What do you think?
Rate this book
Win a free print copy of this book!
2 days and 09:29:49
45 copies available
U.S. only
The Lost Voices of Pompeii: A gripping history of seven lives on the last day in Pompeii
Not yet published
Expected 23 Apr 26Win a free print copy of this book!
2 days and 09:29:49
45 copies available
U.S. only
Relive the dramatic last day in Pompeii in this immersive story, based on the city’s real residents
We all know how the people of Pompeii died.
But what about how they lived?
Drawing on the latest archaeological discoveries, Dr Jess Venner brings the ancient streets to life through the eyes of those who lived, worked, loved and ultimately met their fate in Pompeii.
Along the way, Venner reveals a community more complex, diverse and human than we ever imagined. We meet Julia Felix, a successful female entrepreneur defying Roman convention; Petronus, a slave grappling with his future after gaining his freedom; politician Gaius Cuspius Pansa, who cements his power and prestige by hosting the Plebian Games at the amphitheatre; and many others.
Pompeii is remembered for its destruction, but here we discover the vibrant lives that came before. Richly evocative and immersive, The Lost Voices of Pompeii vividly recreates the final twenty-four hours before the eruption, reminding us exactly what – and who – was lost in 79 AD.
We all know how the people of Pompeii died.
But what about how they lived?
Drawing on the latest archaeological discoveries, Dr Jess Venner brings the ancient streets to life through the eyes of those who lived, worked, loved and ultimately met their fate in Pompeii.
Along the way, Venner reveals a community more complex, diverse and human than we ever imagined. We meet Julia Felix, a successful female entrepreneur defying Roman convention; Petronus, a slave grappling with his future after gaining his freedom; politician Gaius Cuspius Pansa, who cements his power and prestige by hosting the Plebian Games at the amphitheatre; and many others.
Pompeii is remembered for its destruction, but here we discover the vibrant lives that came before. Richly evocative and immersive, The Lost Voices of Pompeii vividly recreates the final twenty-four hours before the eruption, reminding us exactly what – and who – was lost in 79 AD.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication April 21, 2026
5261 people want to read
About the author
Dr Jess Venner
16 followersDr Jess Venner is an award-winning ancient historian and archaeologist. She is currently a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the University of Oxford (2025-28) and was a previous holder of the presitigous Rome Award at the British School at Rome (2025-26). She is also an elected Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and a Trustee of the Herculaneum Society, amongst other academic posts.
Dr Venner is passionate about making ancient history accessible to her 240k+ followers on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, and Substack, creating and sharing expert content via her platform @lifeinthepastlane_.
Dr Venner has appeared in publications such as The Times, The Mirror, The Daily Star and BBC History Magazine and has featured as a guest on various podcasts, including HistoryExtra and After Dark by HistoryHit. An up-and-coming presenter, Dr Venner was recently nominated for Content Creator of the Year at the ITV bCreator Awards, Future Presenter at the New Voice Awards and selected as one of the National Gallery’s 200 Creators for their bicentenary. The Lost Voices of Pompeii is her debut book.
Dr Venner is passionate about making ancient history accessible to her 240k+ followers on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, and Substack, creating and sharing expert content via her platform @lifeinthepastlane_.
Dr Venner has appeared in publications such as The Times, The Mirror, The Daily Star and BBC History Magazine and has featured as a guest on various podcasts, including HistoryExtra and After Dark by HistoryHit. An up-and-coming presenter, Dr Venner was recently nominated for Content Creator of the Year at the ITV bCreator Awards, Future Presenter at the New Voice Awards and selected as one of the National Gallery’s 200 Creators for their bicentenary. The Lost Voices of Pompeii is her debut book.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Read
February 15, 2026dnf :(
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to NetGalley and Mudlark for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
This was another victim of my "I have no work, therefore I have no money and have to cancel some pre-orders" spree, and so I was so excited to be sent an a-arc.
I have climbed Mount Vesuvius (back when I could walk and wasn't in a wheelchair) and have been to Pompeii - although I became very unwell halfway through and spent the second half of the tour sightseeing in the Pompeii bathrooms. But it was interesting just the same. I wish I'd gone to Herculaneum too, which was also a victim of the eruption, but you could only do the trip to Vesuvius with Pompeii and I really wanted to do Vesuvius. I think I need to go back to Pompeii on a day where I'm not poorly.
