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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Well, no, I didn't like it. And I was glad that it was over at some point.
I didn't really see the whole point of it...
On the other hand, it wasn't so bad that I would have stopped listening to it...
I didn't really see the whole point of it...
On the other hand, it wasn't so bad that I would have stopped listening to it...
In 'Pompeii," author Robert Harris imagines the last days of the titular city, and its surrounding area, through the eyes of a young Roman water engineer who notices something wrong with the city's water supply. He intersperses quotes from books on vulcanology to help the reader understand why what's happening is actually happening, but his main interest appears to be recreating Roman civilization for the reader.
Speaking as someone who counts his day walking the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum one of the most affecting of his life, I strongly recommend it to those contemplating a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Center. It'll really help you imagine the cities as living, breathing places.
As a novel, well, it's hampered by the fact that the reader knows that nearly everyone s/he meets within its pages will soon die, and horribly. It's hard to get too worked up about the villain's machinations, or the internal politics of the city's governance, or really much of anything, when all one can think about is the ticking time bomb inside the big mountain to the north-northwest.
Still, this book represents a marvelous little time capsule. I recommend it to those interested in Roman history, as well as to those who have visited or will visit Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Speaking as someone who counts his day walking the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum one of the most affecting of his life, I strongly recommend it to those contemplating a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Center. It'll really help you imagine the cities as living, breathing places.
As a novel, well, it's hampered by the fact that the reader knows that nearly everyone s/he meets within its pages will soon die, and horribly. It's hard to get too worked up about the villain's machinations, or the internal politics of the city's governance, or really much of anything, when all one can think about is the ticking time bomb inside the big mountain to the north-northwest.
Still, this book represents a marvelous little time capsule. I recommend it to those interested in Roman history, as well as to those who have visited or will visit Pompeii and Herculaneum.
I rather enjoyed the reconstruction of life in the rather decadent outpost of the Roman Empire around the Bay of Naples. A sort of first century Marbella, by the sound of it. Well-researched insights into volcanology and the wonders of Roman plumbing kept my attention fully occupied.
I was less enticed by the rather limp plot that threads its way through. Corruption on a grand scale came as no surprise; the love interest never really took off even if it were necessary, and the winding up of the plot seemed far-fetched. In any case, it was overshadowed by the awesome true story of Vesuvius itself.
I was less enticed by the rather limp plot that threads its way through. Corruption on a grand scale came as no surprise; the love interest never really took off even if it were necessary, and the winding up of the plot seemed far-fetched. In any case, it was overshadowed by the awesome true story of Vesuvius itself.
A quick easy read. This book was not as good as Harris's Imperium, and did not delve deep into vulcanology scientifically. But, it did shed some light on the Roman engineering feat of water, aqua Augusta, and perhaps the trevails behind slavery-to-'millionaire' of Roman political machine, and society's lavish excesses. It was interesting in a historical fiction perspective, but the plot of the characters seemed somewhat contrived and forced.
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
the romance subplot is somewhat corny and highly distracting to an otherwise sound historical fiction. and while mr. harris is not the most adept writer, i do appreciate his nod to the greco-roman tradition of hubris cometh before the fall
An historical novel about Pompeii? How could I go wrong? The answer - easily!
Somehow this novel managed to make the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and the burial of both Pompeii and Herculaneum downright boring. Probably because the first 3/4ths of the book happen BEFORE the eruption.
In fact, most of the story is about an engineer trying to figure out how to fix an aqueduct and prevent a severe water shortage — when all the time, the actual problem results from early geological changes that signal the volcano is about to erupt.
I wound up skipping large sections of the narrative, which might make my review a bit unfair. But that’s the way it goes.
Somehow this novel managed to make the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and the burial of both Pompeii and Herculaneum downright boring. Probably because the first 3/4ths of the book happen BEFORE the eruption.
In fact, most of the story is about an engineer trying to figure out how to fix an aqueduct and prevent a severe water shortage — when all the time, the actual problem results from early geological changes that signal the volcano is about to erupt.
I wound up skipping large sections of the narrative, which might make my review a bit unfair. But that’s the way it goes.