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467th out of 1,210 books
—
6,529 voters
The Night Villa
by
Carol Goodman (Goodreads Author)
An evocative tale of intrigue, romance, and treachery, Carol Goodman’s spellbinding new novel, The Night Villa, follows the fascinating lives of two remarkable women centuries apart.
The eruption of Italy’s Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79 buried a city and its people, their treasures and secrets. Centuries later, echoes of this disaster resonate with profound consequences in the...more
The eruption of Italy’s Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79 buried a city and its people, their treasures and secrets. Centuries later, echoes of this disaster resonate with profound consequences in the...more
Paperback, 413 pages
Published
August 5th 2008
by Ballantine
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The first quarter or so of this book was well written and intriguing, the next third was atmospheric and dark, and then it turned into the mystery it promised to be and I didn't like it as much. (I forget sometimes - the reason I don't read mysteries, especially the formulaic ones, is because I don't like them.)
The history part was fantastic - lost writings! sacred rites! creepy cults! It was the modern day mystery bit that didn't interest me much. A fun read, and I'm glad it made my friend thin...more
The history part was fantastic - lost writings! sacred rites! creepy cults! It was the modern day mystery bit that didn't interest me much. A fun read, and I'm glad it made my friend thin...more
The fact that the book was about archeological digs, the ancient world, religious cults and long lost scrolls could have done it, but honestly, I'm not sure what it was that wrapped me up in this book so much. The book doesn't delve very deeply in emotions, but it certainly could have with all the tumultuous events that take place in it. The ending was a bit cliche, and the pace of the story flew by, but the girl did her homework, for sure. In the end, I can't decide whether to call this book a...more
I liked the premise- a team of classic scholars uncovering the meaning of the mystery rites, but overall it was too predictable in the way a b-grade horror movie has its five principle characters who all get killed off one by one. There weren't any surprises and not much depth.
It was dark and intriguing and I think she did a good job of detailing Southern Italy, though I've never been there, and bringing it alive in my imagination.
The characters were bland. Especially Sophie. There was too muc...more
It was dark and intriguing and I think she did a good job of detailing Southern Italy, though I've never been there, and bringing it alive in my imagination.
The characters were bland. Especially Sophie. There was too muc...more
I almost didn't read this because I had read The Sonnet Lover
some time ago and been underwhelmed, and thought that the author was "recycling" that plot and characters. I am so glad that I continued as this was a *very* enjoyable book. The writing was good, the characters felt real and I didn't solve the mystery too far ahead of them (hate the books when you spend the entire time saying "No no no that's clearly the bad guy you've just chosen to trust!") Most of all I loved her descriptions of...more
some time ago and been underwhelmed, and thought that the author was "recycling" that plot and characters. I am so glad that I continued as this was a *very* enjoyable book. The writing was good, the characters felt real and I didn't solve the mystery too far ahead of them (hate the books when you spend the entire time saying "No no no that's clearly the bad guy you've just chosen to trust!") Most of all I loved her descriptions of...more
The eruption of Italy’s Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79 buried a city and its people, their treasures and secrets. Centuries later, echoes of this disaster resonate with profound consequences in the life of classics professor Sophie Chase.
In the aftermath of a tragic shooting on the University of Texas campus, Sophie seeks sanctuary on the isle of Capri, immersing herself in her latest scholarly project alongside her colleagues, her star pupil, and their benefactor, the compelling yet enigmatic busin...more
In the aftermath of a tragic shooting on the University of Texas campus, Sophie seeks sanctuary on the isle of Capri, immersing herself in her latest scholarly project alongside her colleagues, her star pupil, and their benefactor, the compelling yet enigmatic busin...more
This historical novel is based on a young woman scholar who travels to Herculaneum to work in a team led by a former lover and competitive colleague. This is a thriller and page turner but Goodman described the sources she had used in order to write this book. This led me to J.J. Deiss's excellent book on Herculaneum and what the excavations have taught us. The novel had the main characters looking for evidence of a law suit that was actually (historically) brought against the widow of her forme...more
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I finished this book in a day and a half. It's obvious to say, after my last sentence, that I had some trouble putting it down once I started it. I've had this on my shelf for many months now even though I've read four of Goodman's other novels and enjoyed them. I'm glad I finally got around to picking it up.
I gave it a 3 star rating not because I didn't find it to be a very enjoyable book, but I did find this novel to be a little more predictable than the others I've read. I also felt I had to...more
I gave it a 3 star rating not because I didn't find it to be a very enjoyable book, but I did find this novel to be a little more predictable than the others I've read. I also felt I had to...more
Sophie Chase, a UT classics professor, joins her colleague’s research project in Italy, using digital technology to read the charred scrolls found in Herculaneum. She hopes to find evidence relating to a certain freedwoman, the subject of her dissertation, but others on the project think that they may find the only writings attributed to Pythagoras in the Villa of Night. Sophie is haunted by her ex-boyfriend’s withdrawal into a Pythagorean cult, so when she starts receiving mysterious messages,...more
Dr. Sophie Chase is a classics professor at the University of Texas in Austin who attends an interview as support for a student named Agnes to participate in an archaeological research project on the Isle of Capri in Italy. The interview ends with a tragic shooting in which two people are killed and Sophie is critically injured. After the shooting, Sophie agrees to participate in The Papyrus Project that is funded by a billionaire who has built a villa to mirror the ancient “Night Villa” that wa...more
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I enjoyed this book, for the most part, right up until the ending, which seemed to me as if the author had either given up, or was rushing to meet a deadline.
