F.'s approach to this era of significant change in British history is a refreshing take on the transitional period at the end of Roman Britain and the beginning of Saxon settlement. Her writing style is open and avoids being overly academic, allowing wider accessibility to the topic. She blends a welcome amount of humour with informative content that lends itself well to engaging reading. From the start, F. refers to herself as a historian, not an archaeologist, but she aims to bridge the gap between the intellectual and academic barriers that come from old interpretations and an overreliance on information written long after the events occurred. The book may not be ideal for those who want a comprehensive history, nor for those looking for an in-depth archaeological account, though archaeological thought is engaged with throughout the book.

The question of ‘when did Roman Britain end?’ is a topic heavily explored and debated in the literature and often contextualised based on how ‘end’ is defined. In one school of thought it is defined as the end of the governmental occupation of the fifth century, and in another it is based on when Roman material and cultural influence are no longer clearly identifiable. It is the latter of these that F.'s work belongs. Throughout the work, she is able to demonstrate that aspects of Roman material culture linger past the end of Roman occupation and into the early medieval period, meaning the transition period was more gradual than it is often made out to be.

The book offers a woven narrative approach using material culture to highlight key discussions alongside historical context regarding Britain's transition. Using material culture in this way is not unique to this book; F.'s willingness to engage with both the more common material culture studies as well as the more in-depth scientific analysis is admirable. While the book is mainly targeted towards historians, it is also well suited to archaeologists and general readers. By covering aspects from a scientific and historical perspective, F. hopes to overcome academic challenges stemming from historians and archaeologists not fully understanding and critically engaging with each other's work. The chapters are thematically split based on aspects of material culture, be that objects or practices, instead of by date. The introduction outlines the structure of the work and poses serious questions regarding the daily lives of those living during the transition period. The first chapter helps to put Roman Britain's political and economic system into context. This sets up the next chapters, which go into different thematic aspects of material culture.

F. enthusiastically engages with the archaeological evidence, which is refreshing to read; at the same time it is quite easy for readers to get swept up in the narrative, so should be reviewed cautiously. Whilst F.'s interpretation of the archaeology is well thought out, it is limited by the fact that it primarily uses evidence from sources to form a single conclusion. The evidence for these conclusions could have potentially included a more in-depth range of analysis of the data presented. That being said, what is presented certainly adheres to the overriding narrative that has been researched.

This can become problematic, in particular when discussing what archaeological and scientific evidence can achieve. Sometimes F. proposes that we can use science in ways that are not possible by bypassing the elements of previous study. An example of this can be seen early on in the book in the first chapter when F. discusses what isotope analysis can reveal about buried people. She states that the isotope analysis suggests the adoption of burial traditions among both foreign-born and local women. While the isotope analysis in combination with the archaeological evidence may indicate this, the wording used is misleading, as it could be read that scientific analysis can implicitly tell us about burial traditions. However, it must be acknowledged that this is a summary and cannot go into as much detail as readers with a specific interest in this topic would most likely prefer. Though the book may be problematic in the phrasing and interpretation of some scientific data, the work provides a good overview of how science can complement archaeological and historical interpretation.

The use of historical narratives in conjunction with archaeological and scientific discussions give the work a unique aspect that is rarely seen. This element is highly successful at times, for example F.'s coverage of grain parasites in Chapter 2. The historical narrative is used to link the introduction of grain parasites to grain trade from overseas, as these pests were native to warmer and drier climates. The modern-day negative effects of grain parasites are also mentioned, helping readers to contextualise better what effect they would have had on populations. Additionally, the linking of the disappearance of pests during the transition period to changes in the economy and the loss of large-scale long-distance trade and the storage buildings that were vital for the pests’ longevity, also works well. The way in which the topic is presented allows readers to follow the trail of logic, helping to understand better how conclusions are reached. The section works well as a backdrop to changes in trade and can link to studies on the evolving diet in the transitional period.

While generally well laid out, a number of organisational inconsistencies are present. One of the more frustrating examples is the inconsistency in how scholars/archaeologists are introduced in the text. In a number of cases their role is given prior to sharing their views, while in others this information is not given, leaving readers without any indication of their relevance. While a numbered citation is included at the end of the sentence, it can be jarring to have to flip back and forth to the end of the book to understand the views’ academic relevance. This may have been done deliberately to preserve the flow of the text, but the effect greatly limits the usefulness of the book as an academic source due to uncertainty about the reliability of statements. To non-academic readers this may be seen as less of an issue.

Although the book cannot be recommended for use as a rigorous academic source due these issues, it is an important read for both historians and archaeologists. The questions raised in F.'s work help form a much-needed alternative perspective through a different way of both thinking and engaging with material culture. The inclusion of scientific analysis alongside the historical narrative opens the topic to a wider audience. The work is a welcome addition to existing literature, operating as a happy medium between text-based analysis of material culture such as works by R. Reece (My Roman Britain [1988]) and the more analytical texts often devoted to individual elements of material culture. Overall, the book is an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.