The introduction itself was enough for me to know this would be a special book. The passion Jess has for learning, education, history, and wanting to share the stories of 'forgotten' people is so moving. I love learning and she really hit the nail on the head when it comes to the importance of learning. It was such an inspiring opening.
I was always a bit of a history buff (and to this day I regret not continuing with it in my studies) and I am very interesting in the ancient world and so this was endlessly fascinating to me. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for future books to satisfy my nerdy cravings.
It's fascinating because she's written a non-fiction and a fiction in one. The opening sets up at the factual, historical side. And then each chapter is about a person or persons living in Pompeii at that time. She has used evidence to back her stories up, but there are imagined elements that help put all those pieces together, and I found that such an interesting and remarkable method to tell these stories.
Each story is its own story, but they're also linked which I liked, because this is what a community would have done. It helps add the humanity to it. Some stories I liked more than others, which isn't surprising when it comes to short stories, but overall they all bring something special to the book.
While this is a book about Pompeii, I appreciate her words about Herculaneum. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe actually about 80-90% of Pompeii citizens were able to evacuate before the crux of the eruption, but only about 10% of Herculaneums did. So why don't they get the historical attention?
What I wasn't expecting from a book advertised as a non-fiction was it to be so moving. I mean, I know what happened to the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum, it's nothing new. But it's true, we only know them as numbers of dead people. We forget they were real people with friends, families, jobs, children, pets etc. and so the bits she writes about the moment of impact is so moving that I found myself with watery eyes at times. I wanted to step in and save these fictional people almost 2,000 years old.
As a self-confessed member of the nerd species, I loved it, and I highly recommend it to nerds and non-nerds alike. I am generally not someone who buys a physical copy of a book if I'd read it on the Kindle, but this may be an exception.
This was another victim of my "I have no work, therefore I have no money and have to cancel some pre-orders" spree, and so I was so excited to be sent an a-arc.
I have climbed Mount Vesuvius (back when I could walk and wasn't in a wheelchair) and have been to Pompeii - although I became very unwell halfway through and spent the second half of the tour sightseeing in the Pompeii bathrooms. But it was interesting just the same. I wish I'd gone to Herculaneum too, which was also a victim of the eruption, but you could only do the trip to Vesuvius with Pompeii and I really wanted to do Vesuvius. I think I need to go back to Pompeii on a day where I'm not poorly.
The introduction itself was enough for me to know this would be a special book. The passion Jess has for learning, education, history, and wanting to share the stories of 'forgotten' people is so moving. I love learning and she really hit the nail on the head when it comes to the importance of learning. It was such an inspiring opening.
I was always a bit of a history buff (and to this day I regret not continuing with it in my studies) and I am very interesting in the ancient world and so this was endlessly fascinating to me. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for future books to satisfy my nerdy cravings.
It's fascinating because she's written a non-fiction and a fiction in one. The opening sets up at the factual, historical side. And then each chapter is about a person or persons living in Pompeii at that time. She has used evidence to back her stories up, but there are imagined elements that help put all those pieces together, and I found that such an interesting and remarkable method to tell these stories.
Each story is its own story, but they're also linked which I liked, because this is what a community would have done. It helps add the humanity to it. Some stories I liked more than others, which isn't surprising when it comes to short stories, but overall they all bring something special to the book.
While this is a book about Pompeii, I appreciate her words about Herculaneum. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe actually about 80-90% of Pompeii citizens were able to evacuate before the crux of the eruption, but only about 10% of Herculaneums did. So why don't they get the historical attention?
What I wasn't expecting from a book advertised as a non-fiction was it to be so moving. I mean, I know what happened to the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum, it's nothing new. But it's true, we only know them as numbers of dead people. We forget they were real people with friends, families, jobs, children, pets etc. and so the bits she writes about the moment of impact is so moving that I found myself with watery eyes at times. I wanted to step in and save these fictional people almost 2,000 years old.
