Pompeii
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- Create Date：2021-08-05 00:52:20
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Robert Harris
- ISBN：0099527944
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Summary
A sweltering week in late August。 Where better to enjoy the last days of summer than on the beautiful Bay of Naples？ But even as Rome's richest citizens relax in their villas around Pompeii and Herculaneum， there are ominous warnings that something is going wrong。 Wells and springs are failing， a man has disappeared， and now the greatest aqueduct in the world - the mighty Aqua Augusta - has suddenly ceased to flow。 Through the eyes of four characters - a young engineer， an adolescent girl， a corrupt millionaire and an elderly scientist - Robert Harris brilliantly recreates a luxurious world on the brink of destruction。
Reviews
Annalisa Ferrara
，
I started reading this book because I'm fascinated with this city， I've visited it many times and one of this visits was during my reading of the book。 I loved the way it described Pompeii， it was really accurate and it was just like I've seen it so many times， I also loved the way it described some details like some everyday life things and the way it described the eruption with also some references from different resources。 I don't give it five stars because the story itself can be a little to I started reading this book because I'm fascinated with this city， I've visited it many times and one of this visits was during my reading of the book。 I loved the way it described Pompeii， it was really accurate and it was just like I've seen it so many times， I also loved the way it described some details like some everyday life things and the way it described the eruption with also some references from different resources。 I don't give it five stars because the story itself can be a little too much， some events that the main character goes through are just too exaggerated to be realistic。 。。。more
Genny
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I have always been interested in the history of Pompeii。 This piece of fiction starts right before the famous eruption。 It follows a young aqueduct engineer Marcus Attilius as he tries to find out what has caused a disruption in the aqueduct。 All leading up to the famous eruption， and how those of Pompeii and the surrounding communities responded to the events of that day。 It as a nice read， with intriguing characters that through their （fictionalized） stories， gives us a glimpse into what it ma I have always been interested in the history of Pompeii。 This piece of fiction starts right before the famous eruption。 It follows a young aqueduct engineer Marcus Attilius as he tries to find out what has caused a disruption in the aqueduct。 All leading up to the famous eruption， and how those of Pompeii and the surrounding communities responded to the events of that day。 It as a nice read， with intriguing characters that through their （fictionalized） stories， gives us a glimpse into what it may have been like the day the world changed。 。。。more
Marty Nader
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Good book with captivating endHarris paints a world with characters and beautiful cities before letting nature destroy everything。 I felt the dryness and the heat of Vesuvius in the final chapters。
Abby
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I really enjoyed reading this， even though the weight of the eruption hangs over the whole story…Really interesting in that it was written like a modern thriller in Roman times。
Federico
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Concordo con molte recensioni！Gran bel romanzo storico！
Susie
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This fictionalized account of certain classes of people alive just before and during Vesuvius’ eruption provides and interesting glimpse into the era and the way of life。 I enjoyed the descriptions of the lives， food， environment and puzzling over the changes in the water and the coming tremors by the main character。
Barbsss
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Totally enjoyable， listened to the audio version and was carried along by the narrative。 I’ve had an interest in Pompei since childhood and enjoyed the description of life then。 It almost seems like where our society is now。
Ron Wade
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3。5 stars。
Aline Biazoli
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I absolutely loved this book！
Jo
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PUMICE STORMI read this for my library group as it was on the list。 I’ve been interested in Pompeii since I visited the exhibition at the RA in 1976 - sponsored by imperial tobacco - and I still have the guidebook。 It’s not a title I would have chosen but I grew to like the two main protagonists and the exciting fast paced plot。 Roman life， especially the importance and sophistication of the water system interested me plus the class system。 Pliny is well portrayed and there are also villains， fo PUMICE STORMI read this for my library group as it was on the list。 I’ve been interested in Pompeii since I visited the exhibition at the RA in 1976 - sponsored by imperial tobacco - and I still have the guidebook。 It’s not a title I would have chosen but I grew to like the two main protagonists and the exciting fast paced plot。 Roman life， especially the importance and sophistication of the water system interested me plus the class system。 Pliny is well portrayed and there are also villains， for example Corelia’s father an ex slave。 Disgusting things happen and the sex is sordid， but they are relevant to the plot。 The romantic element adds interest and the ending made me smile。 I had to suspend disbelief at times but overall I was engaged and am looking forward to the discussion。 。。。more
