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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Loved this book. I've read or listened to it several times over the last few years. Just an enthralling tale.
The story was good, but the quotes about volcanoes from textbooks at the beginning of each chapter was awesome! I received my masters in volcanology so it was great to combine my love of the science with an interesting story. I loved how it combined the textbook quote into the narrative.
I want to say that I originally saw this book on some must-read list a while back which is what inspired me to add it to my shelf. Maybe not. The story of Pompeii is one that, while interesting, has been beaten to death in popular media over the years. I was skeptical that the story could be spun in a way that would make it feel fresh and new so I didn't exactly go into this with extremely high expectations.
Refreshingly, Robert Harris managed to overcome my doubts with a story that really had more to do with plumbing that with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. This was a smart move, although unlike me, some readers may find it disappointing that the story didn't completely focus on the tragedy of Pompeii. As one other reviewer brilliantly pointed out, this is the story of a "latter-day Super Mario." It focuses on the challenges of Marcus Attilius Primus who is a local water engineer as he struggles with the politics of finding out what has stopped the flow of water.
This is an extremely well-written book and if you are looking for great historical fiction, this is certainly a solid choice. There were times when I lost interest a bit, simply because the action can be slow at times but overall it was a great take on the history of Pompeii without repeating the story that we've all heard in our history classes.
Refreshingly, Robert Harris managed to overcome my doubts with a story that really had more to do with plumbing that with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. This was a smart move, although unlike me, some readers may find it disappointing that the story didn't completely focus on the tragedy of Pompeii. As one other reviewer brilliantly pointed out, this is the story of a "latter-day Super Mario." It focuses on the challenges of Marcus Attilius Primus who is a local water engineer as he struggles with the politics of finding out what has stopped the flow of water.
This is an extremely well-written book and if you are looking for great historical fiction, this is certainly a solid choice. There were times when I lost interest a bit, simply because the action can be slow at times but overall it was a great take on the history of Pompeii without repeating the story that we've all heard in our history classes.
This was good. Fast paced writing, with a decent enough mystery to make you eager for more.
Even though everyone knows what happened to Pompeii, this is still an enjoyable read.
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Custa-me imenso dar 3 estrelas a este livro...
Não me encheu de todo as medidas.
As personagens aqui criadas não são interessantes e eu pelo menos não quis saber se morriam ou viviam, era-me indiferente.
Eu diria que 80% do livro é narrado em prosa e os restantes 20% são diálogos, o que a mim me custa muito, visto que prefiro 1000x que uma história seja contada através de diálogos do que se não for.
Isto não seria um problema tão grande se neste livro não houvesse tanta palha que me foi desgastando ao longo da leitura.
A parte histórica está cá, sem dúvida alguma. Aliado a isso está também a parte científica para quem gostar, referente à vulcanologia.
Só levei este livro até ao fim por causa da parte histórica, nada mais.
Não me encheu de todo as medidas.
As personagens aqui criadas não são interessantes e eu pelo menos não quis saber se morriam ou viviam, era-me indiferente.
Eu diria que 80% do livro é narrado em prosa e os restantes 20% são diálogos, o que a mim me custa muito, visto que prefiro 1000x que uma história seja contada através de diálogos do que se não for.
Isto não seria um problema tão grande se neste livro não houvesse tanta palha que me foi desgastando ao longo da leitura.
A parte histórica está cá, sem dúvida alguma. Aliado a isso está também a parte científica para quem gostar, referente à vulcanologia.
Só levei este livro até ao fim por causa da parte histórica, nada mais.
This was so brilliant, the story and the excitement, and his ability to build anticipation when history tells us what will happen anyway is truly amazing.
adventurous
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