Page Turners – July 2026 review

In July the Page Turners read ‘Pompeii‘ by Robert Harris. This is not the first book by Robert Harris that we have read – we previously enjoyed ‘Conclave‘. ‘Pompeii‘ was published in 2003 and its fictional story is set in August 79 AD against the backdrop of the impending volcanic eruption.

The book follows the story of a young engineer, Attilius, who is sent to take charge of the aqueduct that supplies water to the towns around the Bay of Naples. As he investigates the reasons why the water supply is contaminated and then fails altogether, he becomes embroiled in the secrets of the wealthy of Pompeii – a tale of political intrigue, corruption, theft and murder. The reader wills the workmen on to effect repairs to the aqueduct and restore the water supply, even though we all know that it will be in vain as disaster is inevitable.

Some of us found the book difficult initially – there were several characters with unfamiliar names all beginning with ‘A’ and the layout of the aqueduct was confusing. However perseverance paid off and soon we were enjoying the pace of the story. Along the way we learnt about the Roman culture – the daily life of rich and poor, the relations between men and women, technology and engineering and so on. In chapter headings outside of the story we were also given some information about the science of volcanoes. Overall this gave the impression of being a well-researched book.

We particularly enjoyed the rich descriptive writing. We felt as if we could see, feel and smell the scenes and all agreed that this author’s writing is most enjoyable.

If you would like to read this book for yourself, do get in touch and see if one of us is able to swap our page turner for one of yours.

Deborah Wallis, convenor