The Island of the Day Before

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Summary: A fantastic journey to... where?
Review: Eco's style and fluidity are again inspiring. Oh to be Roberto! Some of the time. At times I find myself a stowaway, at times I'm an adventurer. Sadly, I'm only looking towards the end of the chapter so that I may put the book down at a convenient place and go to sleep. It took me two months to tredge through this disappointment. If only Eco could keep up.

Rating:
Summary: A Disappointment Compared to Other Eco Novels
Review: I am a great fan of Umberto Eco, but I found "Island of the Day Before" to be a huge disappointment. Perhaps my expectations were just too high, after reading "Foucault's Pendulum" (a masterful work, in my opinion) and "Name of the Rose" (my wonderful introduction to Eco). Although "Island of the Day Before" has some interesting portions, it seems to lack cohesiveness in the novel form, and what little plot there is seems to drag on incessantly. Perhaps it would have been better told in an essay format (or as a series of short stories)? I thoroughly enjoyed the other Umberto Eco novels that I've read ("Foucault's Pendulum" and "Name of the Rose"), and I've liked reading some of his non-fictional works in semiotics/philosophy ... but, for me, "Island of the Day Before" was a great disappointment. I'm so glad that this wasn't my first exposure to Eco ... I would probably have never wanted to read his other wonderful novels.

Rating:
Summary: Tough read but Eco-intriguing as always
Review: Perhaps the first thing that strikes me about the work is how in the world did Weaver translate this. Authors like Eco revel in dishing out philosophy, scientific thought and literary theory in between which a story unfolds. As a result, Eco would make good movies but his books take work. In "Island of the Day Before" Eco's plot is typically interwoven with the hypothecating, erudite thought, magnificent scientific gadgets and exotic historical touches. He's a brilliant thinker but I don't think anyone should read it for its "action-adventure" even though such elements are there. Read it as a challenge. Writers, like Eco and Victor Hugo, tell great stories but you have to suffer through/revel in their opinions on much else.

Rating:
Summary: Eco fails - Not up to his other novels
Review: The tale is confused and bloated. The Island of the Day before comes across as self-indulgent and would have been better left in manuscript form.

I am ardent fan of The Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum, yet if this had been my introduction to Eco I would never had read those books.

This book is I am afraid to say uncaptivating and frankly boring.

Rating:
Summary: Boring (yawn)
Review: This is the first book by Eco I've read and it will be a long time before someone can convince me to pick up another. While there were a couple of great scenes in the book, it was not worth the time and effort to get to them.

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Summary: Kaleidoscope of Introspection
Review: An ornate confection of kaleidoscopic introspection. The baroque mind elucidated and embodied. Stories within stories within stories, and all framed in the interpretation of an imaginary author from an unknown manuscript. Thus a homeopathically succussed distillation of thought.

This book probably won't make it to Hollywood, since it lacks a beginning, a middle, and an end, at least in the action. But for an extended meditation on life and thought, this is great stuff. It boasts one of the most unique character exits I have run into: Father Caspar descending into the water in his handcrafted diving bell. I only saw one anachronism: wouldn't talk of galaxies have to wait until a later century?

Rating:
Summary: Would Not Recommend To A Friend.
Review: While I'm no stranger to sophisticated literature and off-beat novels, the highfalutin concepts and boring storyline diversions in this book were even too much for me. The intriguing plot summary tricked me into thinking it would be a good read. I liberally skimmed the last 200 pages or so -- something I rarely do -- just to be over and done with it. Furthermore, it's a rather disappointing ending for such a looooong buildup. One good thing about it though, it's better than Nytol if you have trouble sleeping.

Rating:
Summary: "Island" a mix of "Name of the Rose" and "Pendulum"
Review: With "The Island of the Day Before," Eco almost redeems himself for "Foucault's Pendulum." This time around, Eco seems more intent on playing narrative games than blundering through a morass of Templar intrigues. As Roberto wanders through the mysterious ship, he wanders through past episodes of his life. We follow him through chambers filled with exotic flora and fauna and from his childhood home, to a city under siege, to the courts of Paris where an encounter with the Cardinal Mazarin sets him on his fateful voyage.

While "Island is not nearly as enjoyable as "Name of the Rose," it far surpasses "Foucault's Pendulum," interesting for its attempt to re-create the medieval mindset (an endeavor of which Eco seems incredibly fond) and for Eco's ability to veer from Roberto's past to present while interspersing bits of the medieval weltanschauung.

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Summary: Answer to [e-mail] about Eco's novel, "The island..."
Review: I think that nobody can tell nothing about rythm, an example of that is Joyce's "Ulises", which is considered a master piece... I agree about the complexity of the work, but thats Eco, I think Jose was waiting something like "Foucault's pendulum" or "The name of the rose" in a hollywoodistic fashion, but that is a very superficial way of read, its like reject a book because it has no drawings on it. Thats the way I see Jose's comments, I think we have to think to read the book, not just lay back and "wait for the rush".

Rating:
Summary: Good read, following Roberto through mystical medieval adven
Review: The hero, Roberto, moves through medieval times in a world of chaos, strange actions, and shifting values. Roberto, a dutiful son who his father finds wanting, begins the story on their lowly farm in Italy, moves to a seige of competing fiefdoms in a nearby town, then to the salons of Paris, where he is soon over his head with nationalistic intrigues and compelled to go on a round the world ocean voyage as a semi-spy (!). Roberto is an unwilling participant (or barely willing!) in his adventures, which take on a mystical quality suggestive of the religious approach to science and knowledge of the times. Roberto is not by any stretch in charge of his life. A hero he is not! The book suffers from unfamiliar words (presumably from the setting of the book), but the meaning is usually clear. The author moves the action along at a good pace, (even though the action is often circular and meaningless, very similar to true life). A good book for a light read. Keep the dictionary handy, but don't worry about using it unless you're a real student of Eco.