Publisher Description

In the long hot summer of 1939, Britain is preparing for war. But on a riverside farm in Suffolk there is excitement of another kind- Mrs Petty, the widowed farmer, has had her hunch proved correct that the strange mounds on her land hold buried treasure.As the dig proceeds against a background of mounting national anxiety, it becomes clear though that this is no ordinary find...And pretty soon the discovery leads to all kinds of jealousies and tensions. John Preston's recreation of the Sutton Hoo dig - the greatest Anglo-Saxon discovery ever in Britain - brilliantly and comically dramatizes three months of intense activity when locals fought outsiders, professionals thwarted amateurs, and love and rivalry flourished in equal measure.

Notes

A fictional recreation of the Sutton Hoo archaeological dig in Suffolk, in 1939. Based in part on the diaries of the young female archaeologist who found the first treasure, and who happened to be the author's aunt, it brilliantly and comically dramatised 3 months of intense activity, when locals fought outsiders, professionals thwarted amateurs, and love and rivalry flourished in equal measure. 'Very fine, engrossing, exquisitely original' Ian McEwan

Author Biography

John Preston is a former Arts Editor of the Evening Standard and the Sunday Telegraph. For ten years he was the Sunday Telegraph's television critic and one of its chief feature writers. His novel, The Dig, based on the 1939 archaeological excavation at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, has been filmed starring Ralph Fiennes, Carey Mulligan and Lily James. His first nonfiction book, A Very English Scandal, was published to great acclaim in 2016 and turned into BAFTA-winning BBC drama series. His latest book Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell was published to great acclaim in February 2021. It has been shortlisted for both the Baillie Gifford Prize and the Costa Biography Prize and is being adapted for television by Working Title productions.

Review

Very fine, engrossing, exquisitely original Ian McEwan An enthralling story of love and loss, a real literary treasure. One of the most original novels of the year Robert Harris You don't need to be in archaeology - this is a tale of rivalry, loss and thwarted love. It's so absorbing that I read right through lunchtime one day, and it's not often I miss a meal Nigella Lawson A rich vein of dry humour runs throughout Evening Standard Intriguing, tender and entertaining . easily Preston's best Independent A delicate, quietly affecting human drama Daily Mail A moving novel that coheres wonderully as it progresses Spectator A delicate evocation of a vanished era Sunday Times Wonderful, evocative. From this simple tale of dirt, Preston has produced the finest gold. He keeps an iron grip on the reader's attention Observer Beatutifully written...there is a true and wonderful ending to the story -- Bill Wyman Mail on Sunday Wistful and poignant. A masterpiece in Chekhovian understatement Times Literary Supplement Exciting, evocative and beautifully written. A treasure in itself Griff Rhys Jones

Review Text

Very fine, engrossing, exquisitely original

Review Quote

'Very fine, engrossing, exquisitely original' Ian McEwan 'An enthralling story of love and loss, a real literary treasure. One of the most original novels of the year' Robert Harris 'You don't need to be in archaeology - this is a tale of rivalry, loss and thwarted love. It's so absorbing that I read right through lunchtime one day, and it's not often I miss a meal' Nigella Lawson 'A rich vein of dry humour runs throughout' Evening Standard 'Intriguing, tender and entertaining hellip; easily Preston's best' Independent 'A delicate, quietly affecting human drama' Daily Mail 'A moving novel that coheres wonderully as it progresses' Spectator 'A delicate evocation of a vanished era' Sunday Times 'Wonderful, evocative. From this simple tale of dirt, Preston has produced the finest gold. He keeps an iron grip on the reader's attention' Observer 'Beatutifully written...there is a true and wonderful ending to the story' - Bill Wyman, Mail on Sunday 'Wistful and poignant. A masterpiece in Chekhovian understatement' Times Literary Supplement 'Exciting, evocative and beautifully written. A treasure in itself' Griff Rhys Jones

Details