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Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town
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Reviews
An excellent book
Review date: 2010-06-20 Rating: 10 out of 10
I read this book recently - on loan from the library - but will be buying it to read again. I spent three years at university studying ancient history and I wish the dreary texts I had to trawl through had been half as enjoyable as this book. Mary Beard has a knack of blending intellect with common sense - I had never thought about how clean Roman baths really were, for instance. This may sound trivial but, at least, gives an indication of her approach.
I'm delighted to see that most of the revues have been good and can only wonder at the very few bad ones. I have no idea what they expected from a book about Pompeii. "Gladiator" it isn't, but a thoroughly readable book about real people (albeit dead c. 2000 years ago) it is. If you are planning on going to Pompeii this book will add to the experience ten-fold.
A disappointment
Review date: 2010-04-15 Rating: 2 out of 10
I was hoping for a clear narrative of what happened at Pompeii, factually based and where appropriate fleshed out by reference to life in other Roman and Greek towns of the time. Instead I found a muddled book, full of haphazard detail, explanations that I found difficult to accept and overlaid with the author's prejudices. The net effect was, for me, an unreadable book that I was sorry to have purchased. Caveat emptor! I should have browsed the book in my local Library rather than taking it on trust and buying it 'blind'.
Pompeii brought to life
Review date: 2010-03-02 Rating: 10 out of 10
This is an excellent exploration of both Pompeii and Roman life in general. It debunks some of the myths about the town, that life was cut off in mid-flow by the eruption of Vesuvius and clarifies other misconceptions. It provides a balanced and illuminating review of the various explanations and interpretations of the significance of the finds. It is written in a clear and amusing style.
Superb - scholarship and readability combined
Review date: 2009-12-11 Rating: 10 out of 10
I don't like Mary Beard's "A don's life" column and I approached this book with reluctance and a degree of negativity. However I was completely wowed by it. I am not sure that I have ever read a book where depth of knowledge has been worn so lightly or communicated so refreshingly as if there was no imbalance between reader and writer. Put it this way, the book reads as if Mary Beard wants to explain to her friends the fascinations and frustrations of trying to work out what Pompeii was like. So we get the most beautiful vignettes of life as deduced from the ruins - and a wonderfully honest explanation of just how much has to be guessed, and how other interpretations could fit the facts. These two points combined are for me the real strengths of the book. I had previously read works where the various houses and their inhabitants are described definitely, as if we could be sure who was where and what they did; and yet at the smae time the houses and the people failed to live. This book brings possible inhabitants and their interrelationships to life - but always honestly reminds you how very little about Pompeii we can know for certain. The result is that one feels that one has had the fullest possible introduction to what is known, and a sparkling picture of a likely Pompeii fixed in one's head. An absolute delight of a book.
Product Details/Specifications
Authors:
Mary Beard
Recording label: Profile Books
Manufacturer: Profile Books
EAN: 9781861975966
Binding: Paperback
ISBN: 1861975961
Number of pages: 416
Publication date: 2009-07-16
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Published)