Rating: 
Summary: Haiku Review
Review: Symbolism on
The edge of insanity.
The real Da Vinci Code.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh so complex but very fun and clever
Review: Don't even try to follow all the details in this one, just go with the flow. Eco cleverly combines the Knights Templar, Jewish Mysticism, South American native tribes, language, witchcraft, physics, Francis Bacon, the various calendars, European history, middle Eastern history, and more, in a caper that starts out as a game to entertain three friends in the publishing business in Italy and ends up being the mother of all conspiracies.This book is much more entertaining, in my opionion, than the Name of the Rose as it involves a much more clever interplay of various disciplines and is more than a mere murder mystery. As in the Name of the Rose, Eco introduces each chapter with writings in a variety of languages -- Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, etc. Unless you are particularly interested in ancient languages and obscure historical writings, it is safe to ignore these but for a general sense of flavor. It is also nearly impossible to actually follow all the details of the plot, which deals with a group of publishers who conceive of the idea to publish "writers" with far-out theories for a fee, only to find that some of the theories add-up to a great mystical conspiracy. Once I gave up trying to follow all the intricate details of the plot, I found the experience quite enjoyable. I'm looking forward to reading this book again to find all the things I missed the first time. Eco's depth and breadth of knowledge in so many areas is impressive. This man is definitely a genius. In short, this book is not for anyone who doesn't want to have to do a little work as it is neither a quick nor an easy read and the subject matter is fairly esoteric. But, oh, is it worth the effort.
Rating:
Summary: a lesson on philosophy, theology, cult theory, etc.
Review: how can a book pack in so many lessons on philosophy, theology, cult theory, etc. and still be a great suspense book? like other reviewers have said, this is the real Da Vinci Code, which is, at best, a paper wrapping for Foucault's Pendulum. Enjoy it and learn from it (though it is a challenging book).
Rating:
Summary: A wild ride through history
Review: The story starts simply enough; a veteran of the Foreign Legion appears in the office of three young Milanese editors with a crazy tale of having discovered a coded message almost a thousand years old, involving the Knights Templar and Stonehenge, which when decoded will unleash a mystic source of power that is greater even than nuclear energy. Oh yeah? say the editors; well, we'll go one better, we'll make a Plan of our own. And they proceed to do so, by feeding bits and pieces of fact and fancy into a computer named Abu (for Abulafia, the medieval Jewish cabalist): the secrets of the Great Pyramid, the Knights Templar's initiation rites; Rosicrucian lore, and a few hefty sprinkles of Brazilian candomblé. Hey, it's great fun and they're only playing a game, after all... until they discover that the game is playing them and they've unleashed a terrifying force they can neither harness nor understand. Umberto Eco is not a so-called "popular" writer and this book is not for anyone looking for an easy read. It has more twists and turns than a Chinese puzzle; it's dense, packed full of historical facts and references, and zips across time and geography until the reader has to slow down and reorient himself. Eco takes over 600 pages to get where he's going, but for those who stay with it, it's a wild, crazy joyride leading up to a slam-bang conclusion. It's fun, it's fascinating, and it's a learning process all in one. What else can you ask of a great book?
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: It's no wonder this novel is inpenetrable to so many people. The average American adult, after all, never surpasses a fourth-grade reading comprehension level.
It's true that Eco alludes to so much that a single reader would probably need a handful of doctorates to catch every reference in the book, but that doesn't mean it's impossible to get through. The characters are scholars of dense subjects. Naturally their discourse will be dense. The basic plot of the story should still be comprehensible to anyone who has graduated high school, presuming they paid attention in English and World History and didn't write their papers based on Cliff's Notes. What you don't know from your own reading should be apparent from its context. What I love about this novel is its breadth. It touches on so many various obsessions of my own that I can't help but feel like I know the author. A few: Old-fashioned BASIC programming, the publishing world, and cabalistic numerology. Anyone who can weave so many disparate topics into such a fluid work is truly a master. There are many little jokes that are so subtle they could be missed on the first reading, and they're all the funnier for it. This is one book I will reread over and over again. You should probably avoid this book if: 1) You argued with your English teacher that authors really don't intend any symbolism, and everyone's reading too much into the texts they're teaching
2) You think the word "artesclerotic" is so arcane and outdated that anyone using it is obviously a Martian who is only spouting gobbledy-gook
3) You religiously buy and voraciously devour anything Oprah puts on her book club list
4) You prefer books with LOTS and LOTS of PICTURES!!! To everyone else: Enjoy. This one's really a gem.
