A Day of Fire

A Novel of Pompeii

By: Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray, Ben Kane, Eliza Knight, Sophie Perinot, Vicky Alvear

Narrated by: Andrew Kingston, Saskia Maarleveld

From six bestselling authors, including New York Times bestseller Kate Quinn, comes a vividly imagined novel following the lives of those in ancient Pompeii on the fateful day Mount Vesuvius erupts.

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 prostitute 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 other’s paths during Pompeii’s fiery end. But who will escape, and who will be buried for eternity?

Text copyright 2023 by Stephanie Dray, Ben Kane, Eliza Knight, Sophie Perinot, Kate Quinn, Victoria Alvear, and Michelle Moran

A collection of novelettes

I enjoyed this book. I love Kate Quinn which is why I listened. About half way through I sort of felt like this was just a collection of short stories. Some better than others. They all ended with death. It is Vesuvius that is the common denominator.

Imagining what the residents experienced during the destruction.

I liked every chapter. The moments of selflessness are memorable. I appreciated the authors sharing their inspirations for scenes in the stories.

Enjoyed knowing the of the citizens

I liked the variety of characters that included some background on each. The small details about food and dress added depth. Excellent job bringing the characters into one another’s lives.

Part 5!

Part 5 was definitely my favorite story. I tugged on my heart strings and it seemed the most realistic.
Some of the other stories were a little boring but in the end I like how everything was connected.

Great Approach to tell this Story

Using the perspective of so many different people made this a very powerful telling of the disaster that happened T Pompeii. Well written and delivered.