Customer Reviews

The Secrets of Vesuvius: The Roman Mysteries Book 2

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The secrets of Vesuvius is the second novel by Caroline Lawrence. Flavia and three of her friends go to the Bay of Naples to spend the rest of the summer at her uncles farm. The year is A.D. 79 and Mount Vesuvius has not eruptedyet. The four friends find themselves trying to solve a riddle but strange things are going on. Birds are dropping to the ground dead. Dogs are howling and barking for no apparent reason. And people are going mad.
I liked this book because it is filled with action on every page. When Mt. Vesuvius erupts Flavia and her friends have to get help... Flavia sends two of her friends to get help, but they encounter a problem. One of the friends is knocked out cold, so it is up to the other friend to swim a great distance to get help. All the while Flavia, Jonathan and Nubia are trying to stay alive until they are saved.
If you like action, adventure, suspense with a little history throw in, this second book in the series will keep you reading ten pages every night. I highly recommend this fantastic book.

This story continues the tale of four young friends, living in 79AD. Jonathan, Flavia, Lupus and Nubia have witnessed the eruption of Vesuvius, and are now in a refugee camp for survivors. Then, the leader of the group, Flavia, notices that children are going missing. She resolves to discover why. Soon, she and her friends are cast deep into a web of decit, love, and misplaced loyalties.
Flavia and Johnathan find out where the children are, as they too are kidnapped, and must find a way to escape before they are sold as slaves. The story also brings you closer to finding out the secret of Lupus' past.

The Secrets of Vesuvius (I will be deliberately vague in order not to give away the plot of the book) picks up where The Thieves of Ostia left off, transporting us to Pompeii in the middle of August 79 C.E. The mystery is rather subtle this time - a riddle that leads to treasure but something of a different kind than Flavia Gemina anticipates. Actually, there is an additional mystery concerning the identity of a new character to the story.

The real joy of this book for me is the Elder Pliny being fleshed out as the inquisitive and curious person that he undoubtedly was. We meet him on several occasions and the children interact with him at great deal.

Caroline Lawrence provides a marvelous tour of Pompeii and her attention to the details of everyday life is engaging as always. I have read Robert Harris' novel about Pompeii (which I highly recommend) with its meticulous information about Mount Vesuvius. We have a different vantage point in this book as the characters discover from environmental changes and historic accounts that Vesuvius is about to erupt. The course of the eruption itself is nicely told as some of the characters stay at the Gemina farm and some travel across Pompeii in an attempt to save friends and warn the people in general. We get an excellent perspective on how terrible the eruption of Vesuvius was, the kind of hazards people ran attempting to escape and what their options were to get away from danger. All of the characters in the book are profoundly affected by the tragedy and a few require the services of Doctor Mordecai.

To sum up, The Secrets of Vesuvius is a mystery novel that adults and children can equally share and learn about Pompeii and life for the ancient Romans. Certainly after reading this book you will be eager for the next installment.

In The Secret's of Vesuvius, the second in Lawrence's Roman Mysteries Series, we rejoin Flavia, Nubia, Jonathan, and Lupus as they travel from Ostia to the Bay of Naples to spend the summer with Flavia's uncle (who just happens to live near Pompeii). This volume is also set in the first century, 79 A.D. and as the story starts, they rescue Admeral Pliny whose boat sank while he was out working on a new scroll. He gives them a "mystery riddle" to solve (which in fact is the least interesting part of the book) and then they head off to the uncle's farm (picture given of the farm grounds in the front of the book, excellent detail about life in Rome...a big plus for the book). The character lineup (outside of the main characters) include:

Uncle Gaius - Flavia's uncle and twin to her father

Aristo - Falvia's Greek Tutor

Vulcan - Roman God of the Forge (and volcano's), also character in story, traveling blacksmith whose life mirrors the story of the God, he is looking for his real parents

Miriam - Sister of Jonathan and daughter of Mordecai

Ferox - Uncle Gaius favorite dog

Clio - New friend and one of the nine (adopted) daughters (named after the 9 muses) of Titus Tascius Pomponianus of the Villa Pomponiana

Mordecai - Jonathan's father

Xanthus, the farm manager and freedman of Uncle Gaius

Rectina - Titus' wife and adoptive mother of Clio

Highlights of The Secret's of Vesuvius include a tour of the Forum, struggles and suspicion between Roman's and Christians...in this book it is discussed several times about how the Christian religion is banned and illegal and we see people practicing it and meeting in secret (which readers will get to witness "first hand" later in the book; the use of Asine (jackass) a code word used by Christians to identify other Christians; and most importantly, an adventure where tremors shake the ground, animals behave strangely, and the people dream of impending doom! Our intrepid adventurers get to explore vineyards, celebrate the Roman festival of Vulcanalia, travel on a merchant ship, and try to escape the eruption of Vesuvius.

