Me lo he leído de un tirón. Qué idea genial que es mezclar el intríngulis del "aquarius" honrado y competente (algo así como ingeniero del suministro de aguas) que, al investigar por qué el agua llega contaminada a las fuentes de la ciudad y va tirando del hilo, descubre una red de corrupción política y económica, al mismo tiempo que nos muestra cómo era la vida diaria en todas las capas de la sociedad de esa ciudad riquísima imperial romana que era Pompeya, cómo funcionaba el sistema tan complicado de los acueductos, y de paso la descripción en detalle de la catástrofe del terremoto, la erupción y el tsunami que ocasionó. No os la perdáis, porque es interesantísima de principio a fin.

A tremendous book, one of my reads of the year (a difficult thing, considering how many good books I've encountered recently) and one of the finest historicals I've ever read. Harris turns out to be an eminently readable author who has a way of making dry facts and figures interesting, as the text is interspersed with engaging descriptions that do nothing to slow the breakneck narrative down.

The reason that POMPEII is such a good read is that it works without the volcanic eruption - take out Vesuvius entirely and I'd still be thoroughly hooked by the mystery plot. The setting is very well realised - you can smell the heat and taste the decadence of Rome - and the characters, while occupying well-established types, are well drawn.

By the time the book gets around to the eruption, I was so gripped that I read the rest in a single sitting - a rare occurrence, as I prefer to savour the stories I particularly enjoy. They're currently producing a miniseries of this, and if it comes close to the quality of the book then it's sure to be a winner.

بومبي المدينة المنسية او المدفونة تحت بركان فيزوف  لولا الاكتشاف الذي منحها خلودها على يد قائد نمساوي 1709 عند هركيولانيم تحت رواسب تبلغ ستين قدما ، والتي تسببت ببطء اعمال الكشف حتى عام 1749 وبالطبع كلفت نفقات باهظة ..

في الرواية يجتمع شمل الراوي وشخوصه الخيالية مع احداث النكبة لتدخلنا صلب حياة بومبي وترفع الخمار على بعض حياة الناس و شخوصهم فهناك امبليانوس العبد الذي حرر بعد الزلزال الذي اصابها عام 36 م والذي اثري فجأة وساهم بشكل كبير ببناء المدينة وكان همه المال ودائم الترديد مرحبا بالكسب  ، والذي وجدت في الحقيقة جملة كهذه على ارض دار من مكتشفات بومبي .

بالاضافة الى تحديد خطوط الشوارع والسوق وعلى مسافة منها نرى الحانات وبيوت الدعارة ونحن نتابع اتيليوس باحثا ومنقبا عن اكزمينوس ، عارضا فيها روبرت هاريس اعلانات المجالدة واخرى للتمجيد وتالية للانتخابات ..


الرواية تحكي قصة البركان من اليوم السابق له حيث اعترض اهل ميسيينوم مشكلة في توصيل المياه واختفاء ساقيها السابق فترسل روما الشاب ماركوس اتيليوس وهو شاب صادق امين  لحل المشكلة فيحتاج الى تتبع هذه المشكلة مرورا ببومبي التي تحتفل بعيد الاله فولكانوس الى جبل فيزوف الذي يمد المدينة في فترات متقاربة بتحذيراات عبارة عن اهتزازات ارضية بسيطة في شكلها تم تجاهلها لايمان الناس باساطير العمالقة التي تسكن الجبل  وحيث توصيلات المياه متعثرة .
يصطدم الشاب بعدة مشاكل مع امبلياتوس والذي كان له اتفاق مع الساقي السابق يرضخ طبعا امبلباتوس ويقدم للشاب المساعدة بلؤم وفي قلبه يمهد عكس ماينوي ..تتقاطع الاحداث وتتشابك وتظهر ااسباب ثانوية اخرى سياسية والاخرى مادية التي سببت المشكلة المائية  مما يضع الساقي في  خضم مسائل همه الوحيد الخروج منها و بالطبع ينجح بذلك ..

في خلال عودته بانتهاء عمله ينفجر الجبل وتغطي الخفاف كل شي ويمر بهركيلانوم حيث تستنجد به اكترينا لإيصال رسالة الى بليني الأكبر لانقاذ الكتب يصل بليني مع اسطول كامل لانقاذ بعض الاهالي ورغبة في تدوين الظاهرة وانتهت هذه المغامرة بموته والذي أرخ ايضا في كتب التاريخ ..

