Rating: 
Summary: Read it after reading Holy Blood, Holy Grail
Review: Yes, read this book after reading Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Baigent, et al. and it will make much more sense. I think what Eco did here was a parody on how the authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail went about writing their book. Eco also bombards the reader with many confusing and irrelevant information, just as Baigent did.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent fiction, suspense, cultural knowledge, conspiracy
Review: Just an ordianry whodunnit, just involving one of the gratest conspiracies ever thought up, with incredible semiotic knowledge and understanding of popular myths.
Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious set pieces but pretty tacky sometimes
Review: I think Eco wants it both ways -- he wants to be a trickster and make you the reader feel like a sucker for falling for the plot -- but he also seems to have a childish need to be a "real" storyteller. I think his trickster side undermines his story instincts. Some of the set pieces are wonderful, but some are so tacky that I wished I hadn't read them (like the big occult bash at the end -- yecch). I think some of the fascination with this book is how the reader is forced to supply subtext for Eco's tantalizing hints at meaning -- and maybe this is the point, that occult philosophy does the same thing, suggesting meaning but hollow at the core and always tricking the believer out of the true mysteries. Still, I just didn't quite get what Eco was up to here -- not satisfying enough to say that he wants you to question everything, the self-important philosophies, etc. -- he seems to be trying very hard to be a satirist and yet he conceals rather than reveals his true targets. I also didn't understand his hatred towards Paris and the suggestions of dark currents under the city -- left me with a very sour feeling. There's a strong pull to keep reading and arrive at some meaning of it all (I don't get why this is considered such a difficult read, I think it really sucks you in) -- but at the end I felt that true meaning and revelation were still buried deep in Eco's mind.
Rating:
Summary: An intriguing but intellectually dense work.
Review: First of all, I agree with every reviewer who felt intimidated by the numerous historical, scientific and occult references that saturate this ocassionally profound book. Don't dare to try reading it without a set of encyclopedias close to hand -- and it wouldn't hurt to be fluent in about a dozen languages, either.That being said, this is (at times) a thrilling read with a truly original plot. Unfortunately, the book's density and wildly uneven pacing threaten the reader's attention span constantly, preventing it from attaining page-turner status. Also, I have tried (at least twice) to re-read this novel, in an effort to recapture the initial interest it generated in me, only to be stopped less than halfway through each time. In short: great idea, not so great execution.
Rating:
Summary: Nice...
Review: It is certainly a masterpiece, but in it's own way. But isn't everything? During the first page I started realising just how much I don't know. It didn't make me furious of Eco's "showing off", as some people call it, no, it gave me a terrible urge to study- History and Sects, Magic and Kaballah ( I didn't read it in English, so some names may be wrong). Eco reveals a tiny corner of all secrets... then he swishes you with names, and then charms you with Belbo's personality and their everyday life. One of the most beautiful things are Belbo's files... Of, and Mr. Sh.! No, no explanations! But when the affair was coming to head, I nearly got hit by the car, as I was reading while crossing the street, with a heavy bag from a supermarket in the other hand. It was nearly a month till I finished it, and I'm still looking for another meaning in the ending. Yes, what will happen to Causobon is true, this is the way it all should be (not in the bloody sense)... But I consider the ending a bit slow running. Nevertheless, it's very good. And simple words mean sincerety. Here.
Rating:
Summary: A novel that sums up our intellectual era
Review: I enjoyed reading this book because it gave flesh to the dominant intellectual life of the second half of the 20th century. Joyce did this (for his era)with Ulysses a century ago, but Eco is more transparent than Joyce. Eco's need to explain himself at the end exposes his desire to be understood too clearly. This work is obviously an accomplishment, but in an effort to be the "final word", it attacks itself. It is, to Eco's credit, done well. It achieves its purpose.
Rating:
Summary: A slow tortuous book
Review: I am surprised that so few reviewers caught on that this book is a parody of occultist thought. The fact that Minnie Mouse plays a prominent role in THE PLAN, is a fairly obvious clue. The book is tortuous and slow which might be the reason people miss the parody. I sympathize with the readers that gave up mid stream. It is not for the weak of heart. Umberto Eco fills page after page with examples of the convoluted reasoning of occultists. I gave the book lower marks because parody wears thin when it is stretched too far. I could not heap enough praise on Eco's earlier novel, The Name of the Rose. I loved the concept of Foulcants Pendulum, but found the book longer and more confusing than the concept merited. I would not recommend it to the casual reader.
Rating:
Summary: It's not supposed to be easy
Review: It is amazing to me how many reviews of this book focus on the author's "pomposity." Yes, Eco demonstrates his erudition at every possible moment, but wouldn't an author be equally criticized for talking down to his readers? Of course I wanted to rip out my hair at times for not being able to completely comprehend the endless minutiae that this novel contains, but I see it as my duty -- if interested -- to do the research which would help me better understand certain passages. Furthermore, I think it is the central theme of this book to demonstrate the tediousness of becoming an initiate and the subsequent inability to ever answer all the questions. Don't be offended by Eco's scholarship; be challenged by it.
Rating: 
Summary: Just plain boring; author's cleverness kills the story . .
Review: The book is filled with irrelevant information. If the author's objective was to prove that he is a top notch intellectual - he had succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. However, the entertainment this book is not!
Rating:
Summary: Total Masterpiece
Review: For better or for worse, this book has changed my life. Not that I have become some paranoid conspiracy theorist, but I was inspired to discover the larger story hidden beneath our "known" history. Many of the reviewers comment on the difficulty of plodding through the density contained in this novel, going so far as to blame it on the writer's sanctimonious ego for its inclusion. I think these people are missing the boat, ignoring the fact that this density is what is require of the novel to make evident its meaning. I was fascinated and entranced by the extensive historical details, insofar as to say it was those aspects were what made this read so pleasurable. The message of the book, exemplified by Abulafia's skill at piecing together esoteric bits of information goes to show us how seemingly incoherent events of time shape our story of history. Eco shows us that the story can be changed, altered, and tailored; an alternate view of history revealed. Does this new history have any less validity than the accepted one? Eco makes the case that it doesn't, but also not to stress over it. This is the final revelation of the protagonist. Enjoy the density, enjoy the history. This is a fantastic opportunity to glimpse back in time.
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