A.D. 62: Pompeii by Rebecca East

A.D. 62: Pompeii Reviews

• 
  Amie

  2.5 for this one.
  While I did somewhat enjoyed this story, I have to admit the main character, Miranda, was just so bloody lucky, she was always knew what to say, when to say, Always was at the right place with the right people with her. And with the Latin, why was she so good at reading and speaking it? We have not idea how it sounded and she knew from day one what everyone was saying. I had a problem with the Love part to, the master/slave thing was just wrong and it was almost like she was brain washed to love him. And then for him to be in full blown love with her, at the end just came out of nowhere. He saw her as a possession not a women and there was little form the story to show the change in him.
  I really loved the historical aspects of the story, and this was the main reason i picked up the book. But Miranda was to weak and should have have put more of a fright at the start, and come on she had nothing and no self defense training. She knew that she may encounter some issues, this is bloody Romans for god sake. She felt like she was not prepared well, this was a paid time travel. Where were the details of the lesson or well more then we got. Its like she was just thew in this time with hope that she was not killed or taken advantage off.
  
  
• 
  Sarah

  Very enjoyable take on the day to day life of a family in ancient Pompeii
• 
  Josephine (Jo)

  I read this book because I like time-shift stories where the character travels to another time and lives the life of someone either in the past or the future. The idea for this story was very good, Miranda is part of an experiment to send a person back and forth in time using a wristband which is a kind of teleporter. Miranda ends up in 62 AD in the house of Marcus a wealthy man who is married with a family. All was good so far, the author was good and giving information about Pompeii but it did come across a little bit as if she was quoting from history books and it was a little repetitive on the historical facts. I enjoyed the story at the beginning and was hoping that we would see Miranda encountering various adventures, you would expect that a person from the 21st century would have far more difficulty being dropped in the middle of Pompeii but she has the most unimaginable luck and falls on her feet every time, she always says exactly what people want her to as if she is a mind reader. What finally made me give the story only two stars was the far fetched romantic element where her luck is just too incredible to be believable, her choice in the end was, I thought foolhardy to say the least.
• 
  Mary

  I finished Rebecca East’s novel “A.D. 62: Pompeii” and I, too, have added Marcus Tullius to my pantheon of Roman heroes. Since he did actually exist, I can hope that he was as noble, sensitive, astute, and talented as Rebecca’s portrayal. Since most of the novel occurred in the Tullius villa and focused on the daily lives of its residents, the novel provided a revealing window on the world of a Roman equestrian family - the operation of their household, their family, their social lives, and the gender and cultural roles each member played in the overall fabric of Roman society. I especially appreciated the fact that Rebecca respected and preserved each characters’ values and did not introduce some startling transformation as a result of the heroine sharing her “liberated” viewpoint of the 21st century.
• 
  Kimberly

  I was so excited to finally get this book on PBS, but have been disappointed with it ever since. The premise is SO good, but the writing really falls short. There is no doubt the author did an amazing job researching, but at many times in the book I felt lectured at on ancient Pompeii, instead of these bits of information seamlessly integrated into the story. What I found most annoying was the fact that she would repeat herself over and over again on small historical details, often using the same exact sentences again and again. Very irritating. If you can get past the poor writing and constant repeating, there is a good story line in here--good luck!
• 
  Lacey

  3.5 rating
  
  This story was actually pretty cute. It's about a woman named Miranda who gets to go back in time to 20 years before the volcano Vesuvius erupts in Pompeii. It didn't expand much on the technology of "how" she got back, which I think would of been good to add in, but it focused more on her story there. She becomes a slave to Marcus Tullius, and later they fall in love. It was a pretty cute love story. It was a unique time travel story!
• 
  Erin

  The historical information that is conveyed in this book is excellent, if a little dry. Essentially, it is a monograph on Pompeii masquerading as a very poorly plotted novel. Still, the historical detail is very interesting, and it is fun to visit the author's website afterwards to see pictures of the artwork and artifacts that appear in the book.
• 
  The Cat In The Hat

  I've always been fascinated with Mt Vesuvius and it's turbulent history of erruptions. Read lots of stuff on Pompeii and Herculaenum and the current excavations. Hope to visit there next year while we're in Europe and culminate a childhood dream. Can't wait to see all the mosaics. Roman, Italian, geology.
• 
  Patti

  My favorite genre is Historical Fiction, particularly historical fiction involving time-travel. Copious repetition and some typographical errors notwithstanding, I found the storyline very absorbing. If you can get over the former (which I made myself do), it's an enjoyable read.
  