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Case in point: Sophie, the scholar, steals a scroll from a dig and suffers no consequences. The theft and reading of the scroll serves its purpose of moving the story forward and then are never mentioned again. Really? I...more
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Case in point: Sophie, the scholar, steals a scroll from a dig and suffers no consequences. The theft and reading of the scroll serves its purpose of moving the story forward and then are never mentioned again. Really? I...more
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This novel has restored my faith in Carol Goodman. I was introduced to her work through the Drowning Tree, which I loved, but then I became more and more disappointed with each of her novels I tracked down after that. This book, though, is terrific, and it really lets her strengths shine.
The basic story is that a classics professor at UT (who makes all sorts of observations that will tickle those who have attended UT or just lived in Austin) witnesses an incident of violence on campus, then she...more
The basic story is that a classics professor at UT (who makes all sorts of observations that will tickle those who have attended UT or just lived in Austin) witnesses an incident of violence on campus, then she...more
Having had "The Lake of Dead Languages"recommended to me, but unable to locate a copy before leaving for vacation, I started on "The Night Villa". Ms. Goodman,whose extensive classics background gives depth and meaning to her story, interweaves an ancient story with a modern-day tale. With the use of multi-spectral imaging on papyri,we enter the story of Iusta, a slave at the time of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, whose freedom was assured by her mother, but who became re-enslaved after her mothe...more
Okay book but does not seem to move well and I cannot understand why the narrator is still drawn to her weird and messed up ex. I think he's a disconcerting character and wouldn't go near him. ooouuu yuck! And I find the greek erotic mythology questionable... I know absolutely nothing about this subject so I find myself questioning... are these 'rites' a real subject of study or just a warped figment of the writer's imagination?? In either case, they and the story line are unsettling and weird....more
This is a book I started reading about a year ago. At the time, it seemed way too philosophical for me. I found it difficult to attach to the story. I picked it back up a week ago and breezed right through it. It was very difficult for me to decide whether I would give the book 3 or 4 stars. I decided on three, since it took a while for the reader to get to the meat of the story. This isn't to say it didn't start quickly. In the beginning a cult member murders two people in a campus shooting. Th...more
I loved Ms. Goodman's previous novel The Ghost Orchid so much that I bought a copy after I read our library's copy. I am now starting to read her other books. I love her sense of detail and the fact that this particular story is set amongst Greek and Roman myth, circa 79 A.D. in Italy's Herculaneum, destroyed by Mount Vesuvius. A modern-day team of scholars travel to the site and investigate the discovery of ancient scrolls and the mystery that seems to present itself.
The description of the area...more
The description of the area...more
This book had potential and since I finished it, I'd give it a 2 & 1/2 *s. The archaeological story is intriguing but the "translations" were written in modern day English that made me cringe and made them unbelievable. The mystery and characters were very predictable from the start. And the book was very slow moving- too much back story.
After finishing "The Drowning Tree" I was really looking forward to reading another Carol Goodman novel. I enjoyed The Night Villa" just as much as I enjoyed "The Drowning Tree". Both books were rich wiith references to art, mythology and literature. There were other similarities; both were set in academia and borh had a female lead who had lost a great love in an unexpected way. At first it felt like it might have been too much of the same thing to read one after the other. But, about 100 pages...more
By this point, it's no surprise to me that a Carol Goodman novel is a winner. Rather than trotting out the same comments again, I'll just point you towards my review of The Drowning Tree and say that it sums up how I feel about most everything she writes.
Solid, passable but unremarkable addition to the cluttered 'academics chase ancient artefacts' school of mystey thrillers. Goodman does solid research and spins a decent if unlikely yarn amid the ruins of Herculanium, buried by Vesuvius in 79AD. She's guilty of presenting slightly one-dimensional characters and lectures a little too much on classical mythology, as if to hide the fact that the book isn't quite as clever as it thinks it is. What is it about authors who telegraph their twists these...more
I want to write like Carol Goodman.
I don't know how she does it: her writing evokes a response from the reader, making it very easy to visualize the scenery and action. So far, I've read Seduction of Water, Ghost Orchid, Night Villa and currently reading Arcadia Falls. The stories are fascinating and can hold your interest; they are hard to put down but we all have lives to live.