Morgan Crabtree
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Pompeii has always been fascinating to me。 This novel， deeply rooted in the facts known about the city and the infamous eruption that ended it， brings Pompeii to life。 Not recommended for children （though any of you also fascinated by Pompeii will already know this）。 The novel takes place over a very short period of time and follows the life of one man working to repair the aqueduct， unaware of the dangers of Mt。 Vesuvius until it is too late。 But does he find out in time to survive？
LeticiaNiv
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Quizá me esperaba algo más de este autor， pero puede ser que la erupción de Pompeya tampoco de para mucho más。 Es interesante cómo desarrolla la trama， alrededor de un aguador que antes de la catástrofe comienza a ver señales， como el olor a azufre del agua; la pena es que la historia de la familia de ex-esclavo rico es un tostón。
Haugrud
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Astonishing！ astonishing！ What else is there to say。
Luke Shadrosky
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Incredibly immersive and difficult to put down。
R S
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Wow。 Simply outstanding！ It's like reading Ken Follett at his best description wise but with a plot and pacing closer to Eye of the Needle。 Brilliant！ Great fun。 Crisp。 Super evocative。Lovely characters。 Great world building I could not only see the events but almost smell them。 Very poignant and philosophical too。 One of those rare "high quality" book writing that does not fall prey to self indulgence - pacing or length wise。 Cracker of a quick read。 At 360+ pages， this was truly a page Turner Wow。 Simply outstanding！ It's like reading Ken Follett at his best description wise but with a plot and pacing closer to Eye of the Needle。 Brilliant！ Great fun。 Crisp。 Super evocative。Lovely characters。 Great world building I could not only see the events but almost smell them。 Very poignant and philosophical too。 One of those rare "high quality" book writing that does not fall prey to self indulgence - pacing or length wise。 Cracker of a quick read。 At 360+ pages， this was truly a page Turner where I could not wait to get back to the book。 Now a big fan of the writer。 。。。more
Angelique Simonsen
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Not bad of an imagining what pompeii was actually like in those final days
Kirsten McKenzie
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I've been to Pompeii twice， once in 1992， and again in 2017。 And I'd go again in a heartbeat。 What happened in Pompeii is a valuable lesson in listening to the scientists - which we should always do！ This book was a breathless romp through the Roman aqueducts， and the life giving importance of water to the townships they served。 I couldn't put it down。 If you've ever visited the ruins of Pompeii， or dreamed of visiting them， then this is the book for you。 Everything is so beautifully described - I've been to Pompeii twice， once in 1992， and again in 2017。 And I'd go again in a heartbeat。 What happened in Pompeii is a valuable lesson in listening to the scientists - which we should always do！ This book was a breathless romp through the Roman aqueducts， and the life giving importance of water to the townships they served。 I couldn't put it down。 If you've ever visited the ruins of Pompeii， or dreamed of visiting them， then this is the book for you。 Everything is so beautifully described - the roads， the excess， the trade， the normality of life。 Then it's all lost。 And Pliny！ What a man。 What an intellect。 No modern man can compare。 100% recommend this book。 Historical fiction at its finest。 。。。more
Jacob
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I both enjoyed and hated this book。 On the one hand， it is a view of Ancient Rome that feels contemporary。 The engineering feats feel as modern and awe inspiring as they might have seemed to a Roman citizen of the day。 The luxuries of life as a wealthy Roman， feel equally modern。 For once， I am encouraged to view a past civilization in something like the way I might view a contemporary but foreign one， or even one more advanced。 The world-creation reminds me of a science fiction novel。 But， on t I both enjoyed and hated this book。 On the one hand， it is a view of Ancient Rome that feels contemporary。 The engineering feats feel as modern and awe inspiring as they might have seemed to a Roman citizen of the day。 The luxuries of life as a wealthy Roman， feel equally modern。 For once， I am encouraged to view a past civilization in something like the way I might view a contemporary but foreign one， or even one more advanced。 The world-creation reminds me of a science fiction novel。 But， on the other hand， this is also a simple noir， and， like The Long Goodbye， or The Big Sleep， （quite likely inspired by Chinatown， but falling well short of that lofty mark） it is filled with hackneyed characters， and described through the warped lenses of every kind of bias that has ever plagued our own chauvinist， modern， colonial culture。 The engineering is wonderful。 The historic natural events woven into the mystery are great。 but the characters， the plot， the dialogue， etc， are awful。 I read this book 20 years ago， and I remembered only the parts I had liked。 I wish now I had not reread it， though it is useful to be reminded of how much bias to which I once turned a blind eye， or was ignorant of altogether。 。。。more
