Last Days of Pompeii


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(4.4 stars; 9 reviews)

Last Days of Pompeii is a novel written by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1834. Once a very widely read book and now relatively neglected, it culminates in the cataclysmic destruction of the city of Pompeii by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

The novel uses its characters to contrast the decadent culture of first-century Rome with both older cultures and coming trends. The protagonist, Glaucus, represents the Greeks who have been subordinated by Rome, and his nemesis Arbaces the still older culture of Egypt. Olinthus is the chief representative of the nascent Christian religion, which is presented favorably but not uncritically. (Summary from Wikipedia) (16 hr 44 min)

Chapters

Book 1, Chapter I 6:31 Read by Ric F
Book 1, Chapter II 26:06 Read by Ric F
Book 1, Chapter III 40:31 Read by Ric F
Book 1, Chapter IV 21:33 Read by Ric F
Book 1, Chapter V 16:36 Read by Becky Cook
Book 1, Chapter VI 27:34 Read by Becky Cook
Book 1, Chapter VII 20:43 Read by Becky Cook
Book 1, Chapter VIII 30:55 Read by Becky Cook
Book 2, Chapter I 20:15 Read by Ric F
Book 2, Chapter II 11:33 Read by Ric F
Book 2, Chapter III 14:01 Read by Ric F
Book 2, Chapter IV 30:11 Read by Ric F
Book 2, Chapter V 14:04 Read by Ric F
Book 2, Chapter VI 14:09 Read by Ric F
Book 2, Chapter VII 11:32 Read by Ric F
Book 2, Chapter VIII 29:19 Read by Rachel Triska
Book 2, Chapter IX 28:29 Read by Rachel Triska
Book 3, Chapter I 13:08 Read by Ann Boulais
Book 3, Chapter II 19:56 Read by Ann Boulais
Book 3, Chapter III 20:08 Read by Ann Boulais
Book 3, Chapter IV 24:43 Read by Ann Boulais
Book 3, Chapter V 14:05 Read by Ann Boulais
Book 3, Chapter VI 15:55 Read by Ann Boulais
Book 3, Chapter VII 14:06 Read by Ann Boulais
Book 3, Chapter VIII 14:10 Read by Ann Boulais
Book 3, Chapter IX 24:26 Read by Ann Boulais
Book 3, Chapter X 18:28 Read by Ann Boulais
Book 3, Chapter XI 16:55 Read by Ann Boulais
Book 4, Chapter I 6:09 Read by Christine Blachford
Book 4, Chapter II 21:04 Read by Christine Blachford
Book 4, Chapter III 30:05 Read by Christine Blachford
Book 4, Chapter IV 13:10 Read by Ruth Golding
Book 4, Chapter V 14:57 Read by Ruth Golding
Book 4, Chapter VI 26:52 Read by TriciaG
Book 4, Chapter VII 24:51 Read by TriciaG
Book 4, Chapter VIII 16:25 Read by TriciaG
Book 4, Chapter IX 5:48 Read by BenW
Book 4, Chapter X 11:55 Read by BenW
Book 4, Chapter XI 9:51 Read by BenW
Book 4, Chapter XII 10:20 Read by BenW
Book 4, Chapter XIII 16:06 Read by BenW
Book 4, Chapter XIV 5:35 Read by BenW
Book 4, Chapter XV 16:50 Read by Amy Benton
Book 4, Chapter XVI 16:15 Read by Amy Benton
Book 4, Chapter XVII 34:48 Read by TriciaG
Book 5, Chapter I 25:42 Read by Iskander Shafikov
Book 5, Chapter II 38:11 Read by TriciaG
Book 5, Chapter III 5:05 Read by Kristine Bekere
Book 5, Chapter IV 21:57 Read by Ric F
Book 5, Chapter V 9:28 Read by Ric F
Book 5, Chapter VI 11:02 Read by Ric F
Book 5, Chapter VII 12:17 Read by Philippa
Book 5, Chapter VIII 8:54 Read by Kristine Bekere
Book 5, Chapter IX 11:24 Read by Kristine Bekere
Book 5, Chapter X 6:25 Read by Philippa
Book 5, Chapter The Last 13:08 Read by Kristine Bekere

Reviews

Engrossing Story


(4 stars)

I found the story very engrossing - Book 5 was hard to "put down"! Well written, compelling story. The readers were acceptable (it's a group project), with no one too difficult to understand. I didn't really appreciate the special effects (echo voices) in the dream scene of book 5 chapter 1, but others might like it.


(4 stars)

good thing that the the story was so enthralling and captivating since some of the readers were absolutely pitiful, to say the least

needs editing


(3.5 stars)

it could be an exciting story, but it has too much padding. a modern editor would cut a quarter of it out. but the main problem is the different readers who pronounce the place names and the names of the characters differently. I struggled at times to understand who was being talked about because all the readers pronounce the names as they see fit. Why not agree in advance a common pronunciation for the characters and places?

Great book


(5 stars)

This book turned out to be much more interesting than anticipated! The readers weren't terrible, for the most part. The special effects in Book 5, chapter 1 added interest. This book is definitely worth listening to, especially if you're a history lover like me. :)