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Pompeii
by: Robert Harris

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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Binding: Paperback
EAN: 9780099282617
ISBN: 0099282615
Label: Arrow Books Ltd
Manufacturer: Arrow Books Ltd
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: September 27, 2004
Publisher: Arrow Books Ltd
Studio: Arrow Books Ltd
Sales Rank: 1932

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- A fun history lesson
It's been a few years since I read any Harris and this proves that he is still a fine writer to me. Here he succeeds quite well in weaving a unique plot around the volcanic eruption of 78AD. Quite why he used an Aquarius beats me (an ancient roman water mains manager type). I have given him 3 stars and not 4 for this, for the simple reason that it took overly long in my opinion to get to the real action. In saying that, as another reviewer has said, Harris still makes the historical lessons interesting.

Rating:

- It's just ok.
I prefer fact to fiction, so I approached Pompeii, thinking it was a compromise and an opportunity to broaden my tastes. While some of the writing is descriptive and colourful, the characters I found to be rather bland and rigid. Rarely, do any of them do anything that is unpredictable, challenging or thought provoking.

By all accounts, Harris's Roman research is accurate but because the story is really a plot between mainly fictitious characters, the research and the ensuing presentation of facts, is really only for a backdrop to form an outer context for the plot.

One character, Pliny of course, is historic and did exist, but I found his role in the plot irritating because the role was obviously fictitious. In fact, ... Read More:

Rating:

- Man versus volcano
Reading this novel, one is reminded of the classic Monty Python scene in' Life of Brian' where when asked "What have the Romans done for us?" one of the rebels answers "Aquaducts." Harris' impressive research teaches us all about them set against the eruption of Vesuvius in AD79.
Pompeii itself is rather a minor character in this thinly plotted story.
Enjoyable enough but ultimately forgettable.

Rating:

- Explosive...?
I found this book very difficult to get into, but once I forced myself to continue, it turned out to be a good read.

The build-up to the explosion is slightly long but will keep the reader on the edge of their seat. The actual eruption does not take place until towards the end which is a bit of a disappointment.

In the meantime, Harris rambles on about how the people of Pompeii and the other towns along the Bay of Neapolis find their water supply failing so the water engineer, Attilius, conducts an expedition to the foot of Mount Vesuvius to get to the root of the problem - only for Vesuvius to erupt in all her glory. As the people of Pompeii and other surrounding towns fight for their lives, can Attilius save himself ... Read More:

Rating:

- Slightly disappointing
This was one of those books that I had heard so many good things about that maybe I expected a bit too much.It is by no means a bad book but it isn't a great book either.Every person I know that has read 'Pompeii' has praised it so I did feel a little disappointed when I had finished reading it.
As you will all know,it is about the build up to the destruction of the city as seen thorugh the eyes of four people from different walks of life.The trouble is,it takes virtually 300 pages to get to the eruption and in the meantime there is a lot of talk about water flow and about the layout beneath the Italian coastline.Robert Harris has obviously done a lot of research and deserves credit for this.It does feel that the story is more of a history ... Read More:

Books : Pompeii