Mudlark, the debut work of Lara Maiklem is, by far, the most engaging non-fiction book I’ve read in ages. From Maiklem’s first lines, I immediately felt as though I were travelling right along with her, walking side-by-side along the foreshore of London’s ancient river. Her prose is richly detailed without being overwrought, each word chosen carefully to paint the whole picture. Maiklem doesn’t merely describe the items she has found, she puts them into context; who would have used them, and why they were discovered in a certain part of the river. London through the ages is brought to life through her deft story-telling. Reading Mudlark felt just as addicting as I’m sure actual mudlarking is – each time I stepped away, I counted the hours until I could go back and immerse myself again in the muddy waters of the Thames.

First line: It is hot and airless on the 7.42 from Greenwich to Cannon Street.

Summary: Mudlarker Lara Maiklem spends hours walking miles along the riverbank of the Thames in London. In her wanderings she finds little trinkets that give us a look into the English past. She has found items ranging from the Romans to modern day trash.

My Thoughts: I absolutely devoured this book. I first heard about it on a podcast called Talking Tudors hosted by Natalie Grueninger. In one of her recent releases she talked with Lara about her upcoming book and the Tudor related finds she has discovered in the mud of the river. Immediately after listening to it I had to find a copy to read. Thank goodness Netgalley had it available.

I really enjoyed how the author laid out the book. She started at one end of the Thames and worked her way to the sea. As she described her finds she also delved into her past, experiences on the foreshore and other mudlarks and their finds. I loved learning about the items she found. I was constantly on the internet looking for pictures of these items and reading more history behind them. I am really jealous of the items she has in her curio cabinet. I am seriously thinking about getting a day pass to mudlark the next time I am in London. Or can I mudlark in Kansas?

FYI: Lara Maiklem is on Facebook and Instagram. If you want to see her finds and hear more about mudlarking then check them out.

OMG! I so want to live near a river in Europe to go hunting history on! Mudlarking in my city doesn't turn up much from what I've seen (I have a co-worker who walks streams, and river banks and turns up broken tiles from old bathrooms and entryways...most under 100 years old.) . But the history in other parts of the world would be phenomenal to explore and find historical articles from the everyday history of the place. Luck Lara! And lucky us for her having shared her passion of hunting and collecting artifacts from the Thames! I do hope the actual book has photos. But the stories in the book were entertaining enough if it doesn't. Well researched, too Thank you Lara! Loved your book.

This book is a social history lover's delight, filled with fascinating stories and objects. Lara Maiklem is a wonderful writer who really made me feel as though I was there beside her, rooting through the mud for buried treasure. This is a book to savour, to dip into a chapter at a time, letting your imagination travel through time. My only regret was that my e-copy did not have photos, though I was able to see some of the objects Maiklem found via her Facebook and Instagram pages.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair review. I look forward to buying a hard copy of the book once it is released.

Intriguing description but couldn’t get into this one. The dry writing style and content just bored me.