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Reimagining the Sutton Hoo dig, the greatest Anglo-Saxon archaeological discovery on British soil, John Preston brilliantly dramatizes three months of intense activity on a small estate when locals fought outsiders, professionals thwarted amateurs, and love and rivalry flourished in equal measure.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. Pretty, a widowed farmer, has had her hunch proved correct that the strange mounds on her land hold buried treasure. As an archaeological dig proceeds against a background of mounting national anxiety, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary find, and the discovery leads to a host of jealousies and tensions.Elegantly crafted with great tenderness and a poignant attention to detail, The Dig is more than a novel about archaeology. At its very core, this is a novel about the traces of life we all leave behind.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member arubabookwoman
This is a fictional account of the excavation of the historically important Anglo-Saxon burial ship discovered at Sutton Hoo in 1939. The find was extremely important as evidence that the "Dark Ages" were not so dark after all.
The novel is narrated in the first person by a number of the individuals
Mrs. Pretty hires Basil Brown, a local amateur archeologist to begin excavating the mounds, and Basil Brown narrates the next section of the book. Although he has no professional training, he conducts the dig according to the standards of the time. Again, since this is fiction and we are in Brown's mind, there is a lot of extraneous matter--his thoughts about his wife, his growing relationship with Mrs. Pretty's young son who is fascinated with the dig and wants to help. It is Brown who discovers the ship, and he immediately recognizes its significance.
Once the discovery becomes known, the professionals move in and take over from Brown. The narration is now provided by a succession of experts and professionals who continue Brown's work, and who discover the treasures the burial ship contained. Again, since these are first person narrators, and even though they are historical figures, there is a lot of extraneous material.
There's some fascinating information in the book about the conflicts among the various museums claiming the treasure--the local museum had been the first to take over the dig from Basil Brown, but when the British Museum learned of the find, its personnel moved in to finish the dig. There's also a narration of the legal battle over who owned the treasure trove--the land owner or the state.
This was an enjoyable and informative book. I liked reading the details on the nitty-gritty of conducting an archeological dig, the museum rivalries, the legal proceedings on the question of ownership. I can't help but wonder, however, why the author chose to present the story through a series of first person narratives, which gives rise to the problem that the author is going to have speculate what these real people were thinking, and in the end including things that have nothing to do with the story of the excavation. I'm not arguing that the book should have been written as nonfiction, but all the extraneous material was a constant reminder that the author was making things up, and if that was the case, how could I know which details were true.
With that caveat, this is a readable and interesting story, and I recommend it.
The novel is narrated in the first person by a number of the individuals
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connected with the find in somewhat chronological order. The first section is narrated by Edith Pretty, the widowed owner of the land. She has long suspected that the mounds on her land may contain artifacts, but has been unable to convince any professional or academic archeologist that the mounds are worthy of excavation. Since this is fiction, there are lots of extraneous details--her worries over her son growing up without a father, her attempts to contact her deceased husband through a medium, her problems with servants.Mrs. Pretty hires Basil Brown, a local amateur archeologist to begin excavating the mounds, and Basil Brown narrates the next section of the book. Although he has no professional training, he conducts the dig according to the standards of the time. Again, since this is fiction and we are in Brown's mind, there is a lot of extraneous matter--his thoughts about his wife, his growing relationship with Mrs. Pretty's young son who is fascinated with the dig and wants to help. It is Brown who discovers the ship, and he immediately recognizes its significance.
Once the discovery becomes known, the professionals move in and take over from Brown. The narration is now provided by a succession of experts and professionals who continue Brown's work, and who discover the treasures the burial ship contained. Again, since these are first person narrators, and even though they are historical figures, there is a lot of extraneous material.
There's some fascinating information in the book about the conflicts among the various museums claiming the treasure--the local museum had been the first to take over the dig from Basil Brown, but when the British Museum learned of the find, its personnel moved in to finish the dig. There's also a narration of the legal battle over who owned the treasure trove--the land owner or the state.
This was an enjoyable and informative book. I liked reading the details on the nitty-gritty of conducting an archeological dig, the museum rivalries, the legal proceedings on the question of ownership. I can't help but wonder, however, why the author chose to present the story through a series of first person narratives, which gives rise to the problem that the author is going to have speculate what these real people were thinking, and in the end including things that have nothing to do with the story of the excavation. I'm not arguing that the book should have been written as nonfiction, but all the extraneous material was a constant reminder that the author was making things up, and if that was the case, how could I know which details were true.
With that caveat, this is a readable and interesting story, and I recommend it.
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LibraryThing member msbaba
On the surface, this is a historical novel about the 1939 Sutton Hoo Dig, an Anglo-Saxon archeological discovery so famous that it was often referred to as the British Tutankhamen. As far as based-on-real-life dramas go, the rough outlines of this story are not particularly gripping. The author had
The book gives us a tale of decent rural folk on a collision course with scholarly archeological and legal experts from the British Museum. Tension is added to the whole through the pressure of imminent war with Germany. As Preston conceived it, the tale emerges as one of subdued rivalry and political career wrangling played out on a stage of personality differences. And yes, there is love…in many of its delicate and myriad guises.