Rating:
Summary: guarenteed to blow your mind!
Review: this book is one of those that manages to drift along on a lazy sea of really complex ideas. it's like if you were eavesdropping on the world's philosophers, a few romantic poets, the beatles and the rolling stones as they all got incredibly stoned- it drifts through lost loves and childhood daydreams, high ideals, mythology, and social comentary. by the time you come out the other side your head is swimming, but in a good way. however, don't read the last few chapters the night before an essay test! trust me, just...don't.
Rating:
Summary: Connections, connections, connections
Review: Trying to encapsulate Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum into one idea is as difficult as trying to explain the history of the world in one sentence. The story is about three editors of a publishing house who attempt to formulate (or, perhaps, discover) a grand, cosmic, and secret Plan by connecting known pieces of history together. And if my understanding of the book is correct, then I would contend that the underlying theme is precisely what those editors are doing: connecting. Early on, Causaubon, who tells the story, tells us, "It was also the day I began to let myself be lulled by feelings of resemblance: the notion that everything might be mysteriously related to everything else" (139). At another point, Belbo, another one of the editors says, "I have letters that offer revelations on the connections between Joan of Arc and the Sibylline Books, between Lilith the Talmudic demon and the hermaphroditic Great Mother, between the genetic code and the Martian alphabet, between the secret intelligence of plants, cosmology, psychoanalysis, and Marx and Nietzsche in the perspective of an new angelology, between the Golden Number and the Grand Canyon, Kant and occultism, the Eleusian mysteries and jazz, Cagliostro and atomic energy, homosexuality and gnosis, the golem and the class struggle" (230). And finally, Causaubon explains, "But whatever the rhythm was, luck rewarded us, because, wanting connections, we found connections-always, everywhere, and between everything. The world exploded into a whirling network of kinships, where everything pointed to everything else, everything explained everything else..."(384). As the three editors compile their information (originally only for a book on the history of metals), they research as wide a range of subject matter as can be imagined. They spend hours (or for Eco, pages) explaining histories of the Templar Knights, Rosicrucians, Masons, Jesuits, and every other secret society and conspiracy theory imaginable. Because they are convinced that every fact is somehow connected with every other fact, they recruit help from a rather unlikely source to make connections: Belbo's computer, Abulafia. Explaining history by connecting facts begins as a game until they start taking their "discoveries" too seriously. The outcome of their efforts follows naturally from their efforts. Although many readers have been dissatisfied by the slow pace of the book, Eco does a masterful job in making his own connections and observations from actual history. Without a doubt, such a masterpiece would be impossible without an encyclopedic grasp not only of the facts of history but also of its consequences. Several lessons may be appropriately learned from this great work as well. I will mention only one here: simply, we are reminded to be wary of every new idea that purports to explain what we see around us. Dozens of conspiracy theories and cults claim to offer the one explanation for what has happened and is happening in the history of the world. And there is no shortage of dupes who accept and follow such explanations. In Foucault's Pendulum even a computer program spitting out responses to men who are playing a game lead people astray. Theories are propounded still, which are deduced from equally silly methods. No, Eco's book is not for everyone. It moves slowly. The plot itself does not include much action. But in the end, those who persevere will be greatly rewarded.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as the Name of the Rose
Review: My impression with "Da Vinci Code" made me write this review. After reading the "Da Vinci Code" I felt better about the "Foucault's Pendulum". This is a good book (and "Da Vinci Code" is not) I can not give "Foucault's Pendulum" top rating because it is
unnecessary broad, and its subject is trivial, but I need to
say that its strengths are significant. This is a quality literary work, with interesting characters and very informative.
Rating: 
Summary: No new ideas, terrible writing, and lots of wrong ¿facts¿
Review: No new ideas, terrible writing, and lots of wrong "facts". Can I get my money back?
