'Pompeii' by Robert Harris
'Pompeii' by Robert Harris

The good

  • Does a great job of putting you into the world of ancient Pompeii. You feel like you’re walking around Southern Italian cities, feel the heat of the sun, smell the sea. I’ve been to Pompeii and seeing the ruins of the city was amazing. Reading about it, in what feels like a well-researched book, brought it alive for me even more.

  • The power of Vesuvius is pretty astonishing. Reading about it in a “first hand account,” even one that is fictional, really brings it to life.

  • Interesting to learn about Roman engineering, aqueducts, water systems, sewage systems, the role of the Aquarius, and other technology they had back then. They were remarkably advanced for a civilization living nearly 2,000 years ago.

  • Some interesting characters: Attilius the Aquarius, Pliny the Elder, Ampliatus the millionaire (and former slave), etc.

  • You of course know “how it’s going to end” right from page 1, but the book still manages to surprise you and pull you a long. The use of fate in the story itself is clever.

The not so good

  • I personally wanted to hear more about how the volcano worked, the damage it did, etc. The book doesn’t spend much time on what happens after the eruption.

Rating: 4 stars