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alex_ellermann 's review for:
Pompeii
by Robert Harris
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.