Pompeii: A Novel by Robert Harris Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.97 You Save: $4.02 (50%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Pompeii: A Novel
Book Review: Just enough fact, just enough fiction.
Summary: 4 Stars
I originally purchased this book purely due to its subject matter, without having much of an idea of the plotline, and was very pleasantly surprised by a thoroughly enjoyable read set in one of my favourite historical periods.
Robert Harris has delivered a fast paced read which, while giving you an insight into the times and events, does not get too bogged down in the details, instead allowing the action and adventures of the characters to also describe the environment and times in which they are set.The whole time I was reading, I found myself imagining how this book would look as a motion picture, even to the point where I would fantasize on the drive to work about how I could get the word out to movie producers out there.
Originally doubting Harris' ability to maintain suspense considering most readers would know that the mountain explodes at the end (hope I didn't give too much away), I found to the contrary, that knowing how it all ended actually increased the suspense, because you knew that death & destruction were waiting just around the corner.
All in all, Pompeii is a thoroughly enjoyable read which I would recommend to anyone with even a passing interest in the Roman era, Vulcanology, Hydrology or a good action/suspense book.
Book Review: Light, fun history
Summary: 4 Stars
Pompeii was definitely a fun read. There was enough detail about the aqueducts, reservoirs and baths of the Roman empire to be interesting without overwhelming the reader in detail. This is really a mystery/thriller with an historical backdrop. Where this falls short is with its characters. Like many modern page-turning thrillers, this is more about plot (and historical background) than it is about characters. The characters were mostly uninteresting and superficial, yet the history and plot were engaging enough to sustain me, and I did like it.Book Review: My favorite
Summary: 5 Stars
Out of all of Harris' books, this one is my favorite... Harris has a wonderful ability to describe things in a way that lets your imagination build a mouth-watering picture of every situation. Not only does he describe the aquaduct, the bay, the moutain and the towns with incredible detail, he also describes every single (minor and major) event the same way. Mind you, he does not take several pages to do either!
This book is also not only a fun read, but it will provide an ignorant person, like me, with a basic understanding of the Roman Aquaduct system, specifically the Aquaduct Augusta, and Volcanos. And what is really great is that he does not bog you down with information or statistics, he gives you just enough so that you have a BASIC understanding which can later be researched with a non-fiction book.
Book Review: Not As Good as Imperium
Summary: 3 Stars
Robert Harris's "Imperium" is one of the finest historical fiction novels that I have ever read. So it was with some anticipation that I picked his his earlier novel, "Pompeii". This novel had all the ingredients to be successful. The destruction of Pompeii, details on the Roman system of aqueducts and the presence of Pliny the Elder. Who could ask for more?
But in the end, I was reminded of Tony Curtis' performance in the movie Spartacus. You could put Curtis in a Roman toga and give him leather sandals but in the end it was the Bronx born Tony Curtis speaking his lines on the screen. This novel has all the superficial trappings of good historical fiction but in the end, there was a contemporary sensibility that ruined this book. It is as though modern characters were taken back two thousand years and inhabit the bodies of ancient Romans. Not recommended.
Book Review: Not very good.
Summary: 2 Stars
I enjoyed Harris' "Fatherland", but I'm afraid I can't recommend "Pompeii". The plot was linear and predictable and the one-dimensional characters were just not very interesting. For a historical novel I expected more insights into Roman thought and culture, but those aspects of the book were pretty superficial.
It's not a horrible book, but it's just fluff. Fuff with a touch of history, but fluff nonetheless. I expected better.