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Summary: The best book i ever read!!!
Review: That was a suprise. Before i read it i fink that this book will be a normal. After i was charmes whith it.
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Summary: Only Umberto Eco could write something like this!
Review: This fascinating book is something only a genius as Umberto Eco can write. In this book, he managed to describe monk's life in the monastery, a complete psycological review of all the characters and all the clerical environment which includes the struggle between the different parts, the struggle between the pope and the monarchy and the Inquisition. I read the book several times, each time with emphasys in one of these aspects. First time as a mistery novel, second time as a middle ages essay, third time as a essay about religion and its paradigms, fourth time as a phylosophical discussion about "laughing" (special attention to the final chapters) and many other times as a unique masterpiece. No one can pass without it.
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Summary: A true masterpiece
Review: Eco's work is truly an impressive piece of art. The Name of the Rose touches on universal themes such as the power (actual and presumed) of knowledge and arcana; the dichotomy of greed and power in the guise of religiosity versus true sincerity and piety; suppressed sexuality and its deviant outbursts; the thin fine line between the religious centre, sound doctrine and heresy; etc all packed into the setting of a medieval monastery murder mystery. William of Baskerville is an archetype of Man, well-balanced with faith and reason, quite the renaissance man in his time, yet struggling occasionally with the memory of his past as an Inquisitor. Adso of Melk, in his narration of the singlemost significant event of his life, retells it with a myriad of feelings: passion, regret, awe and disappointment. Truly human characters! How Eco has managed to tie up all seemingly loose ends of plot and theme with the various devices eg. the apocalyptic visions of Revelation, is truly representative of his gift. My first reading of the book was in 1990 as a freshman in university, and I have read it twice in the intervening years, each time a journey into history and Man's contradictory psyche.
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Summary: La mejor novela culta que he leido!
Review: Eco es un maravilloso narrador de historias, crea y recrea con exquisito detalle toda una epoca con el conocimiento de un erudito historiador; y dentro de ella una apasionante y compleja historia donde se juega la busqueda de la verdad sobre el oscurantismo de la edad media encarnado por monjes que creen poder decidir que deben saber los demas.
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Summary: A magnificent first. Eco can really tell a story.
Review: Eco's first attempt at a work of fiction is as rich and complex as one would expect from an experienced novelist. Not only does Eco tell a fascinating mystery, he also tells it with the accuracy and realism of a historical work. The subtle agenda of present-day philosophy creeps into the book as well. No where else have I seen a fusing together of Pre-Modern, Modern, and Post-Modern views and ideals.
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Summary: A Great Book Inspired by an Actual Abbey
Review: I absolutely loved reading this book for its thoughtfulness and for the way in which it brought medieval thought to life. I was even more enthralled by the book after the fact. Approximately 12 months after reading the book, I went to Austria for vacation and to my surprise found that the abbey actually exists. The abbey is called Stift Melk and is located on a mountain in Austria. There are tours of the abbey offered and the library, while not as impressive as the description in the book, is quite impressive. I found myself lost in a world, not exactly medieval, but certainly condusive to imagination
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Summary: The most engrossing book I ever have read
Review: Truly extraordinary. This book is a superb depiction of the philosophy, Church history, and monastic abuses of the 14th century. (Read carefully - or you may miss some of the richest humour of any century.) I've never seen better
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Summary: canonica
Review: This book is a thesis on semiotics. It is a detective story set in the middle ages. It is a roadmap to a manuscript the author wishes you to find. Read the dedication... it is your first clue.
Do not underestimate the meanings of Eco's symbols. This book has a very close binding to the "real" world. It is a map.
Rating: 
Summary: A good book about how philosophy guides men.
Review: Author: Lee Sandstead date: 5-14-97
_The Name of the Rose_, by Umberto Eco, is truly as unusual for a modern novel as an objective monk is to a medieval monastery. Published in 1980, its well-integrated theme is ethical-epistemological, and it dramatizes not only the power of reason to solve secular problems, but also how philosophy shapes man's character and actions.
Essentially, the good are those who are logical and hold that knowledge should be shared by all; the evil are those who are tremendously mystical and hold that knowledge should be known only to the select few. The good are those that want to live on this earth; the evil are those who have sacrificed earthly values for the nonsensical.
The year is 1327. The new intellectuals no longer seek knowledge from past
saints or scriptures--they look to nature. They no longer see knowledge as a tool to know The
Almighty One--they see it as a tool to better man's life on earth. They no longer desire the heavenly rule of Bishops and Popes--they want the secular rule of Princes and Kings. For the old order, the Antichrist is upon us--for the new, life is reborn. It is a time when a murderer of faith is more feared than a murderer of flesh. The old order is terrified, and they will use whatever means necessary to stave off the coming Cataclysm.
