The Name of the Rose

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Summary: The Fall of Tyranny, The Rise of Another One
Review: This is one of the best novel I have ever read. There are many praises for Eco, and I do not want to repeat them.But one issue I have got from this book: If Christianity acted for a long time as the Tyranny of Knowledge, can we label William of Baskerville a prophet of the new religion, i.e. the Modern Sceince? The fall of the library of the abbey may symbolizes the decadence of the old tyranny of Truth, it is also a premonition of the rise of the new era, the era of Science in the centuries to come, which established itself as the sole criterion of truth. Whereas in the Middle Age, we have the heresy to hold out against the church, what do we have as the balance of power with the so-called Scientific Method in our time? I can only think of Feyerabend

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Summary: You can't loose it!
Review: The best novel by Umberto Eco. The real best 1980s' Italian novel.

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Summary: A new paradigm in historical fiction.
Review: The Name of The Rose is a weighty and harmonious book. Umberto Eco has created a fluid narrative where there is a perfect balance between disparate elements. The story is seamlessly intertwined with historic exposition. The characters work both as devices of satire and as unforgetable people. They inhabit a world that is both magical and believable. The story has both the detail of a small mystery and the sweep of an epic drama. The hero is brilliant, but imperfect. The narrator is both objective and passionate. The book is about the search for the truth, but it is also a meditation on humanity's eternal state of mystery

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Summary: A rich tapestry of a novel
Review: Certainly one of the most captivating books I've read since The Magus by John Fowles. The reader becomes drawn into a figurative medieval labyrinthe where nothing is as it seems. Eco has mastered the art of creating remarkable worlds that linger in the imagination, long after the book has been closed

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Summary: The eternal search for truth
Review: This thrilling medieval tale is only apparently based on seven misterious deaths in an italian abbey. Though the story is intriguing and puzzling itself, Eco uses it admirably to direct the attention of the reader to a certainly more important topic, the eternal search for truth. Keeping hidden the essential tools for human knowledge is a horrible crime as it is a murder. This has been a hallmark of all dictatorships, that have made use of it to subject people to ignorance. A superb, precious book abundant in philosophical and historical fascination.

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Summary: A NOVEL TO BE SAVORED, SLOWLY.
Review: Do not be hasty. Intricately detailed, imbued with historical beauty, and ancient symbolism, this is a novel to be savored, slowly. Brother William, a learned syllogist, is called upon to solve a murder at a 14th century, mist-enshrouded abbey. This murder is only the first of several bizarre deaths. All clues seem to be connected to the labrynthine and ancient library, where written secrets have been secured for years. This long tale brings to light the truth that protecting what is good can lead to a kind of obsession that in itself can become evil. Eco can't help showing off his vast wisdom, but this never distracts from the fine story, but rather indicates Eco's deep affection for the art of learning and the book itself.

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Summary: I Knew High School Latin Would Come in Handy Someday.
Review: Humor is the central theme of this medieval mystery. William of Baskerville is the Holmesian sleuth who stumbles into a web of secrets that explode into murder. Every time I read this book I find new jokes. But behind and around the humor is a story rich in historical detail. The central mystery of the story is complemented by philosophical, religious, and historical puzzles. One of the more challenging puzzles is the use of language. While you don't need to be a polyglot to enjoy The Name of the Rose, it certainly helps. There are a number of untranslated lines in Latin, German, French, Italian -- and -- there's one character who speaks a twisted amalgam of all languages. Some readers have found this distracting. I took it on as a challenge and enjoyed the linquistic tangles.

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Summary: a sublime tale of murder in a 14th century monastery
Review: excellently written and translated, this book will entertain and mystify you throughout its several hundred pages. it has earned a permanent place on my bookshelf (no small feat--only two others have

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Summary: Nearly as complicated as Aristotle himself!
Review: This book is not an easy read that can be read in one weekend or a whole week for that matter. This novel compares to Conrads "Heart Of Darkness" a novel of equal density however while "Darkess" is only about 100 pages long "Rose" is five times that! IT is important to take the time to understand the story and characters because there is so many of them. If you lose track of one character for an instant it tends to throw the reader completely off track. I sometimes felt that the author while very well accomplished and learned in the subject of which he was writing was to overly detailed in the descriptions of the enless problems that needed deciphering. Unlike many authors which tend to "fill" in their novels with tedious text Eco seemed to know exactly why every piece of text needed to be there.The problem with this is that the reader is left out of the plot in many situations that only Eco seemed to know. I give great applause to Eco for his knowledge about his astoundlingly well written novel. Im sure he spent ages gathering information on this subject and he places most of his knowledge seemlessly from his mind into his novel. This novel deserves to be read if even at times it seems overly tedious believe me it pays off!

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Summary: Sherlock Holmes, revisited
Review: Have you ever read Sherlock Holmes's histories, and certain E.A.Poe's stories (such as "Murders in the Rue Morgue)? Well, these two are clearly alike, dealing with strange mysteries that the main character is meant to solve, even when the mind of the average man is unable to do so.

The Name of the Rose, although of a different style, has a lot in common with those narrations. Written in 1980, the main line of the story -which takes place in the 14th century- deals with William of Baskerville's endeavour to solve a series of crimes that have taken place in a monastery, told through the voice of his apprentice, Adso of Melk.

This novel has many characters, which at times makes it hard to follow. Added to this, the events intertwine with a serious theological dispute between different religious groups regarding the life of Christ, based on historical events from the 13th-14th century. Although this digression is certainly interesting, it distracts from the main plot and can result highly confusing to those o us who do not know much -if anything at all- about the subject.

Furthermore, the constant use of latin in daily conversations can dishearten those of us who do not understand the language, and the constant reference to classic Greek, Latin and Arabian authors can make one believe that this novel was not written for the average person. It can certainly be off-putting.

Regardless of all of the above, the novel is really wel written and the develpoment of the investigation is fun, though at times hard to follow because of the aforementioned distractions. More than once, I was surprised by William of Baskerville and his deduction abilities, a la Edgar Allan Poe. The plot develops in a fast manner and, although it is not the ideal thing to do, whoever is not interested in the theological dispute and Latin phrases (which I tried my best to figure out -then again, my first language is Spanish, which is a lot closer to Latin than English is), and wishes only to read a detective story, can very well skip those passages and chapters and not get lost nor miss anything.

Assuming, though, that the main subject is the crime-solving and not the questions regarding faith and morality that spring from this.