“There’s no better way to get into Roman history…”

Out of all the books I recall reading from this series long ago, this is the one that remained most lodged in my mind. I could recall the ending before reading and, as I began reading the book, other parts came back to me very quickly.

Oddly, knowing the ending didn’t spoil the enjoyment in the slightest. Lawrence has written such a superbly accurate depiction of Pompeii that, as a history buff, reading the book is a joy just soaking in the setting.

The story leads on directly from the previous book, having introduced us to the main characters, all children, after they solve the mystery of who is going around beheading dogs. Flavia, Nubia, Lupus and Jonathan, along with his father and the dogs all stay with Flavia’s uncle near Vesuvius. They rescue Pliny – the famous writer – who, in return, gives them a mystery to solve.

The book is really rather beautifully written with the inevitable tragedy that is to come, lovingly portrayed. It is incredible how much pathos is contained in this book, ostensibly for children to read. Indeed, I would advise against younger children try to read this (or having it read to them). This needs to wait until they are close to reaching teen years or older to truly understand the very sad final chapters.

What I didn’t recall from the first time of reading these books was the level of ‘pro-Christian theology’ that proliferates throughout the first two books. It is a possible ‘duh’ moment for me, considering I was first reading these books when they were all the rage at a Christian school where I taught in Bangladesh for many years but, in my defence, I also recall seeing one or two episodes on TV before Bangladesh days and it is rare (on British TV anyway) for religiously motivated programmes to make it on to primetime children’s TV. I did recall Jonathan and his family being converted Christians, but I thought this was merely historical record as, at this period of time, Christianity was sweeping through the Roman world. But there’s more than just ‘for historical record’ here. There is a strong emphasis on characters being encouraged to agree with values expressed by the converts.

There’s nothing wrong with this, of course, but it is something to be aware of and it is something I hope doesn’t impinge on the further books to come (sneak preview: I’m already on book III and there’s no sign of the mention of Christianity so far, so that bodes well). There’s nothing worse than books that preach their message and use plot as an excuse to do so. Hopefully, Lawrence will avoid excesses.

That slight gripe aside, this story was just such a fun rollercoaster ride, albeit with its moments of sadness and horror, that I can’t help but give it high praise and warmly recommend it to anyone with children heading towards teen years. There’s no better way to get into Roman history, I think.

My Verdict:

Social Entrepreneur, educationalist, bestselling author and journalist, D K Powell is the author of the bestselling collection of literary short stories “The Old Man on the Beach“. His first book, ‘Sonali’ is a photo-memoir journal of life in Bangladesh and has been highly praised by the Bangladeshi diaspora worldwide. Students learning the Bengali language have also valued the English/Bengali translations on every page. His third book is ‘Try not to Laugh’ and is a guide to memorising, revising and passing exams for students.

Both ‘The Old Man on the Beach’ and ‘Sonali’ are available on Amazon for kindle and paperback. Published by Shopno Sriti Media. The novel,’The Pukur’, was published by Histria Books in 2022.

D K Powell is available to speak at events (see his TEDx talk here) and can be contacted at dkpowell.contact@gmail.com. Alternatively, he is available for one-to-one mentoring and runs a course on the psychology of writing. Listen to his life story in interview with the BBC here.

Ken writes for a number of publications around the world. Past reviewer for Paste magazine, The Doughnut, E2D and United Airways and Lancashire Life magazine. Currently reviews for Northern Arts Review. His reviews have been read more than 6.9 million times.