What sets this novel apart and helps lift it to the level of original and exquisite literature is the standout authenticity of its main characters. They are so real, I felt as if I were there with them (inside the narrator’s shoes, so to speak). Reading the book felt like being transported across time and space.
The story is told primarily in chronological order, from April to September of 1939. There is also an epilogue dated 1965. The novel is told through three first-person narratives. The first character is Edith Pretty, the woman who owned the land. The second is Basil Brown, the self-taught “soil man” and archeologist who started the excavation on Pretty’s land at her request. However, it is the third character who rises above the rest to steal center stage. That third character is Peggy Piggott, the wife of one of the archeological experts called in to help supervise the dig after it was determined that the excavation contained historical artifacts of significant national interest. Peggy Piggott also happens to be the deceased aunt of the author.
Because the author had access to insider information about his aunt, he was able to weave a unique and dramatically significant story about her and her role in this archeological endeavor. Somehow, he knew (or imagined he knew) Peggy Piggott’s personal story. As a result, the story he tells through her first person narrative emerges as the emotional centerpiece of the novel. It is one so delicate and subtle—so incredibly understated—it took my breath away.
This novel excels through understatement. Done right, understatement can be stunning. As a literary device, understatement has enormous power. Think of the power of a whisper over a shout. If you want to convey something emotionally shattering, say it with understatement…whisper it.
Unfortunately, this literary device is often missing in our modern Western culture. Most of today’s fiction—especially popular thrillers and romances—are exercises in overstatement. It has become the norm. As a result, I fear many contemporary readers might not find much here—in this lovely novel of exquisite emotional depth—to hold their attention. What a shame and loss! Subtlety seems to be no longer highly valued or practiced. As a related sidebar: when was the last time you heard a politician whisper?
Personally, I adored this novel and will happily tuck it away on my bookshelf along with other elegant literary gems. It easily wins my five-star rating.
(One last note: it’s best if you know little about the dig before you begin. But sometime during the reading—perhaps two-thirds of the way through—it would be a good idea to search on the Internet for photographs. That will enhance the realism and heighten your interest and intellectual pleasure.)
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to figure out a way to make the story fascinating. He did it by emphasizing character and understated psychological depth. The result is stunning.The book gives us a tale of decent rural folk on a collision course with scholarly archeological and legal experts from the British Museum. Tension is added to the whole through the pressure of imminent war with Germany. As Preston conceived it, the tale emerges as one of subdued rivalry and political career wrangling played out on a stage of personality differences. And yes, there is love…in many of its delicate and myriad guises.
What sets this novel apart and helps lift it to the level of original and exquisite literature is the standout authenticity of its main characters. They are so real, I felt as if I were there with them (inside the narrator’s shoes, so to speak). Reading the book felt like being transported across time and space.
The story is told primarily in chronological order, from April to September of 1939. There is also an epilogue dated 1965. The novel is told through three first-person narratives. The first character is Edith Pretty, the woman who owned the land. The second is Basil Brown, the self-taught “soil man” and archeologist who started the excavation on Pretty’s land at her request. However, it is the third character who rises above the rest to steal center stage. That third character is Peggy Piggott, the wife of one of the archeological experts called in to help supervise the dig after it was determined that the excavation contained historical artifacts of significant national interest. Peggy Piggott also happens to be the deceased aunt of the author.
Because the author had access to insider information about his aunt, he was able to weave a unique and dramatically significant story about her and her role in this archeological endeavor. Somehow, he knew (or imagined he knew) Peggy Piggott’s personal story. As a result, the story he tells through her first person narrative emerges as the emotional centerpiece of the novel. It is one so delicate and subtle—so incredibly understated—it took my breath away.
This novel excels through understatement. Done right, understatement can be stunning. As a literary device, understatement has enormous power. Think of the power of a whisper over a shout. If you want to convey something emotionally shattering, say it with understatement…whisper it.
Unfortunately, this literary device is often missing in our modern Western culture. Most of today’s fiction—especially popular thrillers and romances—are exercises in overstatement. It has become the norm. As a result, I fear many contemporary readers might not find much here—in this lovely novel of exquisite emotional depth—to hold their attention. What a shame and loss! Subtlety seems to be no longer highly valued or practiced. As a related sidebar: when was the last time you heard a politician whisper?
Personally, I adored this novel and will happily tuck it away on my bookshelf along with other elegant literary gems. It easily wins my five-star rating.
(One last note: it’s best if you know little about the dig before you begin. But sometime during the reading—perhaps two-thirds of the way through—it would be a good idea to search on the Internet for photographs. That will enhance the realism and heighten your interest and intellectual pleasure.)
