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The Dig by John Preston
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The Dig

Now a BAFTA-nominated motion picture starring Ralph Fiennes, Carey Mulligan and Lily James
Due to publisher restrictions, this audiobook is unavailable for purchase in your selected country.
Length 6 hours 48 minutes
Language English
Narrators Simon Vance, Kate Reading, Fiona Hardingham & Derek Perkins

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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

A brilliantly realised account of the most famous archeological dig in British history, now a major motion picture starring Ralph Fiennes, Carey Mulligan and Lily James.


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, 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 rivaly flourished in equal measure.

© John Preston 2007 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

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Reviews

'Very fine, engrossing, exquisitely original' 'An enthralling story of love and loss, a real literary treasure. One of the most original novels of the year' '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' 'A rich vein of dry humour runs throughout' 'Intriguing, tender and entertaining ... easily Preston's best' 'A delicate, quietly affecting human drama' 'A moving novel that coheres wonderfully as it progresses' 'A delicate evocation of a vanished era' Wonderful, evocative. From this simple tale of dirt, Preston has produced the finest gold. He keeps an iron grip on the reader's attention 'Beautifully written...there is a true and wonderful ending to the story' 'Wistful and poignant. A masterpiece in Chekhovian understatement' 'Exciting, evocative and beautifully written. A treasure in itself' 'Shimmers with longing and regret . . . Preston writes with economical grace . . . He has written a kind of universal chamber piece, small in detail, beautifully made and liable to linger on in the heart and the mind. It is something utterly unfamiliar, and quite wonderful' Expand reviews
Celebrate indie bookstores with our limited-time sale! Shop the sale