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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
dark
funny
informative
sad
tense
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:
No
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Harris is best known for modern thrillers, amongst them the acclaimed Fatherland so Pompeii is a bit of a departure from his comfort zone.
I would guess that the story needs no introduction. It is a scorching summer evening in Pompeii and a natural disaster that will capture the imagination until the present day is just around the corner. The volcano Vesuvius will bury the town and several others under mountains of ash.
But before that happens, Harris wants to tell us a tale of four of Pompeii's occupants: a young engineer, a teenage girl, a corrupt equite and and elderly philosopher/scientist all have observations about the town around them, Roman life and the event. Part of our investment in the story is the expectation that at least one of our protagonists ought to survive.
At a shade under 400 words, this is a nice length to introduce us to the town, animate it and then bring it crashing down. Harris has made the transition to historical fiction well and with a dose of the thriller that is his bread and butter we have an intriguing tale. It is also unusual in the historical fiction genre in being a stand alone novel. That doesn't happen very often these days.
An excellent introduction to the genre and all the more tragic for being based on a real event.
See more book reviews at my blog
I would guess that the story needs no introduction. It is a scorching summer evening in Pompeii and a natural disaster that will capture the imagination until the present day is just around the corner. The volcano Vesuvius will bury the town and several others under mountains of ash.
But before that happens, Harris wants to tell us a tale of four of Pompeii's occupants: a young engineer, a teenage girl, a corrupt equite and and elderly philosopher/scientist all have observations about the town around them, Roman life and the event. Part of our investment in the story is the expectation that at least one of our protagonists ought to survive.
At a shade under 400 words, this is a nice length to introduce us to the town, animate it and then bring it crashing down. Harris has made the transition to historical fiction well and with a dose of the thriller that is his bread and butter we have an intriguing tale. It is also unusual in the historical fiction genre in being a stand alone novel. That doesn't happen very often these days.
An excellent introduction to the genre and all the more tragic for being based on a real event.
See more book reviews at my blog
Pompeji by Robert Harris
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5*)
Ich hatte dieses Buch schon einige Jahre lang im Regal stehen und dachte immer ich würde es bald mal lesen… endlich nach etwa 10 Jahren, war es soweit und es hat mich keineswegs enttäuscht.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5*)
Ich hatte dieses Buch schon einige Jahre lang im Regal stehen und dachte immer ich würde es bald mal lesen… endlich nach etwa 10 Jahren, war es soweit und es hat mich keineswegs enttäuscht.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
As an engineer I liked that it was about the Aquarius of the Aqua Augusta who is also an engineer. It was interesting to read about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius from a water/aqueduct angle. I enjoyed it. It didn't blow me away but it was good.
adventurous
informative
medium-paced