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LibraryThing member TheoClarke
A short novel exploring the relationships between those involved in the excavation of the Sutton Hoo ship burial in the summer immediately before the Second World War. It captures the sense of magic that exciting finds can occasion without sensationalising or trivialising the labour.
I was
A truly satisfying book.
I was
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predisposed to like this novel because of its archaeological theme and its Suffolk locale. IT so enthralled me, however, that I know that I would have been delighted by this writing without those hooks. Part of the appeal arose from the use of three narrators who speak with distinctively different voices and use individual emotional pallettes. Each narrator commands a single section of the novel: landowner Edith Pretty initiates the excavation, self-taught archaeologist Basil Brown finds the ship, and professional archaeologist Peggy Piggott finds the gold after the British Museum ousts Brown. This is all history but there are some changes to strengthen the narrative; as an archaeologist immersed in this history, I expected to be irked by such changes but none of them jarred me.A truly satisfying book.
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LibraryThing member rmckeown
When I was in about fourth grade, my mother gave me a 12-month subscription to the then new Random House series, All About Books. I loved All about Dinosaurs, Rocks, Rockets, The Planets, but my favorite was All About Archaeology. The idea of digging up ancient ruins fascinated me to no end. A few
When I found The Dig by John Preston, I returned to those heady days ancient Egypt, classic Greece and Troy. My graduate work at Baylor involved some study of Anglo-Saxon and Danish sites in England. I marveled at the metal work, pottery, masks, helmets, and swords found in England. I pulled a book off my shelves by Angela Care Evans, entitled The Sutton Hoo Ship Burial. I was able to see pictures – not only of the characters, but photos of many of the items described in the actual excavation. Preston’s novel is a fictionalized account of the discovery of one of the largest buried Danish ships ever found. This interesting story combined two of my favorite subjects: archaeology and English history.
John Preston is a former arts editor of the Sunday Telegraph and The Evening Standard. He lives in London. His novel has lots of dated Briticisms, since the ship was found shortly before the outbreak of World War II. The characters act and speak with some reserve, and the humor is typically dry. The owner of the land she wanted to investigate, introduces a local archaeologist, who has agreed to begin a survey of the site, to her young son, Robbie. Preston writes, “‘Robbie, […] this is Mr. Brown.’ // Mr. Brown stood up. His head came through the smoke cloud [from his pipe]. // ‘This is my son, Robert.’ […] ‘Hello there, young man.’ // Robert said nothing; he just kept staring up at him. // ‘Mr. Brown is an archaeologist,’ [she] explained. ‘He is going to have a look inside the mounds’” (11). For a moment I imagined myself as young Robert.
Preston has brought me back to the days of peering over the shoulder of Howard Carter as he broke the seals in a burial chamber and saw, for the first time in over 2,000 years, “Wonderful things” to quote Carter.
Of course, nothing like the Sutton Hoo site could be kept secret for very long, and the curator of a local museum began calling in experts from the British Museum. Brown did not want to bring anyone else into the find, but then, neither did the curator. Faster than you can say, “What ho chap. Have you got something by George?” experts from all over descended on the site. A squabble over who owned the treasures buried there arose, which took a few years to resolve. Fortunately, the courts held the property owner had first claim to everything found there. When WWII broke out, work had to be stopped at the dig for the duration, but quickly resumed after VE Day.
The Dig by John Preston is neither a big book, nor an important one. But it does demonstrate the magic one can experience from reading. It also shows how a book can take you anywhere, anytime, anyway with imagination. 5 stars
--Jim, 4/20/16
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years later, I came across the book Gods, Graves, and Scholars by C.W. Ceram. From that day forward, I knew I wanted to be an archaeologist. I read everything I could find. I even researched colleges which had a program. But as I neared college, my plans changed, and becoming a digger faded. However, it never disappeared altogether. When I found The Dig by John Preston, I returned to those heady days ancient Egypt, classic Greece and Troy. My graduate work at Baylor involved some study of Anglo-Saxon and Danish sites in England. I marveled at the metal work, pottery, masks, helmets, and swords found in England. I pulled a book off my shelves by Angela Care Evans, entitled The Sutton Hoo Ship Burial. I was able to see pictures – not only of the characters, but photos of many of the items described in the actual excavation. Preston’s novel is a fictionalized account of the discovery of one of the largest buried Danish ships ever found. This interesting story combined two of my favorite subjects: archaeology and English history.
