Rating: 
Summary: Disappearing Act
Review: Books based on actual historical events too often fall victim to the same symptom; that of too much research, not enough substance. You would think that a talented writer like Robert Harris (Fatherland, Enigma) would know better than to fall into this trap. Alas, he does not. Although well researched and historically acurate, the book has too much information and not enough plot or characterisation to make the reader care about anything that is going on.And that's too bad, because Pompeii had the potential of becoming a great historical epic. When the Roman aqueduc fails, it's up to Attilus to find the source of the problem and fix it before the greater part of Italian coast goes thirsty. He follows the problem back to Pompeii, an Italian city that is often plagued with earthquakes and where strange rumblings can often be heard. As he begins the repairs on the water system, he soon uncovers the truth of it all; that mount Vesuvius, the mountain overlooking the town, is actually very, very much alive. Told during the last three days of Pompeii, the novel is a fast read full of events and characters that always leaves you craving for more. The characters are paper thin and the plot so derisive that you never care about any of the subplots Harris throws your way. As a matter of fact, now that I'm sitting here, trying to remember who the supporting characters were, they all seem to meddle into one big mess in my head. But Harris should get credit in the research department, because the book is so well detailed that it often feels like a history lesson. Not only is he giving us a lesson on ancient Italian life, there is also a very good lesson on geology and volcanoes. Harris brings you right into the explosion and, with descriptive and very colorful writing, makes you see what this erruption must have been like for the people of Pompeii. Maybe I was expecting too much from this one. In thend end, Pompeii is a good pulp novel, though not much more than that. With more attention to characters and plot and maybe a bit less attention to details, the book would have been bound for greatness. As it stands, it is an entertaining read that probably won't stand the test of time.
Rating: 
Summary: a quick, pleasurable read
Review: I started this on the plane coming from NYC and finished it just landing in Atlanta. I found it to have an interesting level of historical detail, which provided an anchor point for the rather formulaic plot (ethical young engineer v. corrupt older businessman; romance btw said engineer, and, you guessed it, the businessman's daughter). Well written.
Rating:
Summary: Relive Pompeii
Review: Robert Harris is a superb writer. I couldn't put this book down. And, the descriptions of the eruption of Vesuvius and its effect on the population have you experiencing them right along with the characters! The references page in the back of the book reveal just how carefully Harris researched his subject. A great book!
Rating:
Summary: Corrupt Eruption
Review: Painstaking historical research brought to life in novel form. The main character is an engineer called in to repair an aqueduct. Stuff about volcanic eruptions and decadent Romans vomitting at feasts so they can stuff themselves again -- this was obviously before the Atkins Diet! The point of this seems to be poetic irony -- the Romans 'erupt' then are erupted on! And, furthermore, since they're so decadent to just use food hedonistically, they are clearly guilty of the classical sin of hubris, so the eruption is supposed to be a kind of divine retribution, giving this blind act of natural violence some moral dimension. These are the literary fireworks that Harris has clumsily tried to embed in the text. In a nutshell this is regurgitated, pre-chewed history for the easy consumption of those who haven't quite developed their own historical molars.
Rating: 
Summary: Rapid Reading
Review: Depending on your expectations, you may find Harris's latest work a fast paced exposition on the last days of Pompeii or a crafty novel aimed squarely at a mass market audience. It is, of course, both. Harris won't be winning any awards for the depth of characterization. We've got noble gladiators, corrupt politicians and even an innocent damsel who releases her captive songbirds from a cage. Fortunatley, the plot moves so fast and so deftly, there is barely time to consider the weaknesses of the book as Vesuvius boils in the background. Harris has the skill of a good historical novelist, little factual gems are slipped, inconspicuously, into the reader's path. Whether it's the flow of an aquaduct, or the taste of a honey coated mouse, Harris is able to use his research well, bringing the cities of Southern Italy to life. And though the same can't be said of his characters, if you're looking for fast paced diversion, you won't be let down by Harris.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, Fast-Paced Historical Fiction
Review: If you go into this book expecting latter-day Tolstoy, you're going to be disappointed. Harris is not reaching for that rung. He's canny enough to understand his mass market audience. That's not really meant, as a knock, however. The fellow can write, and he has clearly done his homework. Sure, the plot is a bit melodramatic and the characters are not exactly three dimensional, but the book's a gas and Harris provides just enough arcana that the reader learns something while hurtling through his/her speedy voyage along the 1st c. Italian coast. I found the information about Roman aqueduct construction and maintenance particularly interesting. Harris had to have done a fair amount of research into the subject, and works his factoids into the novel's exposition rather cannily. As I intimated, the characters are, for the most part, MGM cut-outs, but I did find the author's depiction of Pliny the elder amusingly eccentric. Pliny the younger is depicted as a zit-faced teen, for what reason I don't know. Harris has a grudge for Pliny the younger? The corporate villain, Attilius, however, was lifted straight from the pages of Petronius. The author even acknowledges that Attilius' banquet is basically a reproduction of Trimalchio's famous feast. That's fine, but rather lazy, as well. I recommend this book as a light, breezy read. Not much depth, but highly entertaining. BEK
Rating:
Summary: Takes you Right There
Review: First of all, let me say that if you are fortunate enough to have ever walked the streets of Pompeii, you will love this book. For those of you who have never seen it for yourself, or have not had an obsessive interest, you may want to pass. I LOVED this story. Robert Harris captures the last hours of one of the most glorious and corrupt cities in ancient Rome. The main character, Attilius, is working to find what has caused the failure of the aqueduct. He finds it in pompeii 2 days before the eruption of Vesuvius. From the heartbreaking prophecy of the city's fame to the final 2 minutes of destruction, Harris somehow manages to place you in the middle of all the action. I actually cried.
