Pompeii

A Novel

By: Robert Harris

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Best seller

"Terrific...gripping... A literally shattering climax." (The New York Times Book Review)

All along the Mediterranean coast, the Roman empire’s richest citizens are relaxing in their luxurious villas, enjoying the last days of summer. The world’s largest navy lies peacefully at anchor in Misenum. The tourists are spending their money in the seaside resorts of Baiae, Herculaneum, and Pompeii.

But the carefree lifestyle and gorgeous weather belie an impending cataclysm, and only one man is worried. The young engineer Marcus Attilius Primus has just taken charge of the Aqua Augusta, the enormous aqueduct that brings fresh water to a quarter of a million people in nine towns around the Bay of Naples. His predecessor has disappeared. Springs are failing for the first time in generations. And now there is a crisis on the Augusta’ s 60-mile main line - somewhere to the north of Pompeii, on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius.

Attilius - decent, practical, and incorruptible - promises Pliny, the famous scholar who commands the navy, that he can repair the aqueduct before the reservoir runs dry. His plan is to travel to Pompeii and put together an expedition, then head out to the place where he believes the fault lies. But Pompeii proves to be a corrupt and violent town, and Attilius soon discovers that there are powerful forces at work - both natural and man-made - threatening to destroy him.

With his trademark elegance and intelligence, Robert Harris, best-selling author of Archangel and Fatherland, re-creates a world on the brink of disaster.

©2003 Robert Harris (P)2003 Books On Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Blazingly exciting...Pompeii palpitates with sultry tension.... What makes this novel all but unputdownable...is the bravura fictional flair that crackles through it.... It is hard to imagine a more thoroughgoingly enjoyable thriller.” (London Sunday Times)

"Breakneck pace, constant jeopardy and subtle twists of plot...a blazing blockbuster... The depth of the research in the book is staggering.” (Daily Mail)

“[A] stirring and absorbing novel...The final 100 pages are terrific, as good as anything Harris has done; and the last, teasing paragraph, done with the lightest of touches, is masterly.” (The Sunday Telegraph)

I could taste the ash.

I learned quite a lot about an era and its complete extinction by the explosion of one volcano. It is a chilling reminder that we are puny compared to a bump on the earth. And yet, we thrive. God just has to kick us in the ass once in a while. Mr Harris describes one of those ass kickings in vivid detail as well as the price of greed and the strength of good character. Well done.

Fun journey, ridiculous ending

The climax of the novel veres into ludicrous territory, but the journey toward that climax is interesting and fast paced. On the whole I ended up as liking the story because most of it was involving. The climax is still ludicrous though.

Good narration, however.

Enjoyed This One

I enjoyed this historical novel a great deal. It was well-researched and brought to life the events surrounding the unexpected eruptions of Vesuvius in AD 79 and their aftermath. Descriptions of homes and baths inhabited and visited the characters, actual and fictional, matched my reading of the archeological ruins of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other nearby ancient towns. The eruption and events preceding it were told from the perspective of a fictional character, the engineer who was sent from Rome to inspect the Augustine aqueduct.

My interest remained high throughout the novel even though I knew from the beginning that these cities were doomed--a credit to the author's narrative skill. Because of this and the authenticity of the setting as well as its natural history, I plan to seek out and listen to more books by this author, hopefully narrated also by John Lee.

Historical fiction with all the interesting facts

Again Robert Harris excels at giving you a view of historical events from the perspective of the common man. As in his books on Cicero, we learn what is really like to live in the roman empire. The story itself is interesting enough to keep you reading, but it is the details of day-to-day life in a roman town which makes the book so engrossing. As usual John Lee gives a fantastic narration.
Highly recommended.

Good story, hard tinkers the character names straight

I enjoyed this reading. The narrator was good, I liked his accent. My observation is that perhaps reading this book would help me remember who was who in regard to the character names. If you've heard one Roman name, many sound similar. So seeing the printed word might have helped me follow along better.

Interesting historical fiction

Narration was done well. The exposition was a tad slow but excitement builds quickly afterwards.

Wonderful

Beautifully narrated by Jon Lewis, this is a very interesting game and informative story of Pompeii, I loved listening to it,

Surprisingly enjoyable

Heading to Naples in a couple of months, and my husband found this book for me. I have a paperback but also decided to listen to it. I generally like psychological thrillers, but historical fiction can be entertaining was well as educational. The reader was terrific. I learned a lot about volcanic eruptions and at the same time was invested main character, Attilius. My visit to the ruins of Pompeii will be so much more meaningful after listening to this novel.

Amazing similarities

It was interesting to see a number of parallels similar to todays societies! After living in New Mexico for many years, the value and importance of water was striking! Really enjoyed it .

Excellent historical fiction

An engaging storyline mingled with factual accounts by contemporary historians is well performed by the narrator. This would make a great motion picture but, sadly, will likely not be made.