Rating: 
Summary: Pompous Trash
Review: Eco obviously did some research for this book. Unfortantely for the reader, he tried to cram it all into this long-winded boring mess without bothering to condense the information. Eco has no concept of how to write a good story. I do find it impressive that so many people could get through this awful pompous monstrosity.
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Summary: greatest one i ever read abt middleage
Review: i ve read it abt three years ago but i still thnik thi is the best book abt middleages
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Summary: Extremely Difficult to Digest, But Worth Every Effort.
Review: My friends use to refer to that book as "The Ordeal", its that difficult. However, Umberto's ingenious writing and mastery of History and the Occult make it an enchanting tale indeed, a must for every history-,occult- or thriller- fan.
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Summary: What a Farce!
Review: I admit it -- I only got to finish the first 120 pages of this book. Wonder what Eco wanted this book to be: Philosophy? History? Science? Numerology? Religion? It seems like Eco had wanted it to be all these and more. Although he is able to show a wide scope of knowledge covering numerous fields, he fails to show much depth in any particular area and definitely fails to synthesize everything in a coherent story. As such, the reader is denied of a meaningful and enjoyable experience. I read this book after I had finished the non-fictional Holy Blood, Holy Grail which investigates into the "truth" behind orthodox Christianity. In light of this book, Eco's work reads like a shallow attempt to impress the reader by throwing at him names and ideas from past centuries. Never have I come across, in all my years of reading, a full 10 line paragraph consisting of nothing but names supposedly from the annals of European history. Who is Eco trying to impress? He would fare better by just concentrating on writing a good story and going easy on the "facts". 1 Star for effort, zero for everything else.
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Summary: I cannot think of a strong-enough superlative!
Review: I avoid referring to things as absolutely good or bad, but this is the very best book I have ever, ever read. 'Foucault's Pendulum' offers what a true book should: Questions, ideas, no answers. It is a challenge for the reader for what it is, rather than for what some call 'pseudo-elitism.' It is sad experienced readers can fail to appreciate this rare, one-of-a-kind book...
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Summary: Just re-iterating comments made below...
Review: ...that the book, regardless of how satisfying you might find the effort to read it or the diversity of information it contains, is dragged down by the pomposity of authorial tone and the sheer cultter of intellectual tidbits and arcane facts. Eco seems to be simply puffing out what could have been a tighter and more absorbing story in order to impress us with his intellectualism. Kind of like how Ayn Rand let her stories bend under the weight of her proselytising. OK, you're a smart guy, Mr. Eco; now write a *good* book. And in the meantime, if one wants good academic/literary mysteries, consult Robertson Davies or "The Club Dumas"...
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Summary: huh???
Review: I think you have to be either an historian or a self absorbed pseudo-intellectual to fully enjoy this novel. I almost never fail to complete a novel once I start, but this was so painful to read and absorb that I just had to put it down. That being said, I have to admit that now I feel challenged, and will probably give this book a second chance someday.
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Summary: Perhaps one of the greatest masterpieces of our time.
Review: This kind of book always lends itself so nicely to academic attack. It is easy to see its pitfalls as weak characterisation, pomposity and over-intellectualisation. In addition, it displays the remarkable intellect and virtuosity of Eco himself so well that one might be tempted to regard it as a tour de force of his intellect, rather than a novel. With all this said, I believe this book is one of the masterpieces of fiction of the 20th century. Not only is it crammed full of riveting information from the most diverse sources imaginable, but it weaves it together in a spectacular web of intrigue. The reader is pulled endlessly along by a series of awesome revelations, always moving deeper into the mystery. The aim is to get the reader to buy into the lunacy of the plot premise, to believe its every turn, and to be able to substantiate it with hard evidence. The ending is brilliant, providing one of the most valuable reflections on the meaning of complexity that I have ever read. One can read this book on many levels, and indeed it is almost impossible to read it too deeply without a background in every conceivable area of academic study. Still, that really isn't the point. This book makes a philosophical statement that is every bit as profound as "I think, therefore I am" and is essential reading for anyone who questions the meaning of the world around them. It's also a lot of fun.
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Summary: una compleja trama que te hace dudar de todo y de todos
Review: Despues de leer este libro ya nada será igual en mi vida. Con la trama ves la vida de otro color y empiezas a establecer conexiones que antes ni te planteabas. Quizás es la intensidad y la fuerte verosimilitud de la historia que te hace dudar de todo una vez sales del libro a la vida real. Aparte de esto, es un libro fantástico en donde Eco vuelve a demostrar sus grandes dotes de erudición, repasando la evolución de la historia occidental desde un punto de vista esotérico. Concluyendo: es un libro muy recomendable.
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Summary: Read it a few times, because there's always something new.
Review: "Foucault's Pendulum" is delightful. It can be read on any number of levels, so it's always worth a reread and a different approach. It can be enjoyed as: a commentary on man's search for meaning; a commentary on the nature of heroism; a travel guide to ancient and medieval history; a portrait of the occult; a thriller (sort of). Best of all (at least to me), it can simply be read to enjoy the hundreds of little anecdotes scattered throughout the work. I'm always opening my copy just to reread a section on the University of Useless Ideas, or the discussion of fools and cretins, or Casaubon in Brazil, or Belbo's sacrifice, or Lia's exposure of the Plan as a fraud. You definitely don't need a Ph.D or a background in medievalism to enjoy this one -- Eco gives you all the tools you need. Grab it and dive right in.
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