Ye'ela Cohen
，
לא יודעת מה יש לכותבים בעברית פה， הספר הזה נהדר。 למרות שיודעים מה הסוף עדיין מגיעים אליו לאט לאט ובצורה חיננית。הדמויות מהנות וזה כיף שזה משלב היסטוריה וככה לומדים יותראחלה ספר ממליצה בחום
THERESSA
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Want a change of pace。
Helena
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I have read a number of Harris' books over the last few years and I never fail to enjoy them。 His writing totally transports me to the time period Harris writes about in each of his books， which in this case was AD79 in Pompeii just before the eruption of Vesuvius。 We follow Attilius whose occupation is an aquarius - ensuring water runs through the aqueducts， thus bringing water to hundreds of thousands of Italian citizens。 Attilius has recently been posted to Neapolis from Rome， following the d I have read a number of Harris' books over the last few years and I never fail to enjoy them。 His writing totally transports me to the time period Harris writes about in each of his books， which in this case was AD79 in Pompeii just before the eruption of Vesuvius。 We follow Attilius whose occupation is an aquarius - ensuring water runs through the aqueducts， thus bringing water to hundreds of thousands of Italian citizens。 Attilius has recently been posted to Neapolis from Rome， following the disappearance of the previous aquarius， Exomnius。As the earth begins to tremble， Attilius is sent to repair the main aqueduct and it's a race against time as many citizens in the towns around Vesuvius will be without water。 Whilst fixing the aqueduct， Attilius realises something is clearly very wrong， but little did he know the true extent of what was about to occur。 Can Attilius get back in time to warn the friends and acquaintances he's met in Misenum， Pompeii and Herculaneum， most importantly， the daughter of a fraudulent landlord who he deeply cares about？I preferred Conclave， however did thorougly enjoy Pompeii， especially Harris' descriptions of the eruption， calling on many sources including Pliny who witnessed the eruption himself。 。。。more
Suad Alhalwachi
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I have seen many talks and videos about the town of Pompeii and how its people had lived （https://youtu。be/lAjjuiuu1eQ） however this story is so different。 First it teaches us about the volcanic eruptions and how it works， it teaches us about the water system， the cloths， the people， the political system， the slavery， the sex life， the writers， the philosophers and much more。 So if one wants a good all around book as well as a thrilling story then Pompeii is the books to read。 And by the way it I have seen many talks and videos about the town of Pompeii and how its people had lived （https://youtu。be/lAjjuiuu1eQ） however this story is so different。 First it teaches us about the volcanic eruptions and how it works， it teaches us about the water system， the cloths， the people， the political system， the slavery， the sex life， the writers， the philosophers and much more。 So if one wants a good all around book as well as a thrilling story then Pompeii is the books to read。 And by the way it also has a love story， so watch out and hold your breath。 I am not sure if this is the same town that we had read about in Quran （the descriptions are similar here and there and the way everyone died is similar too） but who know。 Maybe。 In the beginning it was a slow read but around the middle I couldn’t put my kindle down。 。。。more
Jonathan
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Sept 2019
Bill H
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An interesting factual fiction story of the amazing history surrounding Pompeii。 The tale weaves its way through the days leading up the the volcanic eruption with great characters but also scientific fact and detail。 Well worth reading if you are looking for something to read while at the beach or on vacation。
Kris McCracken
，
Pompeii by Robert HarrisAn entertaining little diversion in which Robert Harris energetically conjures up the hot and dry days of AD 79 in the lead-up to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the immediate impact on the surrounding towns。 The author treats us to a tale of intrigue， ingenuity， human avarice， corruption with a cursory love story thrown in for the bargain。 Our hero is suitably heroic， our heroine stoic， and the bad guys are variously psychotic， egotistical and lazy。 The usual beats of Pompeii by Robert HarrisAn entertaining little diversion in which Robert Harris energetically conjures up the hot and dry days of AD 79 in the lead-up to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the immediate impact on the surrounding towns。 The author treats us to a tale of intrigue， ingenuity， human avarice， corruption with a cursory love story thrown in for the bargain。 Our hero is suitably heroic， our heroine stoic， and the bad guys are variously psychotic， egotistical and lazy。 The usual beats of a heart-racing adventure are both present and satisfying。 I reckon that this has the makings of both Hollywood blockbuster and triple-A video game material。 ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 。。。more