John Preston is a former arts editor of the Sunday Telegraph and The Evening Standard. He lives in London. His novel has lots of dated Briticisms, since the ship was found shortly before the outbreak of World War II. The characters act and speak with some reserve, and the humor is typically dry. The owner of the land she wanted to investigate, introduces a local archaeologist, who has agreed to begin a survey of the site, to her young son, Robbie. Preston writes, “‘Robbie, […] this is Mr. Brown.’ // Mr. Brown stood up. His head came through the smoke cloud [from his pipe]. // ‘This is my son, Robert.’ […] ‘Hello there, young man.’ // Robert said nothing; he just kept staring up at him. // ‘Mr. Brown is an archaeologist,’ [she] explained. ‘He is going to have a look inside the mounds’” (11). For a moment I imagined myself as young Robert.
Preston has brought me back to the days of peering over the shoulder of Howard Carter as he broke the seals in a burial chamber and saw, for the first time in over 2,000 years, “Wonderful things” to quote Carter.
Of course, nothing like the Sutton Hoo site could be kept secret for very long, and the curator of a local museum began calling in experts from the British Museum. Brown did not want to bring anyone else into the find, but then, neither did the curator. Faster than you can say, “What ho chap. Have you got something by George?” experts from all over descended on the site. A squabble over who owned the treasures buried there arose, which took a few years to resolve. Fortunately, the courts held the property owner had first claim to everything found there. When WWII broke out, work had to be stopped at the dig for the duration, but quickly resumed after VE Day.
The Dig by John Preston is neither a big book, nor an important one. But it does demonstrate the magic one can experience from reading. It also shows how a book can take you anywhere, anytime, anyway with imagination. 5 stars
--Jim, 4/20/16
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LibraryThing member dudara
The Dig is a short novel set around the discovery and excavation at Sutton Hoo in 1939. England was facing the prospect of a war, and pressure was being exerted from officials to complete the excavation prior to the outbreak of hostilities. It is against this background that the characters move.
We
It's a quite touching novel, as we are revealed the fustrations and loves of the characters. The author manages to accomplish this quite well over a short space.
All in all, a refreshing change of pace.
We
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never spend too long with one character, moving quickly from one to another. We occasionally glean anecdotal pieces of information above a previous character as we are treated to the experiences of another. It's an easy novel to read, and makes a pleasant change to the recent trend to write tomes. However though, you may find the character development unsatisfactory or incomplete due to the short length of the novel. Personally I liked it, as it permitted me the opportunity to imagine the inbetween parts.It's a quite touching novel, as we are revealed the fustrations and loves of the characters. The author manages to accomplish this quite well over a short space.
All in all, a refreshing change of pace.
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LibraryThing member TimBazzett
Read this because I loved the movie adaptation. The book is every bit as good as the film, which took some liberties with the original story, mostly to further develop the love story of Peggy and Rory. John Preston is an excellent writer. THE DIG is an excellent book. Like the movie? Then you'll
- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER
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like this book. I enjoyed both the film AND the book. Very highly recommended.- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER
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LibraryThing member Eat_Read_Knit
A nice enough piece of historical fiction about the excavations at Sutton Hoo in 1939, told from the first-person perspectives of the landowner and two of the archaeologists. There's lots of period atmosphere and masses of archaeological detail, and the characters are well-rounded and
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well-explored, but I couldn't help feeling that sort of petered out rather than ending properly. It's pleasant and understated, and perhaps the kind of book that might appeal to those who liked The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Show Less
LibraryThing member janeajones
It's 1939 on the eve of Britain entering World War II and the German blitz. Off in Suffolk, a widow, Mrs. Pretty, has finally decided to excavate the mounds on the estate -- she and her husband had often discussed the prospect, and with war looming, she felt time was short. On the advice of the
The rest is history -- and the stuff of this gently understated historical novel. Mrs. Pretty and her young son Robert live at Sutton Hoo House, and the mound that Basil Brown begins to excavate will be one of the most important archaeological discoveries in Britain. The Anglo-Saxon ship burial reveals incredible artifacts that undermine theories about the Dark Ages and reveal the sophistication of 7th-8th century societies.
The story is alternately narrated by three voices -- Basil Brown, Edith Pretty and Peggy Piggott, a recent university graduate who has just married her tutor, Stuart Piggott, and is invited into the dig because she is small and light and will not disturb the remains. Of course, it is Peggy who discovers the first really valuable artifact from the ship burial.
The characters in the novel are all historical figures -- and the author is the nephew of Peggy Piggot. It's a story of ordinary people caught up in an extraordinary find -- but the ordinariness of their lives is at least as important as the extraordinary find. Mrs. Pretty frets about her young son, Robert. Basil Brown misses his wife, May, and worries about securing the site of the dig. Peggy is as bewildered by her marriage as she is enthralled by her finds at the dig. None of the characters are deeply developed -- but they don't need to be. Preston gives the reader enough hints as to their characters to let anyone with an imagination figure out who they are.
One of aspects I appreciated the most was the enthralling descriptions of some of the pieces that were uncovered in the dig. A lovely snapshot of a bygone era and a truly historic event.