As a self-confessed member of the nerd species, I loved it, and I highly recommend it to nerds and non-nerds alike. I am generally not someone who buys a physical copy of a book if I'd read it on the Kindle, but this may be an exception.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
The Lost Voices of Pompeii: Life and Death on Pompeii’s Final Day by Dr. Jess Venner is a compelling and deeply humanizing addition to the vast literature on the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius. As Dr. Venner's debut book (released in April 2026 by HarperCollins), it stands out not as a dry academic treatise but as an immersive, narrative-driven exploration that breathes life into the people often reduced to plaster casts and tragic footnotes.Venner, an Oxford-based ancient historian and archaeologist specializing in Pompeii (with expertise in urban agriculture, post-earthquake resilience, and everyday Roman life), structures the book around the final 24 hours of the city through the eyes of seven diverse, real historical figures. Readers follow characters like Petrinus (a slave aspiring to freedom), Julia Felix (a prominent businesswoman), and others from various social strata—slaves, freedpeople, merchants, and more—as they go about what begins as an ordinary day in a bustling, vibrant Roman town. The narrative weaves their personal hopes, routines, relationships, and small dramas against the mounting signs of impending catastrophe, drawing on the latest archaeological evidence, inscriptions, artifacts, and scientific reconstructions.What makes this book particularly effective is Venner's skill in balancing rigorous scholarship with accessible, evocative storytelling. She avoids sensationalizing the disaster itself—instead, the focus remains on what was lost: not just buildings and bodies, but entire lives, dreams, and communities. The prose is vivid and richly descriptive, transporting readers to the noisy streets, fragrant gardens, busy taverns, and domestic spaces of Pompeii. By humanizing these individuals, Venner reminds us that the tragedy was profoundly personal, a poignant counterpoint to the more common focus on destruction and preservation.The book excels in its use of recent discoveries and interdisciplinary insights (from archaeobotany to spatial analysis) to paint a dynamic picture of a resilient, adaptive city still recovering from the AD 62 earthquake. Venner's background shines through in details that feel fresh and authoritative—opportunistic gardens springing up in repurposed spaces, commercial adaptations, and the everyday textures of non-elite life—without overwhelming the reader with jargon.For anyone fascinated by Pompeii, Roman history, or simply the power of narrative nonfiction, this is a standout read. It joins works like Mary Beard's Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town or Robert Harris's Pompeii but carves its own niche by prioritizing voices over volcanoes. It's both educational and emotionally resonant, leaving readers with a renewed appreciation for the humanity buried beneath the ash.Highly recommended—especially for those seeking a more intimate, character-centered perspective on one of history's most famous disasters. A strong 4.5 out of 5 stars for its originality, empathy, and scholarly depth wrapped in engaging prose. Pre-order or grab a copy; it's a worthy addition to any history enthusiast's shelf.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Lost Voices of Pompeii:
Life and Death on Pompeii’s Final Day by Dr. Jess Venner is a brilliant piece of historical storytelling. This work is written by an actual historian/archeologist who has a social media account that attempts to bring history to life. I was not familiar with her social media account but I do not find it surprising after reading this book. I started reading this book on vacation and could not stop. I’ve always loved history but I’ve never read history while on vacation until now. This book is absolutely mesmerizing and reads like a novel. I hope it is just the first of more to come. History deserves to be remembered with this level of interest and insight. I could not recommend it more. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.
Life and Death on Pompeii’s Final Day by Dr. Jess Venner is a brilliant piece of historical storytelling. This work is written by an actual historian/archeologist who has a social media account that attempts to bring history to life. I was not familiar with her social media account but I do not find it surprising after reading this book. I started reading this book on vacation and could not stop. I’ve always loved history but I’ve never read history while on vacation until now. This book is absolutely mesmerizing and reads like a novel. I hope it is just the first of more to come. History deserves to be remembered with this level of interest and insight. I could not recommend it more. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I had to go backwards, and look this book up again online to make sure this was marketed as non-fiction. Why? I don't know. Maybe the publisher doesn't know the difference between historical fiction and non-fiction. If thus had been marketed as historical fiction, I would have rated this a five-star. I think it would be interesting if someone who knows the history of Pompeii could shift through and tell me if the historical facts line up correctly, but because this is historical fiction, and not non-fiction, I can't even go off of any facts listed in the book. Don't feel like fact-checking the book, though. As a non-fiction book, it's actually a zero, because I can't trust the information. As a historical fiction book, it's a five, so I settled on a three.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews