Departing has combined all these into one volume covering the last words, either pronounced or written, by the famous, the infamous and a few that most might just go "Who?".

Mr. Wood gives sometimes for too long a biographical sketch of the time, the characters and the the influences on those he has chosen to discuss. These people range from Queens, politicians, lovers, murderers known from history, but with a few Victorian era criminals tossed in. The organization is a little all over the place, maybe a chronological layout would have helped, but the book is still filled with intriguing stories.

While the stories themselves were interesting, the book was so poorly written I couldn’t get into it. Pretentious and meandering, with three or four words used when 1 or 2 would have gone the job.

This was a really entertaining read.Easily put down and picked back up as there were many different stories to become engrossed in.I thought when I picked this up that some of the more famous names would interest me the most but all the stories were fascinating in their own right.Although,I particularly liked Walter Raleigh's tale,Robert Catesby and the lookout from the Titanic,Fred Fleet.It was well written,informative and a much needed compelling distraction.Much thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was not for me. I found the first chapter interesting, less so for the remaining chapters. Readers from the UK may find the book more interesting than I did since it focuses on British people from history. I was mostly bored with reading about each person's life story. When the author gets to the person's last words I found them underwhelming. I think how each person died was more interesting than what they said at the end of their lives. I also think there could have been a better chapter order. Why wasn't the book in chronological order, why did the author pick these people to write about? Lastly, I think the book could have benefited from a concluding chapter as well.

I received this book for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

#Famouslastwords

This book although the title is very short was very complex. Politically driven, love, power or even control the last words we speak do you have meaning.

This wow! book details the circumstances surrounding deaths (natural, executions, suicide) and the last words spoken by the person(s) who died when they realized death was imminent. Some are surprising, some proclaimed innocence to the end whether they were innocent of a crime or not, others poignant and heartbreaking. From confessions to allusions to secrets to words of love to instructions to the executioner, this book is unputdownable in its intensity and captivation. Most of the stories took place in the last few hundred years with a few more recent and highlight both famous and not famous people.

When hanging and beheading were de rigueur, executioners were paid for good "service". Some executions occurred swiftly as planned but some were unfortunately drawn out. Bodies were often used for scientific research and some took it upon themselves to hasten deaths for payment. Mary Blandy was concerned about propriety when she was hung. Many last words were pleas to their Maker such as Sir Henry Irving's which those he used on stage during performances, "O Lord Into Thy hands". King Edward VI's were similar as were Lady Jane Grey's, while she pathetically groped for the beheading stone. Every single story is incredibly interesting including the Charles Smith book made of his skin!

Suicide notes are goosebump inducing, moving and poignant and the last despairing and revealing moments of the person's life are sometimes recorded in detail. The most heartbreaking to me was the letter from a father to his daughter. A few saw a humorous side, others instructive. Murderer Burke said, "The knot's behind" to his executioner (should have been to the side). A few shook hands with their executioner and thanked prison staff for good treatment. The degrading ducking story was just awful...the man responsible asked for forgiveness at his death. Another man blamed women for his downfall and one pleaded innocence until he was executed and it was discovered later that he indeed had been innocent. One couple recited wedding vows to each other just seconds before they were hung.

There are photos of locations and suicide letters. If you are at all intrigued by a sociological compendium of true death events and how various people viewed death in their last moments, this book is definitely for you.

My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for the privilege of reading the e-ARC of this fascinating book. Well worth reading!