I read Robert Harris’s Pompeii yesterday - yep read it in one day. It’s a bit easier to read than the Pat Conroy books I’ve read recently so it kind of flowed easily.

I really enjoyed it, the story is pretty simple but it moves a long at a good pace helped by the fact that you know that Vesuvius is going to blow. The story is set over four days… starting two days before the eruption starts. Having this knowledge gives the plot a sense of urgency because you know something that the characters don’t. That in itself is such a pleasure.

The angle of the story is excellent, as is the detail. I’ve found myself in awe of the Roman engineering of the Aqueduct which is a center pin of the plot. Having visited Pompeii itself I really enjoyed the way Harris brought the place to life. I very enjoyable read that actually makes me want to learn more on the subject of Romans and their life.

How come there hasn’t been a film of this yet?

“When two events happen simultaneously pertaining to the same object of inquiry, we must always pay strict attention.” - Agent Dale Cooper.

I watched Lewis last night. Being an Inspector Morse fan, I was interested to see where they would take this spin off. Well I am happy top say that it was very well done and should there be anymore I will happily watch. It wasn’t Morse, but it was enjoyable all the same. The production values were as good as Morse, and the feeling of the filming and music all seemed to work and feel comfortable. The script seemed to have just the right blend of things needed to help the transition. There was just enough references to Morse through the programme to keep a nice link, but not too many as to overshadow. Lewis has been working away and it seems that during that time the Police forces has “updated” a little - which in turn puts Lewis on the correct side of “old timer”. His sidekick Hathaway is a well educated intellectual and therefore we have a slight reversal of the Lewis/Morse relationship. Also I notice that Lewis has picked up Morse’s tendancey to get attracted to women involved in the case…

 All in all it was well done and I hope they film some more.

When I bought my car 4 years ago, I got a 6 CD changer in the boot (nicely hidden away and taking up no space) and a single cd in the front.

Anyway, I don’t remember the last time I used the multi-changer!

Just started reading Robert Harris’s Pompeii. Don’t know anything about it as all I’ve done so far is place my bookmarker at the start of the book.

  Pompeii, Reading, Books, Robert Harris
Robert Harris