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#410700 in Books 2016-04-19 2016-04-19Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.24 x .71 x 5.48l, .81 #File Name: 1590517806272 pages | File size: 78.Mb

John Preston : The Dig before purchasing it in order to gage whether or not it would be worth my time, and all praised The Dig:

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A publishing and marketing farce....a very poor novel.By Darcy GueThis book, one I highly anticipated reading, is an unfortunate example of choreographed marketing hype. From whom...The publisher, the publishing industry, the press, colleagues? I don't know, but the novel, based on true remarkable events, is more like a self-published $0.99 bid for pay dirt than even average fiction of any genre. I am a lifelong fan of good archaeological novels, which are few and far between....an example of one of the best in recent years is The Egyptologist. I expected writing, research, characterization, and overall novelization of similar quality. The Times Literary Supplement called The Dig "a masterpiece in Chekhivian understatement." Think instead of understatement to the point of minimal substance on every level.The setting had everything going for it -- a genuine, major archaeological discovery and subsequent huge dig in England during 1939, just as the country was entering WWII, with major archaeologist rivals racing to be part of it, yet having to work with the fragile property owner and irrelevantly, her small son. Disappointingly, the author did not step up to this plate of opportunities with the dramatic story he could have told.I was so surprised by the weakness and superficiality of this book, I went to Wikipedia to check the event out. My advice: read the Wikipedia facts instead of "The Dig." True, the former doesn't delve into the lives, circumstances, and personalities of the several principal players, as it's not a novel. But, essentially, the novel does little more, except on the most superficial level. Moments of intriguing potential come and go. Cherry-picked minutiae suddenly appears without reason or value. The story's characters are moved from scene to scene by the author, who offers little insight into their their motivations, thoughts or reactions. A little more work goes into Peggy, one of the archaeologists, but it is tantalizingly little.Upon finishing the book, I felt sympathy for the chief archaeological players, Stuart and Peggy Piggott, and Stuart Phillips who were real, complex, and very accomplished leaders in their field, and came through either as slightly dotty treasure hunters or over-ambitious academics looking to go down in history. This would have been a one star review...I gave it two stars only because I learned of an extraordinary archaeological event.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An Earthbound StoryBy Daniel W. PyleThe plot of this novel is firmly anchored in the historical facts relating to the incredible finds at the shipburial. This quiet, magisterially told story manages to develop characterizations that are complex, involving and moving despite their being based on real people. The drama in the story comes from the archeological discoveries (again, sourced in the real, almost unbelievable, facts). While the plot is far from being a thriller in conventional terms, and the characters are not given easy or romantic lives, the novel's realism gives it a modern resonance despite its historical setting. The writing is usually simple and direct, rising to near poetic passages. In one passage, two characters. who in another novel would fall in love and run away with each other, stroll into the night and listen to the plaintive lovecall of a Nightingale, a call which goes unanswered. I enjoyed reading this imaginatibe and believable depiction of a famous excavation and found the evocation of the people involved almost heartbreaking. This novel is an easy read, but is likely to haunt the reader long after the last page is turned.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Interesting subject, but story was too enigmaticBy M. BordenLike some Greek plays, this is a story in which one feels like a good portion of the action is happening offstage. The characters do not reveal much about what they are thinking to other characters, so there seem to be many missed opportunities. Also there are historical and geographic details the reader is simply expected to know. As a reader, i felt rather left out.

