Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
informative
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
Pompeii by Robert Harris audiobook narrated by Steven Pacey, published by Random House. Listened using Listening Books a charity providing audiobooks for people who finding reading physical books more difficult via the Libby App 4 stars ππππ
My second book by this author and again I enjoyed the story telling. Set in Pompeii in 79AD and I wonβt give giving away any major plots by saying it covers the week leading up to the eruption of Mt Vesuvius destroying the town of Pompeii and neighbouring towns/villages. The story is told though the eyes of four people one a young engineer come to fix the aqueduct the grand Aqua Augusta which has stopped flowing, a corrupt millionaire and his adolescent daughter who is being forced into a marriage and a elderly scientist.
The tension builds slowly, you know something is going to happen, you even know what is going to happen, but what you donβt know, is exactly what is going to happen to these four characters.
I found it a very good story and even learnt one or two things.
I started this book years ago and abandoned it. And then after a trip to Italy where I visited Pompeii and Herculaneum, I tried it again - and abandoned it again. And even once more after that. But I picked it up again this year and this time read it all. I enjoyed it, and it was historically faithful, and far better than the dreadful movie of the same name that came out this year. I found it less riveting than the reviewers I read that kept me trying, but worth reading in the end.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What an interesting book! I loved reading more about Pompeii, especially since I've had an interest in the subject for years. I thought it was very clever to follow the events of the eruption through the aqueducts, and I learned more about the eruption from this book. It is very historically accurate but also had a great main character who is not historical. One criticism I have is the brief description of women in general - just because it felt a little too obvious that it was written by a man. But that was only maybe two sentences of the whole book, and the book itself was amazing.
On the eve of Mt Vesuvius' cataclysmic eruption, Attilius finds himself in Pompeii repairing the aqueducts, which prove more treacherous than he anticipates. I think Harris does a magnificent rendering of 79 Ad and the political machine that was Rome providing intrigue for the reader. I enjoyed the setting description in the book, Harris did a fantastic job allowing the reader to imagine ancient Pompeii. For example, "The great Roman roads went crashing through nature in a straight line, brooking no oppositions" (Harris 142). Though this book is written for adults, I believe young adults interested in Historical fiction would enjoy the story. If you think you know what happened to Pompeii when Mt Vesuvius erupted, you will find so much more information in this book, so pick it up and read it!
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Suspenseful and well-researched. I enjoyed the descriptions of aqueducts more interesting by far than the one-dimensional romance. I also found some of the physical descriptions - the protagonist moving through the pumice for example - difficult to visualise at several points.
took awhile to get into it, but it got really good halfway through