Customer Reviews

Quo Vadis (Great Stories)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
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This is certainly one of the best novels of Ancient Rome I have read, despite the pushing of Christianity which can be ascribed to the period in which it was written. What is really amazing, to me, is that, though written in the ninteenth century, Quo Vadis accurately describes Western culture today. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this novel should be required reading for high school students, so frighteningly modern is it.

There are some foreign language books, like the Odyssey, or the Three Musketeers, or perhaps Ibsen, that endure lingual translations, despite the incompetency of the translator. Quo Vadis is not one of those books. Some translations are terrible and flat, while others ring true with the lucidity of brilliant writing. The W.S. Kuniczak edition is probably the finest rendition currently available in English. However, if one is looking for a biblical work of fiction that truly inspires in English- try Ben-Hur, by Lew Wallace.

This book is without question the greatest of the classics that I have ever read. Involving suspense, romance, death, and survival; it will lead you through one of greatest adventures of your life. I highly recommend it.

but the melodrama is due to the time period (such passions) wonderfull descriptive phrases. I found myself wondering about the accuracy of the tale but my copy is not indexed. It reminds me of The Kingdom of the Wicked by Burgess but is softer and more consistent.

We're trying to build a family library of "great" books, and this is one that I saw recommended from several sources. Quo Vadis tells the story of a pagan soldier Vinicius in the Roman Empire who becomes intrigued by a beautiful girl Ligia that happens to be a Christian and will stop at nothing to get her. And then he becomes a Christian himself. This edition is put out by Focus on the Family as part of their Great Stories series, with the text compiled from two different translations.

The book does give you a good feel for the Roman Empire, especially how Christians were treated in the days of the apostles. Given the time period, it was obvious there were going to be some dramatic events, like Christians being thrown to the lions. But even so, the book was way over the top. Ligia's experience is relatively melodramatic, even among the persecuted Christians. There are many melodramatic events associated with Vinicius' obsession with Ligia, including abductions, street fighting, imperial intrigues, etc. And the strange attraction between the two is overdone (as much or more than Romeo and Juliet) and doesn't seem realistic. And note, that because of the violence throughout the book, Focus on the Family does not recommend it for children under age 14.

As has been mentioned by another reviewer, the good characters seem to be all like Melanie Wilkes in Gone with the Wind, goody-goody, except that they seem less real than she did. They are more like cardboard cutouts than real people. I will agree that the "bad" characters were more interesting, in that they had more depth to them. I also did not find Vinicius' conversion process that convincing near the end.

There are some significant portrayals of the apostles Peter and Paul in the book. I'm always a bit sensitive about fictional portrayals of real people, whether characterization is accurate, etc. And that's especially concerning to me with people that are present in the Bible. Our perceptions have the potential to be influenced by fiction and to color our reading of the Bible, without us being necessarily aware of it. Also, Peter is definitely elevated above Paul by the author, which is not surprising as he was Roman Catholic and thus believed Peter was the first pope.

There are chapter-by-chapter study questions in the back of the book if you want to use it with homeschooled children or for a book club. But, partway through the book, the editor omitted a chapter, and for the rest of the list, the questions don't match the chapter number they are listed under. This is horrible editing!

I would not recommend this book. The plot is way over the top for my tastes, too many improbable events, cardboard cutout characters. The book is also too long at over 500 pages. Note, I have read and enjoyed books longer than this; it's not that I can't handle long books. But, this book was dragged out too much, especially toward the end. Now, if melodrama and a lack of realism in plot and character doesn't bother you, there are some nice descriptions of life in the Roman Empire, but they are not enough to redeem the book. I spent the last half of the book just waiting for it to be over.

Henryk Sienkiewicz' "Quo Vadis" is a ten plus! His characters are so real, you feel they've grown up with you. The scene depicting Ursus wrestling the aurochs is so heartstoppingly suspenseful, no movie can compare with it (speaking of which, avoid the movie made with Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr). Petronius' final letter to Nero is perhaps the greatest letter ever written

Quo Vadis is not for the faint at heart. It is gut-wrenching, soul-piercing, and heart-rendering and not for the casual reader. The author makes you an eyewitness to the atrocities from the hand of Nero. The mental pictures given to you as a reader are unforgettable. This is not a trashy romance, but a love story that transforms the protagonist of the book. It is a book about the cosmic battle between Good and evil, not just an epic about the days of Rome. It does have so many parallels to society today, especially here in America. Take heed, people. History repeats itself. This was one of the finest works of literature I have ever read!!! I highly, highly recommend it!

This book reads a bit like a trashy romance novel. That is to say, it is a very easy read, the vocabulary is relatively simple, and the story gets you hooked from chapter to chapter. Not to mention it kind of _is_ a trashy romance novel. But on the other hand it does give one a nice picture of the first Christians and Rome in Nero's time. The characterization of Nero is especially funny. Not to mention it has a nice/happy ending so you feel all warm and fuzzy at the end in spite of all the nasty things that happen in between. (Hope that was not too much of a spoiler) All in all, an entertaining read, but don't expect big revelations.

OK, I've tried to read "Quo Vadis" several times and... man, I just couldn't dig it!! The descriptions are nice enough, if you don't mind the wordy style of Victorian times, but what rubbed me wrong was how the Christians vs. pagans battle was portrayed. The Christians are dull and pretty stupid- almost intolerably goody goody, and *insipid*! The pagans are bad, but they're bad in an interesting way. Sure, they're going to hell in the end, but in the meantime, they're so dynamic and fun- and Nero can sure plan good orgies. Read the New Testament and you'll see the early Christians in there are almost anything but stupid, and certainly not dull! (I imagine St Pete himself was a pretty exciting cat to know.) I get the feeling old Henryk knew that he had to write in the 'Christians' as the heroes, but his heart wasn't really into it. He really knows how to describe a party, and all the superficiality it entails. But the Christians in this book- they're NOTHING like the truly spiritual people of my acquaintance. They come across like Victorian stage characters, posing in the accepted holy poses, having visions in the accepted style of visionaries. (Angels come out and lights abound; all the acceptable props, you know.) So, read "Quo Vadis" for the gorgeous detail and ornate dialogue, because I can't say it's not technically well done. But if you want something that gets into the heart of soul of a spiritual/religious quest, than you'd better go elsewhere.