• 
  Theresa Neu

  Very well done
  
  I never buy e-books I always buy an actual book. I'm very glad I bought this as an e-book. I hope the author writes more books like this is very well done and very well edited. It's nice to read a book without a bunch of grammatical and spelling errors.
• 
  Melissa

  Historical value only. Story is unconceivably dull, repetitive dialogue and narrative, simple. Almost stopped. Should have.
• 
  Chris Lane

  History and a good novel all in one.
• 
  Lisa

  Totally totally got engrossed in this book and didnt want it to end.
• 
  Maurice Williams

  I really enjoyed this unique "back-in-time" novel is written by an expert in Roman archaeology and an accomplished story teller as well. Under the pen name of Rebecca East, the author tells a fascinating story that kept me in suspense wondering what comes next. The heroine, Miranda, hears that a group of researchers have invented a procedure that can transport someone back in time. Miranda is an archaeologist specializing in ancient Rome and the ruins of Pompeii. She speaks Latin fluently and believes her knowledge of Classical Rome, especially Pompeii, would make her the ideal candidate. She volunteers. The researchers agree and decide to send her back to A.D. 62 to explore Pompeii. In case she has second thoughts, they implanted a device under her skin. She can press it any time, and the researchers will bring her back home.
  
  Miranda drops into the Mediterranean Sea, and is hauled aboard by the startled fishermen. She surprises them with her unusual Latin accent, but she can converse with them. In a culture filled with slaves, and not knowing what else to do, the fishermen decide to sell her to a slave dealer. In the slave market, she makes friends with a Greek slave, Demetrius, who advises her to look unattractive to buyers she doesn't like and attractive to those she thinks she might like. Miranda and Demetrius both wind up purchased into the household of Marcus Tullius, a rich resident of a small village just outside of Pompeii.
  
  The author adroitly develops the main characters, Miranda, Demetrius, their master Marcus Tullius, his wife Holoconia, and their two children fourteen-year-old Marcus and thirteen-year-old Tullia. Three other slaves play significant roles in the novel: Alexander, the household steward, Iris, a beautiful twenty-seven year old that Holoconia sent to her husband after Tullia was born and Holoconia wanted no more children, and Cnaeus, the cook. Julia Felix plays a major role late in the novel. East creates a tender interaction of Miranda and the other characters and brings in scenes of courage, love, loyalty, selflessness and selfishness, bravery and heroism. East's story would be interesting in any time period, but East's placing the story in first-century Italy, with the author’s knowledge of Roman history and archaeology, adds real charm to the story. Miranda is free to go home any time. At times, she thinks she should, but her eagerness to see more of the real Pompeii continually makes her postpone her return. Gradually, as she gets to know and love the people, especially Marcus Tullius, she gets more and more reluctant to return.
  
  Rebecca East is the pen name of an established professor and archaeologist who is conversant with the excavations at Pompeii and has worked on a "dig." East has a website
  www.rebecca-east.com where the reader can see some of the ancient art that formed a background for the novel. Many names of the fictional characters were borrowed from real names of people and families that really lived in Pompeii.
  
• 
  Hannah Mc

  Considering I adore anything about Ancient Rome and have read several factual books about this time period, I was super excited to read this time travelling novel.
  
  We follow Miranda who decides to travel into the past for an experiment but it doesn’t go to plan, she ends up sold into slavery.
  