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local museum director, she hires Basil Brown, an amateur archaeologist and soil expert, to unearth the mounds.The rest is history -- and the stuff of this gently understated historical novel. Mrs. Pretty and her young son Robert live at Sutton Hoo House, and the mound that Basil Brown begins to excavate will be one of the most important archaeological discoveries in Britain. The Anglo-Saxon ship burial reveals incredible artifacts that undermine theories about the Dark Ages and reveal the sophistication of 7th-8th century societies.
The story is alternately narrated by three voices -- Basil Brown, Edith Pretty and Peggy Piggott, a recent university graduate who has just married her tutor, Stuart Piggott, and is invited into the dig because she is small and light and will not disturb the remains. Of course, it is Peggy who discovers the first really valuable artifact from the ship burial.
The characters in the novel are all historical figures -- and the author is the nephew of Peggy Piggot. It's a story of ordinary people caught up in an extraordinary find -- but the ordinariness of their lives is at least as important as the extraordinary find. Mrs. Pretty frets about her young son, Robert. Basil Brown misses his wife, May, and worries about securing the site of the dig. Peggy is as bewildered by her marriage as she is enthralled by her finds at the dig. None of the characters are deeply developed -- but they don't need to be. Preston gives the reader enough hints as to their characters to let anyone with an imagination figure out who they are.
One of aspects I appreciated the most was the enthralling descriptions of some of the pieces that were uncovered in the dig. A lovely snapshot of a bygone era and a truly historic event.
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LibraryThing member labdaddy4
I honestly did not see the point of this book. It had interesting but shallow characters, very little character development, and a weak & anticlimactic ending. The book just kind of plodded along.
LibraryThing member patriciau
This fictionalized account of the pre-WWII discovery of an Anglo-Saxon ship and king buried at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk is a pleasant, interesting story. The author has fashioned likable characters who come together over one of the most fascinating archaeological finds of the 20th century. I do wish,
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however, that some of the characters and their stories were more fleshed out. For example, Mrs. Pretty and Robert seem to have more of a backstory that could have been explored, and I felt Peggy Piggott's story ended too abruptly. While I enjoyed the book, it read like a draft of a longer, more complicated tale. Show Less
LibraryThing member CarltonC
A very well written, but very understated book.
Although you can see the parallels that the author is drawing between the lives of the characters involved in the excavation of the Sutton Hoo archaeological dig and the dig itself, this adds very little to their characterisation and just makes you
Although you can see the parallels that the author is drawing between the lives of the characters involved in the excavation of the Sutton Hoo archaeological dig and the dig itself, this adds very little to their characterisation and just makes you
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think that the author is being clever. But the novel does not engage the emotions because it is so understated and you do not feel involved with any of the characters for long enough. Show Less
LibraryThing member almigwin
In Britain, right before WWII, an ancient burial mound was uncovered by local archaeologists in Sutton Hoo. It was a pre viking boat used as a burial chamber, possibly for a king. The boat itself disintegrated, as did the body, but there were gold artifacts found. The characters are well drawn, but
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their plot lines are meagre. I would have liked more about the history of the find itself, and more about the wonderful characters that were just barely sketched out. Show Less
LibraryThing member Stbalbach
The Dig operates on two layers, the surface story about the discovery of Sutton Hoo, and a mysterious and subtle layer of deep time poking its way through the surface. I am a lover of Medieval history and found the book to be engaging - even though little is said about 7th England, it still feels
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present like the dead in a graveyard. Small details such as when the silver bowl is uncovered and the sun glints from its edge - Preston doesn't say "for the first time 1500 years", but it suggests the same sun at the same place years ago, time collapsed into the present. The literary allusions are subtle but if you look for them, like carefully sweeping away the surface layer for treasure, the book rewards. This sense of shifting history is all the more pronounced as the dig took place in 1939 at the start of WWII, we are stepping back in time twice. Although not entirely accurate, Preston takes some leeway with inconsequential details, this is a wonderfully well done retelling of the real people and events surrounding one of the greatest archaeological finds of all time. Show Less
LibraryThing member veronicay
This got rave reviews when it was published a couple of years ago, from readers as diverse as Ian McEwan ( “engrossing, exquisitely original”), Robert Harris (“enthralling...original”), and Nigella Lawson, who was so absorbed she skipped lunch.
I don’t really understand all the hype. It
Footnote: I hadn't realised till I read the other reviews here that Peggy Pigott was Preston's Aunt, and it was this almost chance discovery that spurred him to visit Sutton Hoo and write the book. This too gives some insight into how much of our own and our family's past can be hidden from us.
