Pompeii: A Novel by Robert Harris Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Pompeii: A Novel
Book Review: Outstanding historical fiction
Summary: 5 Stars
"Pompeii" was my first foray into historical fiction and it was quite interesting.
It took me a few chapters to get used to the idea that the event (the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius on 24th August 79 CE) was true, but the characters were not. I also had to catch myself a few times while reading this because I started asking, "This really happened?" If an author is able to do that, then he/she has done their job of drawing you into their world.
The book starts off with an explanation of the superior Roman system of telling time and their ancient names for the days of the week and months. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the modern era's names for the above are close to those of that time. It never fails to amaze me that we have access to detailed information about everyday things that were around close to 2,000 years ago - and it's accurate! Unfortunately, it took a catastrophic eruption to preserve ancient history (I've read quite a few times that the ash made the city into a life-sized time capsule with the way it settled).
Harris did a great job of documenting the buildup to the eruption through the aquarius Marcus Attilius, his fictional telling of the corruption of the ultra-rich of Pompeii (which could very well be based in fact, as I've read that numerous times in as many books), and who could forget to mention those numerous brothels?
It was a shame that so many people had to die because of the lack of knowledge of volcanoes, but when something is dormant for so long you're led to believe it's a dead volcano (and it was generations before Vesuvius came back to life, so the knowledge that it was dangerous was long gone by the time Pompeii became an important port city). So before people ridicule the Pompeiians for their lack of knowledge of Vesuvius, I would like to remind them of a little incident known as Mount St. Helens in Washington State. Even though there wasn't the loss of life near the scale of Pompeii with that eruption, there was no excuse to not know about that as 1980 is not ancient history!
This was one gem that was collecting dust on my bookshelf. I decided it was time to see what this was all about and was not disappointed in the least. I know there are other fictional accounts on the same subject, but this is a good start.
And I'm elated to have read this knowing that Roman Polanski is going to direct the (rather expensive) movie adaptation of this soon. I'm rather eager to see how he brings the timeless beauty of Pompeii to life and how he's going to interpret the eruption and the ensuing chaos for the big screen.
This was an enjoyable read. Harris's sources are excellent and his research was impeccable. - Donna Di Giacomo
Book Review: Pompeii by Robert Harris
Summary: 5 Stars
I actually read this book for a class. It's a novel, very enjoyable, but is also an excellent introduction to Roman life at the time of the eruption. At least one of the characters, Pliny, really lived, and the others seem real. A very enjoyable read.Book Review: Pompeii is a great summer read.
Summary: 4 Stars
I went through this book quickly. This book is an interesting and compelling work of historical fiction. The book opens in the days leading up to the great eruption. Marcus Attilius has been dispatched from Rome as the new "Aquarius" or chief engineer of the elaborate aqueduct system that moves fresh water along from town to town. The previous Aquarius has mysteriously vanished. Attilius soon finds impurities in the water that fortell of something ominous. He immediately runs into troubles when he encounters Ampliatus, one of Pompeii's wealthiest citizens and a man prone to immense cruelties.
The book, without being too overweighted with historical dialog, is a facinating look at what Roman society was like. Attilius is a sympathetic and down to earth character amidst the backdrop of a Roman empire ruled by self indulgent and corrupt leaders. The Romans had brilliant engineers who designed and built this advanced aqueduct as well as powerful citizens who diverted and sqaundered this precious resource for their elaborate pools and fish ponds, even while the lower class goes thirsty. This book is reminscent of James Cameron's Titanic movie. This book and that movie both introduced compelling fictional characters who were caught up in the middle of a real and famous tragedy. Even though we know how it will end we still find it compelling. This fast paced book is a great read for the beach.
Book Review: Pompeii is a terrific read
Summary: 4 Stars
You get history, geology, and a great story all in one.Book Review: Pompeii: A Novel
Summary: 5 Stars
This book has a great story line along with historical facts and great information on how a volcano erupts! The writer; Robert Harris; keeps the story going and lots of fun to read.