  She ends up a house slave in a big villa with a family which is much more than she could have hoped for, being as she will experience ancient Roman life for herself. This novel is beautifully detailed and I could imagine everything as described, a lot of research has gone into making this historically accurate.
  
  Miranda becomes accustomed to her new life, and tries to keep out of trouble as much as possible, I admired her strength and her determination in keeping to her values and making sure she always had a choice, she comes across as headstrong - except for when it comes to Marcus.
  
  Marcus is an honourable and respectable character and I enjoyed seeing him grow and fall in love with Miranda. I loved the ending and enjoyed the story thoroughly! I only wished it was longer!
• 
  Mary

  As I started the book,, I was not so sure that time travel aspect worked for me. But the more I read, the better I liked it. It provided a vehicle for an outsider within examination of the culture.
  The Story was engaging. The characters were relatable. Once I got into it, I couldn't put it down...
• 
  J.M.

  This story is about a historian who travels back in time to ancient Pompeii, where she is immediately captured and sold into slavery. Because she can read and write, she becomes valuable to her household. Though she possesses the means to return to her own time, she lingers because she falls in love with her master.
  
  While this was an enjoyable story, I have to admit the main character, Miranda, read like a Mary Sue. That is, she seemed to possess superhuman abilities at times ~ indefatigable, personable beyond belief, always in the right place at the right time. Though Latin is a dead language in our time, she has no problem not only speaking and reading it but also understanding the people she meets, despite the fact that they would've spoken dialects she may not have known. Everyone loved her and this was a cute little adventure she was on in her quest to find "true love."
  
  However, as a reader I have issues with the thought that a slave of any stature can find "true love" with the master who owns them. Too many variables exist in such a relationship to make me believe love can be consensual between unequal individuals. While perhaps Miranda did feel love toward her master Tullius (she was, after all, born in our time and didn't consider herself anyone's slave), he would've seen her as merely a possession and the story wasn't strong enough to support the argument that he loved her any more than he did anything else he owned.
  
  I did like the nice twist with Demetrius' character and why he went to the lengths he did for Tullius, but that wasn't the focus of the story so it mattered little in the grand scheme of things. I also enjoyed a look at life in Pompeii (this story takes place 17 years before the infamous eruption of Mount Vesuvius, though there are foreshadowing occurrences which hint at what's coming). This was innovative, as most stories I've read which are set in Pompeii revolve around the explosion and little else.
  
  The historical aspects of the story were well researched and presented in a way that doesn't hinder the characters or the plot. I just wish Miranda was a little more ... average, I guess would be the best word to use. Still, this is a quick read I think most readers would enjoy.
• 
  Jennifer Wardrip

  Reviewed by Natalie Tsang for TeensReadToo.com
  
  Imagine getting stranded in Ancient Rome! That's what happens to Miranda in Rebecca East's A. D. 62: POMPEII. Miranda has never felt that she belonged in the 21st century, and when a group of researchers approach her about a short trip to the past, she agrees.
  
  Of course, things don't go as planned. First, she is sold to a wealthy family as a house slave and then her time travel device malfunctions. At first, she is resigned to a life of menial labor, but gradually tries to improve her position by telling stories and using her historical knowledge to make prophecies. Miranda cleverly changes well-known stories such as fairy tales and Shakespeare to not only inspire herself but also to champion women's and slaves' rights. As Miranda proves her value, she gains the love and trust of her master and his daughter and provokes the vicious jealousy of his wife.
  
  In this hybrid romance, history, and fantasy novel, the heroine overcomes several trials and finally finds herself a place in the world.
  
  The highlight of this book is its richly historical background. Rebecca East gives wonderful descriptions of the architecture, food, and customs of ancient Pompeii. With the exception of Miranda, the characters never seem to be modern people forced into togas, but people who live in a different culture from our own.
• 
  Conan Tigard

  Generally, I don't read a lot of books from this genre. Is A.D. 62: Pompeii by Rebecca East a Science Fiction story because of the time travel? A little. More than likely, it is more a story about a young woman thrust into a world she thought she knew, only to find out it wasn't exactly as she expected...or hoped for.
  
