Rating: 
Summary: I've worn my copy out, so I'm buying another one
Review: This is one of those books that just grabs you by the intellectual collar and never lets go. His writing is unabashedly florid (in a way that sounds so stilted in English but natural in Italian, perhaps). But his act of turning European intellectual history on its head is so deliciously perverse and masterfully done that it's worth wading through any amount of purple prose. I know this entire book is one big thought-experiment, but at times I wondered what is truth and what is literary invention. I've read this book cover to cover so many times that I've worn out my copy, so I'm buying another one. I don't know if I'll dig up any more bits of knowledge after further readings, but merely submerging myself in the book is joy enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Fatigued by the weight of its own learning
Review: This book is excellent, but patchy. Paper cut-out characters run around Europe & South America at a snail's pace, but it is worth sticking through just to read Eco's brilliant interpretation of the Rosicrucian Manifestos and how they fit into the fictional plan of Belbo, Cassoubon et al. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed this book (particularly after some extensive research into occult philosophy, history and semiotics) however the pace was choppy and the narrative -generally - poorly orchestrated. This isn't Eco best fictional manifesto, but it is most interesting.Some areas odf the book are compelling, while others are flat and fatigued. The weight of scholarship this book contains is truly astounding.
Rating:
Summary: intelligent but sloppy
Review: I thought there were some amusing and some challenging parts but the construction seemed sloppy as if Eco himself became a little reckless and bored with it midway. A subject that dense and layered needs to be approached with more precision but I admire the scope and the ambition.I read it on a very turbulent flight over the Atlantic ocean and had the strange thought that if this plane were to crash, this is definitely not a book I'd like to be my last.
Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable
Review: Let me start by saying that the first 7 or so pages are difficult to get through. After that it is pure magic! I, too, was challenged to read this book by a co-worker who said he'd found very few people who had finished it. Well, of course, I couldn't turn down that sort of challenge. What I couldnt' have predicted was how much I would enjoy it. Yes, Eco is full of himself at times, and yes, I did have my dictionary next to me (which by the way I have about 20 words that I've never been able to find in ANY dictionary) but, you have to admire the genius at work, here. Plus, it was just an enthralling subject matter.
Rating:
Summary: scary stuff
Review: this book is tough, i'll give you that. my college friend challenged me to read it - i'll give you five bucks if you finish and give me a brief synopsis, he said. well, i finished it, and it was pretty gratifying. let's just say, though, that this shouldn't be on my summer reading list...haha. the "scary stuff" to which i referred is about the review above me. i quote: "For once, a writer expects his reader's to have a brain." isn't it nice when all of a book reader's have a brain? jeez. i have a feeling he read this book with a dictionary next to him.
Rating:
Summary: Typical Eco: complicated, yet brilliant
Review: This book is everything that Eco stands for: it is complicated, engrossing, brilliant, and it definately demonstrates the body of knowledge that he possesses. Eco is obviosuly a smart man, and at times I admit that you get the distinct impression that he wrote parts of his books just to hear himself talk. However, if you can make it trhough the intricate lectures about history, philosophy, poetry etc., the rewards are well worth the effort. This review is actually more or less valid from any of Eco's works. Foucault's Pendulum is probably the apex of his compplexity, so if you find it too hard, try The Name of The Rose. This book however, is incredibly engrossing, and I vividly recommend it. It took me a little while to understand what it was REALLY about, but once I did I could not put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book Full of Magic and Secrets!!!!
Review: An incredible book that introduces Middle Ages history, hermetic philosophers and the developement of their thoughts through time. Many of the subjects are related with Kabbalah's conception of the universe, and with Frances Yates'researches on the Hermetic-Kabbalistic movement. History subjects such as: Knights Templar, Rosicrucians, Masons, and philosophers and kabbalists such as: Abraham Abulafia, Dr. John Dee, Agrippa, Bacon, etc... Excellent novel full of Hermetic Knowledge if you really want to learn about these subjects!!! If you don't have the knowledge and patience to learn and search information to understand, don't waste your time! Read the Name of the Rose, perfect story that let your time go by.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, engrossing, (annoyingly/gratifyingly) difficult
Review: This is a truly exceptional book. It is also quite difficult to get through; this proves to be mildly annoying in spots but makes the payoff that much more enjoyable. The complexity of it all makes the reader sufficiently involved in the plot and with the characters to be sensible to the subtleties which follow. It is reminiscent of, say, A Tale of Two Cities with regard to the delayed reward for the reader, and similar to War & Peace in its sweep and complexity. While this is probably the best book I've read, it does admittedly require quite a commitment from the reader. This commitment is, however, well rewarded.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant! One of my all time favorites
Review: Although this book can be a bit imposing at times it is well worth the read. The story is ingrosing and extrodinaroly complex. Its a thought provoker and a parody. This is not a book for those with short attention spans or for those who dont enjoy puzzles. It takes quite a while to get to the payoff when he brings the story full circle but if you can get that far you wont put the book down again.
Rating:
Summary: A warning to readers
Review: This book was worth the effort and very impressive; a real page turner. However: the author begins with his main story on page 1. It is not until pg. 373 that he returns to the main story, and not until pg. 572 that he catches up to the present. (641 pgs total) There are about 400 pages of incredibly detailed ramblings about the middle ages. It's actually readable but at times i just had to skip some of the excessively boring "padding" of this novel.
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