Rating:
Summary: Quite good
Review: Pompeii shows Robert Harris at the top of his form. As he's done before in Fatherland and Archangel, he meticulously creates a world. In fact, this novel represents his most ambitious attempt to do so. Pompeii chronicles the efforts of Marcus Attlius to uncover why the crucial aqueduct that serves the nine towns around the Bay of Naples has failed. To do so he must contend with both human malice and increasingly violent acts of nature. Most readers will know what is going to happen in this book (though at least one here seems to have thought that the events in the book were occurring in Greece, so I guess you never know). What is remarkable about this book is that our foreknowledge of the critical event in it does not lessen its dramatic tension in the slightest. Why is that so? Pompeii has nicely drawn characters, from the young and occasionally impetuous Attlius, to the historically based Pliny, the venal Ampliatus, and an impressive host of minor characters that are encountered. The world of first century Rome is restored confidently. What I found refreshing was that the book worked comfortably within its present; it did not feel the compulsion to work constantly at adding backstory, nor was that necessary. This book will not tell you who Julius Caesar or Augustus were, and you don't need to know it to enjoy it fully. What it does offer is a wonderfully nuanced and lively portrait of Roman life, making it as valuable in some ways as works of history. I, for one, would be very happy if Harris wrote another Roman novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Compelling for a while
Review: Most good-to-great novels take some time to get absorbed in. (Think "Moby Dick", "Crime and Punishment", or even "Lonesome Dove".) But not "Pompeii" by Robert Harris. Here you are immediately swept up in the excitement and suspense provoked by the appointment of a new "aquarius" overseeing the Aqua Augusta, the massive aqueduct supplying Pompeii and surrounding cities with fresh water. The resentment of his new charges, the mystery of what has happened to his predecessor, the reader's awareness of the impending volcanic disaster - all this contributes to a compelling beginning within the first few pages. The momentum established in the first chapter of "Pompeii" is carried through - until somewhere near the halfway point of the novel. At about that point my interest started to flag. It began to be clear that the breakneck pace of the story had momentarily obscured the formulaic structure, the lack of any real subtlety in drawing the characters, and the thinness of the insights into the structure of 1st century Roman culture. I began to breathe a sigh of relief each time the author paused all-too-briefly for an exposition of the engineering details of aqueduct construction. Far shorter than any of the more famous novels mentioned above, "Pompeii" in the end proved a pleasant enough diversion. But the author missed the opportunity to turn his story-telling skills and immersion in the details of ancient water management techniques to greater advantage.
Rating:
Summary: You go Marcus Attilius!
Review: Pompeii by Richard Harris is an historic novel that takes place over four days; two prior to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and the two days of the eruption. Winchester provides a glimpse of Rome; both its glory and its ghastly. Readers are treated to historic facts. For instance, the aqueducts which supplied the city of Rome actually provided more water than the city water authority provided to New York City until 1985. However, many of Rome's repulsive attributes are also on display, such as the thriving institution of slavery, rampant sexual depravity and gluttony. Winchester's protagonist, Marcus Attilius will not disappoint. He is an honest, hard-working civil servant. Pompeii was as interesting as it was well written.
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