رواية رائعة تعرض في قالب تاريخي متكامل ، ستضعنا موضع ابطالها لنشاهد عن قرب انمحاء مدينة تحت العدم لالفين عام لاحقة ..

Pompeii... demolished in the world's most famous volcanic eruption in A.D. 79 killing thousands at the apex of the Roman Empire, ironically the people never knew Mount Vesuvius was this a volcano; understandable since the previous significant one occurred 1,800 years before, no town existed, and the name unknown to them because the word hadn't been invented yet, but soon would... lets say by borrowing from the Roman god of fire... Vulcan... Our story unfolds when a young despondent man of 27, a recent widower Marcus Attilius Primus arrives in the prosperous resort city, the kind that if you have money they like you, he has an important job here, as an Aquarius the chief engineer of Aqua Augusta a huge aqueduct which supplies 250,000 inhabitants with life giving water around the Bay of Naples. His predecessor Exomnius vanished, where is he ?...Wasn't he from the island of Sicily in the Mount Etna area? This
confounded mystery puzzles everyone, however life continues and Rome quickly sends a replacement because prominent officials have villas there, many powerful Senators, a bright honest individual causes Marcus numerous problems the era is shall we hint a little corrupt. Pompeii is ruled by a wealthy businessman Numerius Popidius Ampliatus a former slave, a man of immense courage he has to show the people his... preeminence.

After an earthquake of almost two decades ago flattens the city Ampliatus flourishes, maybe unethically done nonetheless the houses were rebuilt...bribes the local magistrates into doing his bidding all for the good of Pompeii's future he implies. This is not a dull novel so complications occur, a water break in the aqueduct must be found swiftly, and repaired, the engineer falls in love... surprise surprise with Corelia the daughter of the cruel Ampliatus who hates him, you can't trust a man who will not accept a kickback.. And we haven't yet mentioned the great Pliny the Elder, writer, soldier , philosopher, naturalist, adviser to Roman Emperors Vespasian and successor Titus his tough son, the new Caesar of a few months, the latter a former comrade in the Germanic campaign and now the obese old man in poor health is admiral of the fleet , a honor bestowed primarily for his loyalty to the ruling family in actuality has very little nautical experience, luckily the Roman naval port is Misenum close to the disaster. Moreover Pliny a very curious man indeed prides himself in knowing all, his countless books testifies to this fact. Besides his talented nephew of 18, Pliny the Younger can help him observe the catastrophe, anyway a closer look would be better...However the book comes alive when the dead fall under the avalanche that buries Pompeii under rocks and ash, toxic clouds of gas arise over 20 miles in height, noon becomes midnight, darkness engulfs the stunned citizens, walking blindly in the deluge nearby Herculaneum too, the grim sounds travel to Rome 150 miles away as the excruciating heat flows down from the mountain frying the victims just six miles distant. Pompeii a
celebrated town of 20,000 disappears and is forgotten for seventeen centuries...A marvelous, exciting book the only fault is it's 200 pages too short I wanted to learn more about the doomed city and the people...a lost civilization well worth knowing.

I started to read this novel after I visited Pompeii. I was impressed by the ruins of the city and its tragic history and I am a bit of a Volcanos enthusiast so I thought reading this will both help me find out more about life in that period and about the eruption. Reading a fast paced novel as I travelled was a plus. It did delivered on all aspects but it was nothing extraordinary. What made me give the novel less than 4 stars was the inappropriate language and behaviour compared to the period. The author kept using words that had no meaning at that time, too modern. I wasn't expecting a book in latin but some phrases just did not sound right in this kind of novel. Also, some adventures of the main character were to far-fetched. He survived the eruption although he was almost at the top of the mountain. And he beat death on many other occasions. The love story...my eyes rolled quite a few times.

So, a nice beach reading with some interesting history thrown in it.