With Night Villa being set in Italy, Goodman describes the locale in such detail that I feel like I've visited the di...more
I don't know how she does it: her writing evokes a response from the reader, making it very easy to visualize the scenery and action. So far, I've read Seduction of Water, Ghost Orchid, Night Villa and currently reading Arcadia Falls. The stories are fascinating and can hold your interest; they are hard to put down but we all have lives to live.
With Night Villa being set in Italy, Goodman describes the locale in such detail that I feel like I've visited the di...more
After reading – and thoroughly enjoying
The Ghost Orchid
– I decided to read another of this author’s books, and The Night Villa did not disappoint in any way.
As was the case in the former book it is actually two stories in one, one of which is taking place in the city of Herculaneum that was destroyed along with the much more famous Roman city of Pompeii in the year 79.
As usual, the author includes numerous thought-provoking – at times deeply disturbing – topics, making this a read likely to...more
As was the case in the former book it is actually two stories in one, one of which is taking place in the city of Herculaneum that was destroyed along with the much more famous Roman city of Pompeii in the year 79.
As usual, the author includes numerous thought-provoking – at times deeply disturbing – topics, making this a read likely to...more
I should not be surprised that I really enjoyed this book. While my mom told me I needed to read it, it was I who introduced her to Carol Goodman. Her book, The Lake of Dead Languages, caught my attention and I've been a fan ever since.
As is common in Goodman's novels, there is a strong element of academia, though this time, it is rooted at UT Austin. While I'm not the most educated in the classics and not a huge historical fiction fan, the ancient mystery in the book I found as compelling as th...more
As is common in Goodman's novels, there is a strong element of academia, though this time, it is rooted at UT Austin. While I'm not the most educated in the classics and not a huge historical fiction fan, the ancient mystery in the book I found as compelling as th...more
As with her other novels, Carol Goodman presents two stories enfolding. We have the diary of Phineas, in 79AD which tells of secret rites and priceless books; and the present day story set to discover these long buried secrets. The main character, Sophie Chase, is like so many of Goodman's characters in her unsettled past with her mother and ex boyfriends. The sense of urgency to discover the secrets of the past propel the story. Of course, the beginning of the story, with the senseless killing...more
I kept thinking this book would get better. But from the beginning I couldn't connect with any of the major characters. Most of them are so shifty, are they good, are they bad? They change from page to page, chapter to chapter. So at the end I didn't care for any of the good ones or the bad ones. Including Dr Chase, who for such a bright scholar, seems like a dimwit when it comes to knowing those around her. I would suggest she never makes any friends again. The thing that I really liked about t...more
As expected I enjoyed this because Carol Goodman is a predictably good story teller. Her characters seem a bit more stilted than usual - I find that dialog is never her strong point. There is no natural sharing of information - likely due to the technical aspects of most of the conversations - all were loaded with references to Roman history from 79AD - an awkward attempt to educate the reader. And I wanted to scream every time she found one more way to describe characters blue eyes. I began to...more
I finished this book probably a month ago and have been debating all this time what to write. There were parts of it I liked very much, and then again, parts that bordered on disappointment, not because the book was bad, but because it didn't carry me along enthralled the entire way. But to say disappointment is too deep a word, because even when I was not swept away, it still was a good read. Intregue, atmosphere, history, classics, CApri, Pompeii and Herculaneum -- Add a touch of mystery, roma...more
I recently moved to Italy, so I find myself willing to read anything with an Italian background involved in the plot, but this book wasn't what I expected. I'm really not into cults or ancient gods, so while I found the story entertaining, I probably didn't get as much out of it as someone who has more knowledge of mythology. Capri was on our bucket list for a weekend getaway, but after reading the descriptions of the artwork, I'm not sure it would be appropriate for my preteen daughter. I'm gla...more
This was the perfect mystery to pass the tedious hours I spent trapped in bed feeling too bad to do anything I needed to but too good to do nothing. I was caught up in the characters from page one, a very good sign, and enjoyed the unfolding mystery. Enough sunny Italian locales to lift my spirits, enough history to make me feel "smart", and enough twists and turns to keep my guessing. A delight. I suppose I could go on about the themes of choice, nature vs. nurture, the true character of man, f...more
I've always had a fondness for books that take two distinct story lines from two different times, and eventually intersect in a way you don't expect. This book, my first Carol Goodman novel, was a very satisfying read with its rich descriptions of Italy, now and then, and the weaving of a modern archeology site drama with pre-volcanic Roman villas, "mysterious rites" and intrigue made for a great story. I loved learning more about the Roman time period (right before Vesuvius blows) while being c...more
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Carol Goodman is the author of The Lake of Dead Languages. Her work has appeared in such journals as The Greensboro Review, Literal Latt, The Midwest Quarterly, and Other Voices. After graduation from Vassar College, where she majored in Latin, she taught Latin for several years in Austin, Texas. She then received an M.F.A. in fiction from the New School University. Goodman currently teaches writi...more
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Sep 13, 2010 11:04am