I don’t really understand all the hype. It
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was a pleasant enough (short) read; Preston writes beautifully, but at the end I did wonder what the point was. The novel is so understated as to be almost inaudible; all that is clear is that he’s drawing parallels between the digging up of the frail remains of things and the excavation of his characters’ repressed thoughts and feelings. It’s rather reminiscent of On Chesil Beach in that sense, although McEwan was excruciatingly forensic in his description of the young couple on their wedding night. Here, small, isolated incidents are reported, but just as you feel something is going to happen, Preston moves on to something else. In the end you know as much about the characters as you would if you had dug up their material remains in 600 years -- which is of course part of the poin of the bookt. Footnote: I hadn't realised till I read the other reviews here that Peggy Pigott was Preston's Aunt, and it was this almost chance discovery that spurred him to visit Sutton Hoo and write the book. This too gives some insight into how much of our own and our family's past can be hidden from us.
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LibraryThing member kaitanya64
This is a neatly written little novel about the discovery and excavation of an Anglo Saxon ship burial in Suffolk in 1939. While understated narration is nice, honestly I think something should happen in a novel. I don't get enough of any characters' story or decisions to figure out what the author
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is getting at. Show Less
LibraryThing member clue
When I saw the movie adaptation of this novel, which is based on an actual event, I wanted to read it right away. Now I can say the movie version stays close to the book with the exception of a love affair that was unnecessarily written into the movie. Regardless of where you get the story, it's a
Edith Pretty and her young son lived in Suffolk in a home she and her husband bought before his death. On the property are mounds that the Pretty's had often talked about excavating. In the spring of 1939 the Director of the Ipswich Museum suggested Mrs. Pretty contact Basil Brown, who although not recognized as a professional archaeologist is a self taught excavator. He had experience working on numerous archaeological sites including those excavated by the Ispwich Museum. Mr. Brown accepts Mrs. Pretty's offer and he and two of her farm employees begin work.
The story of the excavation is told in the alternating voices of Mrs. Pretty and Mr. Brown over the summer. After abandoning the first mound when nothing is found, discoveries began with the second when one of the farm hands found a small piece of metal that resembles a bolt. From that find, with slow and exacting work Brown discovers one of the most important archaeological discoveries of all time, a 6th centuary burial ship. When he reports what he has likely found to Guy Maynard, the curator of Ipswich Museum, Maynard reports the find upwards. Immediately Brown is told to stop work and others are brought in to take over.
The last half of the book revolves around the personalities of the archeologists that were brought in, the treatment of Mr. Brown, and the continuing discovery of treasure that proved Mr. Brown's theory. When I came to the end I had one question. What happened next? An epilogue, a piece written in 1965 by Robert Pretty, Mrs. Pretty's son, helps answer at least some of that question.
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good one. Edith Pretty and her young son lived in Suffolk in a home she and her husband bought before his death. On the property are mounds that the Pretty's had often talked about excavating. In the spring of 1939 the Director of the Ipswich Museum suggested Mrs. Pretty contact Basil Brown, who although not recognized as a professional archaeologist is a self taught excavator. He had experience working on numerous archaeological sites including those excavated by the Ispwich Museum. Mr. Brown accepts Mrs. Pretty's offer and he and two of her farm employees begin work.
The story of the excavation is told in the alternating voices of Mrs. Pretty and Mr. Brown over the summer. After abandoning the first mound when nothing is found, discoveries began with the second when one of the farm hands found a small piece of metal that resembles a bolt. From that find, with slow and exacting work Brown discovers one of the most important archaeological discoveries of all time, a 6th centuary burial ship. When he reports what he has likely found to Guy Maynard, the curator of Ipswich Museum, Maynard reports the find upwards. Immediately Brown is told to stop work and others are brought in to take over.
The last half of the book revolves around the personalities of the archeologists that were brought in, the treatment of Mr. Brown, and the continuing discovery of treasure that proved Mr. Brown's theory. When I came to the end I had one question. What happened next? An epilogue, a piece written in 1965 by Robert Pretty, Mrs. Pretty's son, helps answer at least some of that question.
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LibraryThing member PaperDollLady
The Dig is Historical Fiction with interesting characterization of real life people, while telling the story of the Sutton Hoo dig of 1939 in Suffock, England with subtle and skillfully done plot layers. Not all are Archaeological. I also like when reading historical fiction sets me off to doing
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added research on the true facts behind the storylline. The Epilogue in the voice of grownup Robert Pretty in 1965 brings the tale to a satisfactory conclusion. Show Less
LibraryThing member sogamonk
Historical fiction account of the archeological findings at Sutton Hoo, England, just before the start of WWII.
Well written, with description of excavation and findings in dig.
Well written, with description of excavation and findings in dig.