Let me start by saying that I am not a Christian, nor do I believe in any religion. There is a reason why I rarely read best sellers and this book reinforced this. Most best sellers are not very good and this is no exception. This is a typically dumbed down for the masses book which tries to explain a complex theory while at the same time trying to thrill readers with the elaborate cat and mouse game. It fails on both accounts. There are many scholars who have spent their entire lives researching Holy Grail theories and it is not a subject that can be "McNewsed" easily which is what Dan Brown tried to do. Most people that I know are well acquainted with the theories presented in this book about the "true meaning" of the Holy Grail. Yes, there is evidence to support the theory but nothing that is absolutely conclusive. There is nothing new here, and there are much better books than this about the subject. There are many facts that are either misstated (the date of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which God the Olympics were meant to honor, the languages that certain texts were written in and many, many others). This book was no thriller, in fact it was very predictable. I figured out who the teacher was right before the character was introduced in another form. I also can't believe that a supposedly educated symbologist, a cryptologist, and a great historian who all know a lot about Da Vinci could not immediately see mirror handwriting in their own language and actually though it might be some ancient Semitic language (I laughed for a whole minute straight after reading that passage). I also figured out both passwords to the cryptexes just by reading the poems. Also, when was the last time Brown was in Paris or London? His description of the lay of the land are far from accurate. The characters are one dimensional and not interesting (I kept thinking Langdon was speaking from behind a podium throughout the book). What is the deal with the one and two page chapters? How is it that a 454 page book has 105 chapters, a prologue and an epilogue? This book fails on every account - it is poorly written and lacks character development, misstates many facts, and is hardly a riveting thriller. As with most best sellers, a waste of time.
Rating:
Summary: An encyclopaedia written with a magical quill
Review: I agree wholeheartedly with the reviewer below who identifies Eco as an acquired taste, the reader's patience is rewarded with an intoxicating amount of fascinating information - nay - enlightenment. The book follows Eco's trademark style of writing intelligently and entertainingly. It would not benefit the reader of this review if I attempted to summarise Eco's literary accomplishments in "Foucault's Pendulum", in fact it would be a disservice; instead, suffice to say that the subject matter the book is concerned with (Templars, numerology, Mein Kampf, Galileo, Stonehenge, connections between cross temporal events) is in itself absorbing and add to that, Eco's unique and simply wonderful storytelling technique, the reader is in for a genuinely enthralling experience - I will not be surprised if this book finds its way onto the reading lists of students of the social and political sciences. It is by no means reserved for the conspiratorially inclined amongst us, although ostensibly, that is why it was recommended to me in the first place. You have the benefit of reading a basic summary of the plot below in other reviews and it would be imprudent to judge the book's capacity by what you read here. In telling the story of three book editors' search for the truth, Eco packs in a tremendous amount of intricate detail on a number of subjects. The Sunday Times described the book as "...encompassing everything you ever wanted to know about practically anything...", this claim is not as absurd as it may sound. Eco's learned accounts that follows every diversion in the book (and there are numerous) are guaranteed to leave you feeling fulfilled once you have completed the book. I successfully finished the book on my second attempt. Failure the first time around is attributable to attempting to keep pace with and investigate every single new revelation the book made. By the time I had made a dent in the book, several weeks had passed and I had finished three other books and visited numerous websites and also a Templar church near the Strand area. This was all in the course of reading the first 200 pages. At the beginning, I was compelled to refresh my understanding of "Simple Harmonic Motion" and the relevant differential equations which govern the motion of a pendulum. Readers will be fascinated by different aspects of the book, depending on their individual interests and experiences and will be interested by all others. If it piques the reader's curiosity, they may wish to independently investigate aspects of this book further. This, however tempting, does slow one down but is worth it, the information picked up along the way will make for good story telling around a fire. The key is to keep the pages turning and it will not be long before this becomes an effortless process. If you are a lawyer, charge the time you spend reading this to "knowledge management" or "general development". I might read it again, I suspect it's a bit like the God Father parts I & II - certain to notice things that I missed the first time around.
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