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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
A must-read classical gem, written in powerful prose, with plenty of excellently portrayed characters and a brilliant depiction of the epoch.
I had to renew this from the library twice to finish this, as the writing feels very dated and a bit preachy, and this book usually put me to sleep after a few pages (hence, it took me a while to get through all 477). However, the peek into daily life under Nero's rule was fascinating, and I was online frequently to learn more about the real people, places, and events. If you want to learn more about Roman and Christian history, you'll appreciate this.
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Note: glancing at the reviews below, the translation you read really seems to matter here. The Version I read was by Jeremiah Curtin.
I thought it was fascinating. Very much enjoyed the tensions between the decadence of Nero, the aestheticism of Petronius, and the early schisms in the interpretations of Christian faith as represented by the Apostle Peter, the bishop Crispus, and Paul of Tarsus.
The love story was tangential for me. I was far more interested in the machinations at court and the rising conflict between the Christian philosophy and the societal structure of the Roman Empire.
Oh, and Petronius' last letter to vinicius is masterful. As was the description of the great fire of Rome.
Finally, I should probably add that I read a lot of books written in the 1800s on a fairly regular basis, so slower pacing plotwise doesn't faze me. The second half of the book (post Rome burning) is much more engrossing plotwise than the first.
I thought it was fascinating. Very much enjoyed the tensions between the decadence of Nero, the aestheticism of Petronius, and the early schisms in the interpretations of Christian faith as represented by the Apostle Peter, the bishop Crispus, and Paul of Tarsus.
The love story was tangential for me. I was far more interested in the machinations at court and the rising conflict between the Christian philosophy and the societal structure of the Roman Empire.
Oh, and Petronius' last letter to vinicius is masterful. As was the description of the great fire of Rome.
Finally, I should probably add that I read a lot of books written in the 1800s on a fairly regular basis, so slower pacing plotwise doesn't faze me. The second half of the book (post Rome burning) is much more engrossing plotwise than the first.
I was frankly uninterested in either Vinicius or Ligia, who are cardboard characters, and I couldn’t care less about whether they got together. I know that Quo Vadis was extremely popular in its time (it was published in 1896) and contributed toward Sienkiewicz winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. I also know that Sienkiewicz was capable of creating more interesting characters and writing more exciting scenes. Perhaps the times have just changed too much since this book was written for it to appeal to a wide audience now.
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/quo-vadis/
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/quo-vadis/
Fabulous, fabulous read. A great historical fiction of Rome during the rise of Christiandom.
Sometimes the writing gets laborious. But the story moves quickly and the characters have great development.
Sometimes the writing gets laborious. But the story moves quickly and the characters have great development.
I read this book when I was about 13-14 years old. I was really annoyed by the two main characters and didn't understand the 'problemtic' love story. I hated it when I was reading it, but still continued 'till the end. And by the end I quite liked it. Looking back, it was pretty great. One of the books you really remember 10 years later, not only for the story but also for the thoughts. I'm really glad I read it - it's great. 4.5/5
Wow, they just don't write books like that anymore! In many places it really reminded me of Ben-Hur, but with much more Roman feel to it than Hebrew. The story kept me intrigued throughout, and from what I've read of Roman culture and history (it being a bit of a hobby of mine lately) it seems to me that he very well captures the feel of what it was to be a Roman, confronted by this strange sect of Judaism called Christianity. I felt immersed in the fear and debauchery of Nero's reign to an incredible degree. Everyone involved (from Nero to the Christians) seemed human, believable and well-crafted.
If I had to give a criticism, it would be that while the first three-quarters of the book excelled at being down-to-earth and believable, the last quarter contained way too much Catholic mystical idealism and preachiness. Halfway through the book I was consciously admiring the way that the book had such an appealingly Christian feel without being trite or preachy, but it started to lose that by the end, in my opinion. Somehow I doubt that martyrs enter into a heavenly trance where they don't feel pain anymore right before dying, so reading about that kind of thing started to throw me off. Anyways, that was a minor issue, and didn't keep me from enjoying the book: still a solid 4 stars, in my opinion.
If I had to give a criticism, it would be that while the first three-quarters of the book excelled at being down-to-earth and believable, the last quarter contained way too much Catholic mystical idealism and preachiness. Halfway through the book I was consciously admiring the way that the book had such an appealingly Christian feel without being trite or preachy, but it started to lose that by the end, in my opinion. Somehow I doubt that martyrs enter into a heavenly trance where they don't feel pain anymore right before dying, so reading about that kind of thing started to throw me off. Anyways, that was a minor issue, and didn't keep me from enjoying the book: still a solid 4 stars, in my opinion.