Comments (17)

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Jan 29, 2024
Engineer Marcus Attilus has just taken charge of the aqueduct that brings fresh water to a quarter of a million people when he realizes there is a crisis somewhere North of Pompeii.
Jul 14, 2023
So interesting! Engineer Attilius goes to determine what is happening with the water supply since the aquarius who is responsible for the Aqua Augusta has gone missing. He encounters hostility, cruelty, and corruption as well as the puzzle…
Jan 29, 2022
Really enjoyed this book for the detail of the politics and the description of life at this time. Learned so much of the geography, the acquaducts, volcanoes and the history. Makes me want to visit and explore the area and absorb the…
Sep 11, 2020CCPL_Theresa rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A dramatic historical fiction novel set in A.D. 79, Pompeii. Marcus Attilius Primus arrives in the Bay of Naples from Rome to take charge as Aquarius “head engineer” of the Aqua Augusta. The water supply of the aqueduct starts to fail.…
Aug 13, 2019
Robert Harris exceeds most of the great novelist. If you can visualize , this novel suceeds where only mitchner might
Aug 12, 2018paisano rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
If you enjoy ancient Roman civilization history, or are into the geological impact of volcanoes, then this book is for you, otherwise, don't bother.
Jun 23, 2018Beatricksy rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
It's fun, but it's primarily a set piece to play with some fancy special effects and some exceedingly tropey characters. The heroes are SO GOOD and the villains are SO RELENTLESSLY EVIL and the girl is SUPER HOT (and strangely…
Feb 14, 2018merlinsilver rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Terrific, could not put this book down. The characters, the plot, the dialog, the descriptions, all run together so smoothly. I have read about Pompeii and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius for years and yet I learned so many new things…
Feb 07, 2018zipread rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Riveting and not a book that's easy to put down. The engineer combats corruption as well as the forces of nature. The vulcanology is credible; Pliny appears on stage to describe his Plinian eruption; the engineer labours mightily to…
Jan 05, 2016empbee rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Well written historical fiction about the time of the eruption of Vesuvius. I like the character descriptions.
May 02, 2015sandraperkins rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
What a good book! This book is a novel describing four days in Pompeii--two days before the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, and then two days of the eruption. There are geological facts about volcanos and eruptions at the beginning of every…
Nov 03, 2014DanglingConversations rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
An interesting novel but lacks literary tension because we know the mountain is going to blow. Characters might have been better set in one of the remote towns so we would not be so sure about the outcome. Still a great lesson in history…
Mar 25, 2014ehbooklover rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
A fictionalized account of the events leading up to the explosion of Mount Vesuvius told from the perspectives of an engineer, a young girl, a corrupt millionaire, and a scientist. Well researched and full of lots of interesting details…
Jun 09, 2012dannnn rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Good story. Great picture of life in the Roman times and the social issues that made the tragic eruption pain so much worse. It even has some romance.
Apr 05, 2011miaone rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I've read this novel twice now and will no doubt read it again and again through the years. Perhaps the best parts, for me, were those taken from ancient accounts of Vesuvius' 79 AD eruption, i.e. from Pliny and his nephew. Harris makes…
Mar 12, 2011TheSponge rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A skillfully written, well researched, intelligent, thought provoking, compelling, and most enjoyable book!
Aug 02, 2010johnwilla rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A very convincing account of the last few days before the eruption of Vesuvius that buried Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 AD, and a young engineer who tries to solve the mystery of why water is being diverted from the city in the hottest…