Overall, this was a highly enjoyable mystery/thriller/adventure book for young readers that is heavy on the details of Roman daily life (this time of farm and country life as opposed to city life in the last book), is highly descriptive with likable and believable characters (for the most part). This time around, the mystery is less intriguing and very easy to figure out...that is with regards to the "riddle," the larger "mystery" of the blacksmith and Titus/Rectina. My only "complaints" would be the heavy handed Christian message that comes through, while not so bad that it makes for unpleasant reading, it is something to be aware of. This combined with the forced equality between Nubia, Flavia, the beggar boy and Jonathan makes the whole thing just slightly cringe worthy...however, I still feel it's a good read and something I think most kids will get a kick out of, I certainly did. I give it four stars, The Secret's of Vesuvius strength is in details, particularly about how the farm is run and the eruption of the volcano. Overall, it is a light and entertaining read despite its flaws.

The secret of vesuvius:the roman mysteries is an exellent book if you like mysteries its really good. Its like one of those books you just can't set down. I would defenetly would recomend it to someone who loves mysteries.

I highly recommend Caroline Lawrence's "The Secrets of Vesuvius" to anyone, young or old, who wants to read a story with characters that really grow on you. I found myself caring about what happened to each of them throughout the book, concerned for their safety and well-being during the dangerous moments. After becoming aquianted with these characters in Ms. Lawrence's first book" The Thieves of Ostia", I was already aware of how addicting her stories can become. I found myself continuing to read just to find out how a character got out of a situation or to see if my summation of the mystery was correct. My ten-year old son was reading "The Thieves of Ostia" while I was finishing up " The Secrets of Vesuvius", and my husband couldn't talk to either of us until we were finished with a chapter! "The Secrets of Vesuvius" enchants with romance, thrills with danger and illustrates the miracles of friendship. It is a "must read" for any age.

Finally a series of well written books that allows children to know the details of life in another time and place, while keeping them learning, all in the framework of a ripping-good-yarn!
Thank you Caroline Lawrence.
Take the time to read this series to your children.

The first book of Caroline Lawrence's "Roman Mysteries" series ended with a brilliant sequel hook: a scene in which the characters make plans to spend the summer in Pompeii. Keeping in mind that the year is 79AD, and that the village in which they intend to stay is at the base of Mount Vesuvius, it didn't take a genius to figure out what historical event would make up the crux of "The Secrets of Vesuvius."

Our four young protagonists (Roman Flavia, Jewish Jonathan, African Nubian and tongue-less, runaway Lupus) sail across the Bay of Naples to Flavia's uncle's farmhouse, along with various parents, siblings and servants. But before they leave, the quartet assist an elderly man in an overturned rowboat off the coast of Ostia, and find to Flavia's delight that he's none other than the famed Admiral Pliny.

Grateful for their help, and hearing that they're about to depart for Pompeii, Pliny shares a story and a riddle with the children. Last time he was in Pompeii he noticed the riddle on the wall of a blacksmith's shop, and the blacksmith himself promised Pliny a great treasure should he be able to solve it. The children are naturally excited by the news, and on their arrival in Pompeii they immediately set about trying to crack the riddle and find the mysterious blacksmith - known only as Vulcan.

Vulcan's life mirrors that of the Roman god from whom his nick-name is derived, right down to his mysterious parentage and his deformed feet. As opposed to the singular whodunit of the previous book, the mystery at work in "The Secrets of Vesuvius" keeps changing. Faced with the dual task of understanding the riddle and helping Vulcan find his true parents, Lawrence also throws in a secret admirer for Jonathan's sister Miriam. Most of the book is concerned with the interplay of these mini-mysteries, and although there are a few unexpected twists in regards to their resolutions, they don't provide the feeling of satisfaction that one gets on completing a mystery well-told. The riddle in particular is the least interesting part of the book, and has very little bearing on the rest of the story.

It is the subject of the volcano that really picks up the quality of the book. The characters are acutely aware of the signs and portends occurring all around them: earthquakes, dying birds, mad dogs, ominous dreams, but it's not until the volcano itself begins to erupt that they are all caught in a race to flee the city before it's too late. Suspenseful and terrifying, in which the core group must separate in order to seek out help and rescue others, these chapters are what make the book worth the read.

As always, Lawrence's research is both accurate and integrated into the text in such a way that it feels natural to the story instead of just swaths of exposition. In particular, the characterization of the historical Pliny and the effects of the volcano are rendered in such a way that you're pulled directly into the action, atmosphere, and panic of those involved in the disaster. Lawrence has a firm grasp on her characters and the ways in which they interact with one another, whether it be Flavia's appreciation of beauty, Nubia's quiet wisdom, Jonathan's skeptical intellect or Lupus's foolhardy bravery. Once you can get past the unlikelihood of a friendship existing between a slave/master/girl/boy, the bond that these characters share and the way in which they bounce off each other's strengths and weaknesses is immensely rewarding.

Ending on more of a cliff-hanger than is usual for this series, with plenty of characters unaccounted for, readers will definitely want the next in the series (The Pirates of Pompeii) nearby.

Sequel to Thieves of Ostia: A Roman Mystery. The four unlikely friends discover
another mystery when they visit Flavia's uncle near Pompeii. They rescue an
admiral, work to solve a riddle which promises treasure, and suddenly must flee
from the eruption of Vesuvius. An entertaining romp, introducing young readers to
the intriguing historical catastrophe. As in the first novel, historical events and
settings may be accurate, but human relationships don't ring true. Fans of
Scieszka's Time Warp Trio series will probably enjoy these stories.