LibraryThing member SamSattler
I only recently discovered John Preston’s 2007 novel The Dig via the movie version of the same title being so prominently featured on Netflix right now. I knew almost nothing about England’s famous 1939 Sutton Hoo excavation, but as I’ve always had an interest in archaeology, the movie
The Sutton Hoo site is home to thirteen ancient burial mounds, but the book and film focus on the initial excavation of only the first of them. England was, of course, on the brink of war with Germany in 1939, so the discovery of a burial chamber dating back to the late sixth century, came at a precarious time. If the finds were going to excavated and safeguarded from the perils of open warfare with a neighboring country, time was of the essence and someone was going to have to step on toes to get it all done in time. There were also rather petty jealousies between the regional museum and the British Museum in London that had to be negotiated, although the national museum was always likely to be the winner in any dispute over which museum should permanently house the finds.
Preston’s novel focuses on some of the key people in the story: Edith Pretty, on whose property the burial mounds were located; Basil Brown, the proficient “amateur” archaeologist originally hired by Pretty to begin the excavation; Peggy Piggott, a freshly-minted professional archeologist who accompanied her husband to the dig; and Robert Pretty, the little boy who saw the whole thing as the greatest adventure of his young life. With the exception of the little boy - who only serves as narrator for the novel’s short epilogue - the main characters are given long sections of the book to narrate what they personally experience as the dig proceeds over much of 1939.
Those looking for much detail about the finds and the burials are likely to be disappointed as The Dig is more a character study than an accounting of the archeological finds and conclusions. What the novel does well - and what the film does even better - is give a feel for the period and exploration methods of the day. Preston uses the characters to humanize the efforts required and to portray how it all comes together in the end despite the factional rivalries. Edith Pretty, owner of the property, deservedly comes across as the real heroine of the piece because of her insistence, in the first place, that the mounds be explored. Basil Brown is the story’s underdog because of the way that his initial work on the mound is denigrated by those who come later to the project, and Peggy Piggott, being a female archeologist, is treated much the same as Brown.
Bottom Line: Novels based on true events often leave the reader wanting to know more, and The Dig is certainly one of those. Just as the film led me to the novel, the combination of the two makes me want to read much more about the Sutton Hoo excavations and what was ultimately discovered there. I do suggest that both the film and the book be experienced if that is possible because they supplement each other well. My only reservation about the film is that, even though I understand it was done for dramatic effect, I do think the film focuses too much on the supposed sex life of Peggy Piggott. I suppose that is the kind of thing that is unavoidable when a movie is based on a novel that is based upon a true story.
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immediately caught my attention. I ended up so thoroughly enjoying the film that I decided to track down a copy of the book it is based upon to learn more about the dig and the people involved. Surprisingly, because in my experience it so seldom happens this way, the movie version of The Dig left me with a better feel for what the dig must have been like for those who experienced it than the book managed to do. The Sutton Hoo site is home to thirteen ancient burial mounds, but the book and film focus on the initial excavation of only the first of them. England was, of course, on the brink of war with Germany in 1939, so the discovery of a burial chamber dating back to the late sixth century, came at a precarious time. If the finds were going to excavated and safeguarded from the perils of open warfare with a neighboring country, time was of the essence and someone was going to have to step on toes to get it all done in time. There were also rather petty jealousies between the regional museum and the British Museum in London that had to be negotiated, although the national museum was always likely to be the winner in any dispute over which museum should permanently house the finds.
Preston’s novel focuses on some of the key people in the story: Edith Pretty, on whose property the burial mounds were located; Basil Brown, the proficient “amateur” archaeologist originally hired by Pretty to begin the excavation; Peggy Piggott, a freshly-minted professional archeologist who accompanied her husband to the dig; and Robert Pretty, the little boy who saw the whole thing as the greatest adventure of his young life. With the exception of the little boy - who only serves as narrator for the novel’s short epilogue - the main characters are given long sections of the book to narrate what they personally experience as the dig proceeds over much of 1939.
Those looking for much detail about the finds and the burials are likely to be disappointed as The Dig is more a character study than an accounting of the archeological finds and conclusions. What the novel does well - and what the film does even better - is give a feel for the period and exploration methods of the day. Preston uses the characters to humanize the efforts required and to portray how it all comes together in the end despite the factional rivalries. Edith Pretty, owner of the property, deservedly comes across as the real heroine of the piece because of her insistence, in the first place, that the mounds be explored. Basil Brown is the story’s underdog because of the way that his initial work on the mound is denigrated by those who come later to the project, and Peggy Piggott, being a female archeologist, is treated much the same as Brown.
Bottom Line: Novels based on true events often leave the reader wanting to know more, and The Dig is certainly one of those. Just as the film led me to the novel, the combination of the two makes me want to read much more about the Sutton Hoo excavations and what was ultimately discovered there. I do suggest that both the film and the book be experienced if that is possible because they supplement each other well. My only reservation about the film is that, even though I understand it was done for dramatic effect, I do think the film focuses too much on the supposed sex life of Peggy Piggott. I suppose that is the kind of thing that is unavoidable when a movie is based on a novel that is based upon a true story.
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LibraryThing member quondame
Intense and compact this is very much a show not tell sort version of events.