  Let me say right off that I quite enjoyed the story. Rebecca was a likable character, as were most of the supporting characters in the story. I would have liked a little less description and more dialog in the beginning of the story, but I understand that the stage has to be set. The only thing that bothered me a little was the repeat of a few facts (three to be precise), but I presume that may not bother other readers.
  
  Overall, Rebecca East does a bang up job of bringing an ancient civilization to life, even though it may have been through rose-colored lenses, and has created an interesting twist on a historical romance tale. A.D. 62: Pompeii is a must read for any fans of ancient civilizations.
  
  I rated this book a 7½ out of 10.
  
• 
  Dan

  Pro: 1) The story gave a somewhat in-depth look at life in ancient Rome, although it was probably much too positive with regard to the life of a slave. 2) I thought the story would end differently, even up until the very last pages, so it was an interesting surprise. 3) I enjoyed the premise of how the main character ended up back in time—it was simple (no real details), but satisfactory. 4) The story kept my interest the entire way through.
  Con: 1) Better editing would have helped. For example, how many times do we need to be told that Marcus is the paterfamilias, or that reconstruction of Pompeii was not completed before the eruption of Vesuvius? Unfortunately, the writing could be slow at times.
  Overall, I give this a 6.5 or 7 out of 10.
  
• 
  Tanya Romero

  This book could be so good! It was good enough that I did finish it, but really had to force myself a couple times.
  As others have stated, the author repeats herself. I wondered a couple times if I had lost my place and was rereading a passage. At times the story dragged along slowly but then towards the end seemed rushed and like the author just wanted to finish the book. The last quarter of the book lacked the interesting details found in the first sections.
  If the writing could be tightened up the book would be very enjoyable.
• 
  Deba

  I wanted to read about Pompeii, and this book was fairly inexpensive. It is a time-travel genre, but thought I would try it anyway. It is very detailed about the area, and is immensely prominent on the architected description of Pompeii. The story has good premise, and I enjoyed most of it. The repetitiveness in the book is a little tiresome. I enjoyed her story telling immensely, but the author does like to prattle on and on, and so I skipped over the repeated parts. She is also a little stiff on creating excitement but other than that it is a good book.
• 
  Barbara Sabet

  I wanted to read the book since I read everything I can get my hands on that has to do with Pompeii. I enjoyed her storytelling a lot and found that she did a lot of research to make the read true to fact. However, I was bothered by the repeating of information. It was almost like the author had forgotten that she had already told us this certain thing or maybe didn't read her manuscript over before continuing on with the story. I found myself wondering how this could happen.
  Overall, it was a nice little story and I enjoyed it.
• 
  Linda B.D.

  The book was interesting. I'm glad I read it, but at times it seemed to be lacking. Maybe not exciting enough. The main character, Miranda, sent back into A.D. 62 gave a vivid detail of what it was like there at that time. I commend the writer for so much research.Even at the end of the book there is a special section telling where she did her research, titiled, "Brief Historical Notes for A.D.62:Pompeii". the author then tells what & who was true in this book which I found very refreshing.
• 
  Beth

  This book has an interesting premise - - time travelling modern person goes back to A.D. 62 Pompeii. Anybody interested in the ancient times, or Pompeiian history would like that. And the story itself is okay, but the book suffers greatly due to poor editing. Heck, I could have edited this book better. Entire sentences are repeated throughout, incorrect words, grammatical mistakes.
• 
  Andrea

  This was a rather silly book about time travel and Pompeii. It talks about the earthquake of AD 62--not the eruption in AD79, so I appreciated them mixing it up a bit. A good read on the plane or by the beach.
• 
  Victor

  not bad... very soft science fiction time travel plot, but the research into Roman life was through enough to make that part enjoyable. Fun way to learn some history. Also try the Roma sub Rosa series featuring a detective in Rome around the time of Cicero.