A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii by Stephanie Dray, Ben Kane, E. Knight , Vicky Alvear Shecter , Michelle Moran
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Synopsis:
Pompeii was a lively resort flourishing in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius at the height of the Roman Empire. When Vesuvius erupted in an explosion of flame and ash, the entire town would be destroyed. Some of its citizens died in the chaos, some escaped the mountain's wrath . . . and these are their stories:
A boy loses his innocence in Pompeii's flourishing streets.
An heiress dreads her wedding day, not knowing it will be swallowed by fire.
An ex-legionary stakes his entire future on a gladiator bout destined never to be finished.
A crippled senator welcomes death, until a tomboy on horseback comes to his rescue.
A young mother faces an impossible choice for her unborn child as the ash falls.
A priestess and a whore seek redemption and resurrection as the town is buried.
Six authors bring to life overlapping stories of patricians and slaves, warriors and politicians, villains and heroes who cross each others' path during Pompeii's fiery end. But who will escape, and who will be buried for eternity?
My Review:
“Here’s a secret few men will admit out loud. On the inside, most of us feel small, stupid, and weak no matter what our size or how old we are. You become a man when you realize none of that matters. Only what we do matters. A man of Rome will do his duty even when he feels broken inside.”
A Day of Fire is everything a reader could hope, it has the page-turning suspense and an enormous scale and sweep of an epic story. This is a tale made up of six connected stories taking place during events leading right up to the explosion of Mt. Vesuvius, as seen through the eyes of several people from different social backgrounds. Rather than think of A Day of Fire as a collection of different short stories, think of it as one, big overarching story that gives you a detailed look at how six different characters and their friends and family survived — or didn’t — the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Characters show up in each story, so you get to follow almost everyone’s tale to a conclusion. There is a young man from the elite levels of society, an heiress soon to be married, a veteran of the legions down on his luck, a senator beset by his own demons, a young woman about to give birth at the worst time, and a pair of prostitute sisters whose differences are exceeded only by their love for each other. Given the nature of the event, the reader has to assume that not all the characters will survive. As the awful day unfolds, the authors take the reader on a wild emotional ride, full of cliffhangers and heartbreak, emotion and humor, as the reader waits anxiously to discover the characters’ fates.
Though the entire collection was well-done, the second half shined for me. The Senator’s tale just vibrated with life. This story clearly served as a turning point in the entire narrative. My favorite was the one that made the most use of historical record—The Mother. While The Whore provides a surprising end note of grace. —Just a fabulous, crafted mosaic all around.
The authors did a tremendous job in writing a seamless story, picking up where the other has left off, to form a complete and captivating story, rich in drama. All the characters are linked together by an event which changes all of their lives. Perhaps the most valuable thing about this book is the rather superb and vivid image of Roman society during the Early Roman Empire that it conveys. It was an unequal society where the poor suffered and were exploited and where the rich and/or powerful could - and often did - abuse their power and get away with it.
Each writer captures the stark panic upon the realization of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Some fight their fate, others rush to it knowing the futility of resisting. Whether aristocrat or slave, each has hopes and dreams that hang on nature’s whims. Though there are survivors, they are scarred forever, their lives altered in ways they could never expect. Either way, this is a powerful collection of stories that haunt the reader about an event that took place two thousand years ago.
While this is a tale that is pure sadness at its core it is also a story of courage and hope in the face of disaster. It shows the resilience and goodness of people from all walks of life coming together to survive what is surely the worst that could happen to them. A tale of love and courage, loyalty and the will to survive. A Day of Fire is a book that will touch you as it did me.
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