557 reviews for:

Pompeii

Robert Harris

3.66 AVERAGE

adventurous informative tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Can you guess the ending 
mysterious tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Pompeii was my possible neurodivergent obsession as a child so this book was somehow nostalgic haha. So spooky and clever - keeps you guessing even though you know how it will all end. Can't wait to read more Harris. 

Pompeii retells the history of the volcanic eruption of 79 AD from the viewpoint of an aquarius (a kind of civil engineer overseeing the building and maintenance of aqueducts). Fascinating historical details never overshadow the story as Attilus the aquarius struggles with corrupt politicos, tries to win the reluctant respect of his workers and discover the origin of the sulfur which killed some fish. Part thriller, part disaster story and part historical fiction.
dark tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
adventurous informative slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Harris is very good at putting together a compelling, suspens-full narrative. I enjoyed learning more about aquaducts. I basically already knew all the volcanology side of it.
However, this book was full of fatphobia, misogyny, ableism, etc. It could be the characters vision - but there's no indication that the author disagrees with them. That's why I try to avoid reading cis white men as much as I can... And this book was a good reminder that I should keep doing so.
adventurous dark tense medium-paced
adventurous tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No