I decided to read this book because my husband and I will be visiting Pompeii and Herculaneum later this year and it seemed like a good idea in preparation for the trip. I was not disappointed. The reader knows going into the story that things will not turn out well for Pompeii and yet despite that I was drawn in and hoped for survival for at least some of the characters. I really wanted to keep reading until I was done. Although this was a novel, it was very well researched including quotes from some of the sources and I feel it gave me a better grasp of what would have been happening in the days leading up to the eruption and during the eruption. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

I enjoyed this book a lot.
I must confess that it was the first time I heard something from lost city called Pompeii in Italy and after reading this book I did find myself searching for more information about this place and what happened with it.

I'm sure I will be visiting the city when travelling to Italy next time. And then it will be great to walk around and think about this book, imagining how it all happened...

The book was enthralling, full of action and a generous amount of mystery with a little taste of love...

I always look forward to revisiting anything to do with Italy - It is a fascinating place!!!! Pompeii - it's history, and what still remains there today >>>>is amazing!! This book was not as amazing....but I'll still give it 2.75 -3 stars. For a few days I was entertained by the ins and outs of the Italian Aqueduct.

Who would really enjoy this book? Historical fiction fans? probably. It does have a thriller aspect to it. It was somewhat engaging. BUT, I have been to Pompeii, sooooo while I was listening to this audio I spent the whole time imagining and revisiting the corners of the city, the hills and caves of Mt. Vesuvius - and I found that my own personal experience there outweighed the actual story.

Audiobook #188

Pompeji by Robert Harris

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5*)

Ich hatte dieses Buch schon einige Jahre lang im Regal stehen und dachte immer ich würde es bald mal lesen… endlich nach etwa 10 Jahren, war es soweit und es hat mich keineswegs enttäuscht.

This is a piece of historical fiction with a mix of mostly fictional but also some real historical figures set in the backdrop of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Marcus Attilius Primus is a young engineer sent to take charge of the Aqua Augusta, one of the largest and most complex aqueduct systems in ancient Rome that supplied water to nine cities. The previous aquarius, Exominius has vanished without a trace, and there are problems creeping up with the water supply, from the sulphurous smells in the water to the supply literally drying up in some cities. Marcus, who comes from a family of engineers, is keen to restore the aqueduct to normal, and traces the source of the problem to Vesuvius. Corelia a slave-turned-millionaire’s daughter meanwhile seeks Marcus’ help when the water in their home kills her father’s prized fish and a slave is unfairly blamed. Alongside we have the historical Pliny the elder, serving as admiral but also a naturalist and philosopher interested in all manner of natural phenomena, who Marcus turns to for aid when he realises he must reach Pompeii without delay. In this quest become woven the stories of Corelia, her father Ampliatus and his (so-called) friends, and also Pliny. Pompeii is decadent and corrupt, and Marcus’ seemingly straightforward mission soon becomes surrounded with intrigue and conspiracies, putting his life in danger. Meanwhile in the background Vesuvius is preparing to erupt—our story begins two days before the eruption and continues through the eruption and its immediate aftermath.

This is an exciting tale that pretty much has it all—mystery, adventure, danger (from people and nature), a touch of romance, and also manages to give the reader a picture of life in the time period, and the disaster that nature is about to unleash. Throughout the book, while Marcus is tracing the source of the aqueduct’s problems and alongside looking into his predecessor’s mysterious disappearance (and battling his newly acquired enemies), one finds one is constantly thinking of the much bigger disaster looming in the background, which makes these ‘smaller’ events seem almost insignificant—the author certainly manages to get us to be constantly aware of the real reason behind some of the things that are happening which our characters don’t realise until the explosion. Each chapter begins with quotes from volcanology texts which add to this feeling. I enjoyed the entire historical context, how the author wove Pliny’s real-life story in with the stories of our characters, and the picture of the decadent and corrupt city which Pompeii would have been when these events played out. Also the description of the eruption itself—how it would have been experienced by those who were there—people being pelted with pumice endlessly and the scorching (far worse) winds that followed, more deadly than the eruption itself. The stories of the fictional characters too I enjoyed following though as other reviewers have also noted, the characters themselves were perhaps too black and white. Still, this made for an enjoyable read overall.

Aizraujošs trilleris ar rūpīgi izpētītu vēsturisko fonu. Nebrīnos, kāpēc Harisa grāmatas viena pēc otras tiek ekranizētas. Arī šī būtu daudzkārt labāka katastrofu filma nekā tipiskais žanra izstrādājums.