LibraryThing member yukon92
Very nice "retelling" of the discovery of the Sutton Hoo treasure in the 1930s in England. Didn't know much about this discovery.... it was told in a nice and understandable manner. The audiobook has a cast of several narrators, which always makes it nicer! .
LibraryThing member AdonisGuilfoyle
Plodding but thoughtful fictionalised account of the Sutton Hoo Anglo Saxon burial site, first excavated in 1939. The narrative is shared between Mrs Edith Pretty, the landowner whose health is failing, local archaeologist Basil Brown, and female archaeologist Peggy Piggot who is drafted in with
Adaptation aside, I really enjoyed spending time with the characters in the book - all based on real people. Edith is a widower who welcomes the dig as a distraction from worries about the future and the welfare of her young son. She is distant but caring with her staff and wonderfully imperious with officials interfering on her property, yet forms an intellectual bond with gruff archaeologist Basil Brown. He and lead archaeologist Charles Phillips provide helpful exposition on the history of the site and the treasures unearthed. Not sure why John Preston suggests that Phillips was obese and a threat to the fragile excavation, however! Peggy is happy to cut short her dismal honeymoon to join the dig and finds the first artefact. She is initially dismissed by Phillips but they later form a working alliance over the artefacts from the burial chamber.
I also liked the fragile nostalgia of the pre war years in which the book is set, and was shocked by how Sutton Hoo was treated during WW2! According to the epilogue, the burial site was used for training and target practice, which beggars belief.
A pleasant introduction to a historical discovery which I must admit to knowing little about.
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her husband Stuart to aid with 'the dig'. I watched the Netflix film adaptation first and I was dismayed to discover that the portrayal of Peggy by Lily James - never a good sign! - as a young archaeology 'amateur' who is rebuffed by her husband and finds love with Edith Pretty's nephew, the site photographer - played by Johnny Flynn, equally poor casting - is both inaccurate and insulting. I understand that the book doesn't really have a lot of action beyond discoveries made at the excavation, but why waste the only female archaeologist on a romantic subplot?Adaptation aside, I really enjoyed spending time with the characters in the book - all based on real people. Edith is a widower who welcomes the dig as a distraction from worries about the future and the welfare of her young son. She is distant but caring with her staff and wonderfully imperious with officials interfering on her property, yet forms an intellectual bond with gruff archaeologist Basil Brown. He and lead archaeologist Charles Phillips provide helpful exposition on the history of the site and the treasures unearthed. Not sure why John Preston suggests that Phillips was obese and a threat to the fragile excavation, however! Peggy is happy to cut short her dismal honeymoon to join the dig and finds the first artefact. She is initially dismissed by Phillips but they later form a working alliance over the artefacts from the burial chamber.
I also liked the fragile nostalgia of the pre war years in which the book is set, and was shocked by how Sutton Hoo was treated during WW2! According to the epilogue, the burial site was used for training and target practice, which beggars belief.
A pleasant introduction to a historical discovery which I must admit to knowing little about.
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LibraryThing member MissBrangwen
"The Dig" depicts the events of the excavation of Sutton Hoo in Suffolk: The tentative, hopeful beginnings, the spectacular finds, and the fight over the treasure and where it should go. However, while it includes the important persons associated with the archeological dig, it is not a faithful
It is also a rather quiet and slow novel, and the atmosphere is very serious. There is always the impression of impending doom: On a large scale, because it is 1939 and war is coming, which is never dwelt on too much, but which is visible in small details and observations. Mirroring that is the small scale of the personal relations of the characters, the way some of them treat each other, their personal disappointments and failures.
All this made for a fascinating read, although I must admit that in the end, I felt that I had wanted more - a deeper insight, more of a real conclusion, or even more of an open conflict. Because of this, it left me a little unsatisfied, although that may just be what it intended.
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account, but a novel, and it is foremost about the characters. The story is narrated by alternating voices, who narrate long parts of it before the narrator changes. Like this, it is possible to experience the events from various perspectives, each with different focus. It is also a rather quiet and slow novel, and the atmosphere is very serious. There is always the impression of impending doom: On a large scale, because it is 1939 and war is coming, which is never dwelt on too much, but which is visible in small details and observations. Mirroring that is the small scale of the personal relations of the characters, the way some of them treat each other, their personal disappointments and failures.
All this made for a fascinating read, although I must admit that in the end, I felt that I had wanted more - a deeper insight, more of a real conclusion, or even more of an open conflict. Because of this, it left me a little unsatisfied, although that may just be what it intended.
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LibraryThing member Manel-Nebot
I couldn't say it's a thrilling story. It is more of a documentary story. Well narrated, with beautiful descriptions, rich language...
but it is the story of an excavation, and little more.
but it is the story of an excavation, and little more.
Awards
Historical Novel Society Editors' Choice (Military)
Original publication date
2007
DDC/MDS
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