A succinct and witty literary venture that tells the strange story of a priceless treasure discovered in East Anglia on the eve of World War II 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 owner of the farm, has had her hunch confirmed that the mounds on her land hold buried treasure. As the dig proceeds, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary find. This fictional recreation of the famed Sutton Hoo dig follows three months of intense activity when locals fought outsiders, professionals thwarted amateurs, and love and rivalry flourished in equal measure. As the war looms ever closer, engraved gold peeks through the soil, and each character searches for answers in the buried treasure. Their threads of love, loss, and aspiration weave a common awareness of the past as something that can never truly be left behind. ldquo;All the elements are here for a corking adventure yarn, perhaps in the style of Howard Carterrsquo;s account of the discovery of King Tutrsquo;s tomb, which we see Mrs. Pretty reading. Yet despite the fact that most of the characters are real peoplehellip;the novelrsquo;s interests are psychological rather than factual. Even as marvels are uncovered, an insistent strain of melancholy blows through these pageshellip; The ambient dread is partly due to the gathering storm of World War IIhellip;But the apprehension is also metaphysical, connected to the fact that the archaeologists are not digging for buried treasure so much as disturbing a grave. Mr. Preston delicately portrays the effect the specters of mortality and decay have on each narrator. As it brushes away the soil from the remarkable ship, The Dig stages understated excavations of marriage (both Basilrsquo;s and Peggyrsquo;s) and parenthood (Mrs. Pretty, who became a mother at 47, fears she wonrsquo;t live to see her son grown up). Thus Mr. Preston creates an intriguing and ultimately moving concoction, a true-life chronicle that delves into secrets of the heart.rdquo;nbsp;mdash;The Wall Street Journalldquo;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 nbsp;in the heart and the mind. It is something utterly unfamiliar, and quite wonderful.rdquo;mdash;The New York Times Book ldquo;A timeless tale of ancient English treasure. . . Beautifully understated.rdquo;nbsp;mdash;Seattle Times"As homey at times as chamomile tea but spiked with pointed undercurrents, this is a real treat for a reader who can appreciate its quiet pleasures."nbsp;mdash;Kirkus s (starred review)ldquo;A very fine, engrossing, and exquisitely original novel.rdquo; mdash;Ian McEwan, author ofnbsp;Atonementldquo;Wistful and poignant. A masterpiece in Chekhovian understatement.rdquo; mdash;Times Literary Supplementldquo;An enthralling story of love and loss, a real literary treasure. One of the most original novels of the year.rdquo; mdash;Robert Harris, author ofnbsp;An Officer and a Spyldquo;A moving tale of mortality and the passage of time . . . affecting . . . Preston is subtle but precise in his characterizations, and meticulous with period detail.rdquo;nbsp;mdash;Publishers Weekly nbsp; ldquo;The Dig offers both a vividly reimagined slice of history and a tantalizing rumination on what remainsnbsp;after we cease to existrdquo;nbsp;mdash;Booklistnbsp;ldquo;Intensely human . . . [The Dig] constantly reminds us, rediscovering the past is a deeply equivocal pursuit . . . nbsp;Preston keeps an iron grip on the reader's attention . . . nbsp;a wonderful, evocative book. From his simple tale of dirt, Preston has produced the finest gold.rdquo;nbsp;mdash;The Guardian nbsp;ldquo;A rich vein of dry humor runs throughout.rdquo;nbsp;mdash;Evening Standard nbsp; ldquo;Intriguing, tender and entertaining . . . easily Preston's best.rdquo;nbsp;mdash;The Independent nbsp; ldquo;A delicate, quietly affecting human drama.rdquo;nbsp;mdash;Daily Mail nbsp; ldquo;A moving novel that coheres wonderfully as it progresses.rdquo;nbsp;mdash;Spectator nbsp; ldquo;A delicate evocation of a vanished era.rdquo;nbsp;mdash;Sunday Times nbsp; ldquo;Beautifully written . . . there is a true and wonderful ending to the story.rdquo;nbsp;mdash;Bill Wyman, Mail on Sunday nbsp; ldquo;Exciting, evocative and beautifully written . . . A treasure in itself.rdquo;nbsp;mdash;Griff Rhys Jones nbsp; ldquo;So absorbing that I read right through lunchtime one day, and it's not often I miss a meal.rdquo;nbsp;mdash;Nigella LawsonAbout the AuthorJohn Preston is the arts editor and television critic of the Sunday Telegraph. He is the author of three highly acclaimed novels, including Kings of the Roundhouse (2005), and a travel book, Touching the Moon. He lives in London.

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