In an era of mysticism, a monk--using logic as his searchlight--strives to solve a series of mysterious deaths; which, according to a fanatical apocalyptist, trumpet God's destruction of earth. Arriving at an ancient abbey in Italy that dedicates itself to guarding and transmitting the knowledge from "the greatest library in all of Christendom," William of Baskerville sets out to mediate a debate on poverty between the Holy Roman Church and the Franciscans.
Before entering the Abbey, William observes several monks looking frantically for something. Without seeing it or ever having been to the abbey, William quickly realizes that the object of their search can only be the horse Burnellus, and he tells the searchers where the horse can be found.
"The cellarer hesitated. He looked at William, then at the path and finally asked, 'Brunellus? How did you know?'
"'Come, come,' William said, 'it is obvious you are hunting for Brunellus, the abbot's favorite horse, fifteen hands, the fastest in your stables, with a dark coat, a full tail, small round hoofs, but a very steady gait; small head, sharp ears, big eyes. He went to the right, as I said, but you should hurry, in any case.'"
Adso, William's young scribe and narrator of the story, asks astonishingly: "How did you manage to know?" William explains to his young scribe his method of *inducing* not only where the horse was, but his, height, color and name! This is the reader's introduction to William of Baskerville.
Upon arrival, William learns of a mysterious death from the Abbot. William's reputation as a keen detective precedes him, and the Abbot immediately grants William the power to question all monks and to venture where he pleases--except the library. (For a man of learning such as William, this denial into earth's greatest treasure is insufferable.)
William is unique. He was trained at Oxford, and the holds the empirical insights of Roger Bacon, the epistemology of Aristotle and the theology of Thomas Aquinas; he believes that man will discover flying machines; that man can solve nature's problems using logic; and that life is not to be cursed, but to be enjoyed and lived. He believes in the rule of the secular arm, elections by and for the people, the power of science to better man's life--and that knowledge should be made available to all, instead of the current practice to hide it. With hindsight, William of Baskerville is a prelude to the Renaissance.
Compared to modern stories of emotionally-driven "heros" that result in meaningless tragedies, the story of William of Baskerville is a benediction. William must use his *reason* to solve several mysterious deaths and find the grand motivation behind them. By doing so, he must battle the mystical context of the times, battle his own past and battle those who wish to stop him--all while avoiding being tortured and burned as a heretic.
The characters in _Rose_ are embodiments of abstractions; their philosophies are explicit--and the story dramatizes them. One's philosophy determines how they will evaluate and act toward an object. For instance, Hank Rearden from _Atlas Shrugged_ evaluates money as tool for exchange, a tool for progress, a tool for life and happiness--the root of all good. The Pope evaluates money as a tool for destruction, a tool for sin, a tool for suffering and death--the root of all evil. Both have different philosophies, and both seek to enact different ends. Rearden seeks the secrets of new metals in order to make money for the enjoyment of life. The Pope seeks methods to hoard money in order to keep his "sheep" pure.
In _Rose_, I leave the object and each character's evaluation of it for the reader to discover, but it must be said that the fundamental virtue of this book is its superb concretization of the fact that philosophy guides man's destiny. Each character identifies the object, but because of their different philosophies, they *evaluate* and *act* differently toward it.
I said in the introduction that the theme is "well integrated" into the story, but it is not *fully* integrated. There are many subplots not needed in the story, and they do not help dramatize the book's theme. True, they add to the understanding of the medieval world, but a novel is art and not journalism. For instance, the book pays homage to a great debate about the poverty of Christ with earthshaking ramifications. If Christ did not own his own clothes, then private property--including wealth--must be abolished. If he did own them, then the Pope and clergy are free to loot the populace and amass great fortunes. Although it helps the reader understand the tremendous folly of the times, it is not needed in the story, and it only serves to distract.
The secret of the murders, the philosophy behind them, and the object that people either die or kill for will astonish the reader. At once you will yell, "this is the power of reason!" But once again, you will murmur, "this is the ultimate consequence of mysticism and its intrinsic theory of value."
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Summary: A tale of human values
Review: I read this book whilst travelling through Europe last year and actually missed one of my stops on the train because I could not put the book down. Has an incredible plot which almost made me cry during the climax. Makes one think about the values on life we have today and where we will be tomorrow.
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