George Russell-Stracey
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What an immensely satisfying and informative read。 Harris almost re-writes history here by delicately and beautifully weaving a subtle myth into the very being of the engineer。 Water truly is the lifeblood and saviour of this thrilling story of the destruction of Pompeii。
Mildred
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This book caused me physical pain
Brandi D'angelo
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"Are you frightened， Marcus Attilius？" "Yes。" "That's good。 To be brave， by definition， one has to first be afraid。" I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced， riveting story。 Based on true events， Pompeii is about a water engineer's quest to repair a large Roman aqueduct in the midst of a brewing volcano。 The details make you feel as if you are right there， feeling the tremors， seeing the darkening sky， and feeling the detritus of the volcano fall upon you。 The last line is great， too。 "Are you frightened， Marcus Attilius？" "Yes。" "That's good。 To be brave， by definition， one has to first be afraid。" I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced， riveting story。 Based on true events， Pompeii is about a water engineer's quest to repair a large Roman aqueduct in the midst of a brewing volcano。 The details make you feel as if you are right there， feeling the tremors， seeing the darkening sky， and feeling the detritus of the volcano fall upon you。 The last line is great， too。 。。。more
Roy Hunt
，
I'm not sure if I should have given this book five stars or not。 I probably should have。 This is the best fictionalized account of a real historical event I have ever read。 It is so good that I might try to travel to that area of Naples to see some of the sites for myself。 Vaguely， we have all heard of Pompeii and how the volcano Vesuvius erupted and covered it in ash in AD 79。 But what do any of us really know about the terror of those final few hours？ Through the eyes of a unique perspective， I'm not sure if I should have given this book five stars or not。 I probably should have。 This is the best fictionalized account of a real historical event I have ever read。 It is so good that I might try to travel to that area of Naples to see some of the sites for myself。 Vaguely， we have all heard of Pompeii and how the volcano Vesuvius erupted and covered it in ash in AD 79。 But what do any of us really know about the terror of those final few hours？ Through the eyes of a unique perspective， that of a young water engineer （an aqua aquarius）， and three others， but he's the main source， we live out the final three days before the volcano erupts。 The mighty Aqua Augusta aqueduct （still there， apparently， under the ground， or most of it anyway）， supplies water to a few of the rich villas and major towns along the seashore， including Pompeii。 But you can find all that on Wikipedia， you don't need me to tell you。No， it is watching the story unfold through the eyes of the young inexperienced engineer， thrown into the frame because the regular engineer has disappeared that makes this a fascinating read。 And it is accurate and insightful on a human level too。 I found myself identifying with the young engineer， remembering my own days of working on a site， when most of the men around me were older and harder。 Youth can be punished severely in certain cases。The youth has to lead a team to release a blockage that has stopped the water flowing and in places， has poisoned it。 The clues are there， but he can't just figure out the strange link of events。 This is a great story， really immersive。 happy reading。 。。。more
Najat Alheela
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مشكلة انقطاع المياه التي واجهت المهندس والذي لم يكمل بعد الأسبوعين من مدة استلام وظيفته، وكيف تداخلت عليه أسباب الانقطاع، وتجاوزت المنطقة التي يعمل بها والمسؤول عنها، إلى مناطق أخرى، وظواهر أخرى، كان يُظن أن الأمر يتعلّق بزلزال （وهو المألوف لديهم）، إذ كانت الأرض وبالأخص في بومبي （إيطاليا） تتعرض لاهتزازات مستمرة على مدار اليوم، أي باليومين الأخيرين للظاهرة الكبرى。لم تكن هذه الظاهرة مفهومة، أو واضحة لدى الناس، في تلك العصور القديمة نوعًا ما، وكانت تشير الرواية إلى “التدوين”، وكيف توصلوا إلى مخطوطا مشكلة انقطاع المياه التي واجهت المهندس والذي لم يكمل بعد الأسبوعين من مدة استلام وظيفته، وكيف تداخلت عليه أسباب الانقطاع، وتجاوزت المنطقة التي يعمل بها والمسؤول عنها، إلى مناطق أخرى، وظواهر أخرى، كان يُظن أن الأمر يتعلّق بزلزال （وهو المألوف لديهم）، إذ كانت الأرض وبالأخص في بومبي （إيطاليا） تتعرض لاهتزازات مستمرة على مدار اليوم، أي باليومين الأخيرين للظاهرة الكبرى。لم تكن هذه الظاهرة مفهومة، أو واضحة لدى الناس، في تلك العصور القديمة نوعًا ما، وكانت تشير الرواية إلى “التدوين”، وكيف توصلوا إلى مخطوطات قديمة كانت تتحدث عن ظاهرة مشابهة، وكيف أن الأميرال صار يدوّن بدوره هو أيضًا خصائص هذه الظاهرة الحالية، الذي كان محبًا للعلم。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Pompeii
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Pompeii&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Pompeii&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0