I finally finished reading Pompeii by Robert Harris. I say finally, because it took me almost a month to finish it.
The first hundred pages were loaded with great details, but so many that I found myself skimming. The lack of connection with any of the main characters in the first third of the story was my principal problem and allowed me to set the novel aside and read something else to often. But then the next two hundred pages blew me away. (No pun intended.)
It wasn't the protagonist who saved the story, but the antagonist and how he impacted/influenced those around him. And whether it just took me awhile to get used to Harris' writing style or finally feeling for his characters, his excessive attention to details really served him well once Vesuvius blew its top.
I'm extremely glad I didn't put the novel down for good before I finished the first third of the book. But man, was I close.
