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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Four minus. A good story with a vocabulary that reminded me of my years in HS Latin club. I was surprised at how much tension was built into a story about, essentially, plumbing-- and where the outcome (Volcano!) was a foregone conclusion.
This book was recommended to me by my tour guide when I visited Pompeii last summer. I decided to try it and was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed this book. The descriptions of the eruption are pretty creepy.
Pompeii has always been fascinating to me. This novel, deeply rooted in the facts known about the city and the infamous eruption that ended it, brings Pompeii to life. Not recommended for children (though any of you also fascinated by Pompeii will already know this). The novel takes place over a very short period of time and follows the life of one man working to repair the aqueduct, unaware of the dangers of Mt. Vesuvius until it is too late. But does he find out in time to survive?
I really enjoyed the building tension of this book. Obviously we know Vesuvius is a volcano and not just a mountain like the Italians of 79AD believed. However what we don’t know is the fate of our characters and therein lies the beauty of the book.
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-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:
No
informative
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
I have always been interested in the history of Pompeii. This piece of fiction starts right before the famous eruption. It follows a young aqueduct engineer Marcus Attilius as he tries to find out what has caused a disruption in the aqueduct. All leading up to the famous eruption, and how those of Pompeii and the surrounding communities responded to the events of that day.
It as a nice read, with intriguing characters that through their (fictionalized) stories, gives us a glimpse into what it may have been like the day the world changed.
It as a nice read, with intriguing characters that through their (fictionalized) stories, gives us a glimpse into what it may have been like the day the world changed.
I read this book after visiting the ruins and wanted to learn more. It’s an easy to read book and includes a good amount of accurate characterization of the aqueduct and eruption. The characters are simplistic vessels for telling the story of the main star, Vesuvius.
Having been to Pompei this really brought that time to life. Wish I had read it before I went.