Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant Work, Although Eco's Neutrality is Distracting.
Review: If there were an option for 4 1/2 stars, that would be my pick. I waited a few days after finishing the book to write this review. I'm happy I did so. The book has grown on me over the last few days, as good books tend to do.One of the real pleasures of the book is getting to know William, the mentor of the protagonist. He is a great character and through him we are confronted squarely with the deep and enduring questions posed by the book: what is the nature of truth; can faith survive man's insatiable thirst for scientific knowledge and advancement; does man, or any man, possess the strength to adhere to the principles of his faith when the cloak of faith brings power with it; can we survive the destructive power of our own egos? Eco, through his fictional proxy, the novice called Adso, adamantly refuses to suggest answers to these questions. Although by choosing to ask certain questions he sets us up for certain thoughts, his self-conscious balance in not letting Adso tell us what he thinks is almost distracting; in making sure that every act has a consequence lest some implied preference be divined. Eco is so determined to be neutral, that he cannot even bring himself to identify himself as the narrator. Indeed, he sets up this elaborate structure at the beginning to ensure that he is 4 steps removed from the narrator. (The narrator is Adso, but the manuscript we are supposedly holding is a translation of a translation discovered by yet another fictional character who has nothing to do with the events told in the novel.) Ordinarily, I find this kind of self-conscious affectation to be annoying, but I forgive Eco since he has such an apparent purpose for his affectation. This neutrality is not without cost. Ultimately, we can never really feel that close to our protagonist, Adso. Mercifully, Eco gives Adso a sexual liason in the middle of the book that causes Adso to ponder at length about the nature of his guilt and his despair at his inability to stop basking in the pleasure of the moment. Although it is a bit manipulative, this device, along with a few others earlier in the novel, brings us closer to Adso. (As for the act itself, however, Eco is again back to his ruthless neutrality. No bad deed goes unpunished, and accordingly the object of Adso's affection comes to a sorry end, leaving for us the question whether Adso's sin is excusable.) One exception to the general rule of neutrality is Eco's failure at hiding his underlying views of the debate that rages through the book (and of course has firm historical underpinning) about the poverty of Christ. Eco ensures that all sides of the debate are cloaked in hypocricy. Indeed, by destroying characters in the book closely aligned with a particularly violent faction of the poverty school, he ensures as always to keep his thumb on both sides of the scale. Ultimately, however, Eco's views poke through and the hypocricy allegations are most accute when Eco's laser is aimed at John and the anti-poverty school. In the scheme of things, this is not a big deal. But Eco sort of sets himself up. He is so adamant about remaining neutral, that his inability to do so in this one case feels like a failure. (Maybe it was deliberate for a reason that went over my head?) Other than that, the only failure of the novel, in my opinion, is the transition between the narrator's description of the underlying story and his editorial comments made at the time of narration. The structure is that the novel is being written by an elderly monk about events that occurred 60 years before. The narrator never admits that he is paraphrasing or giving general descriptions. To the contrary, he purports to be describing the events and conversations in almost exact detail, because of the vivid memory of the wretched events. But of course this requires too much suspension of disbelief. It might not be that way if the narrator did not also take time to make comments on the events as understood through the filter of his 60 years of experience. But of course Eco needs him to do so. He gets caught in the switches. Well, sorry for such a long review. Wait until you have the time to savor it before embarking on this novel. And give yourself some time after to think about it. It is well worth the effort.
Rating:
Summary: Tremendous: an erudite page-turner
Review: I'd been putting off reading this for years, and when I finally started it, I kept berating myself for having missed it for so long. I couldn't put it down, given the many mysteries at work in the text and the engaging description of monastic medieval life--the latter wasn't something in which I had been particularly interested in before reading this novel, but nonetheless I found the beautiful level of detail absorbing. The various monks stood out as very real and defined charcters, and the historical background material (while initially extremely complex and offputting) became more engaging as I went. Some of the bites Eco didn't quite manage to chew in this were the long, medievalesque catalogues, which he explained in his postscript he felt were essential to capture the flavor of the period but seemed neither particularly well done nor very interesting. To quote Sally from PEANUTS, though, I just bleeped right over them, and all was well. I highly recommend this novel for fans of historical fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Stat pristina nomine rosa
Review: This was enjoyable, with some ome the fun coming from how-clever-we-are-to-be-reading-this. I'm intrigued by the reviewers from different countries. One Italian reviewer comments that it is more difficult in Italian and in fact I noticed that the translation by Weaver abridges considerably. Was it dumbed down for English monoglots? Surely "stat pristina rosa nomine nuda tenemus" should be translated "If the pure name of the rose (that is to say the rose deprived of its smell and color)stands, all we hold is the naked name of the rose. Try Frayn's "Headlong" for an explanation of nominalism (and for piling in the cultural references). "Island of the Day Before" was more difficult for me to finish. Du ho - maybe I'm not smart enough.
Rating:
Summary: MUST HAVE AND MUST NEED FOR SECONDARY ENGLISH CURRICULUM
Review: I plan to place this on my reading list - maybe not shoved in with the rest of the prescribed literature (Catcher In the Rye, et. al). I believe there should be a seperate class or set of weeks set aside for world literature. Writers write about the same issues love, loss, struggle, epiphany, jubilation - but the socioeconomic & cultural differences bring an even greater opportunity for knowledge to be gleaned. THE NAME OF THE ROSE presents the opportunity to acquaint students with the 14th century, life as a monk, roles of women and.... and... hey I am not writing you guys lesson plans. It would also provide an excellent assignment for children in magnet schools which concentrate on "foreign" languages. Such as a literal translation of sections of the book in its original Italian. I read the book a little less than 20 years ago when I was a high school student. It is one of those novels of which the page speaks of rain and you look out the window 5 minutes later (you think but it is really 1 hour later in reality) to check to see if the rain has stopped.
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: This book is full of suspense and intrigue. After I got through the first 100 pages which were somewhat slow, the book began to pick up and then it was great. If you are interested in mystery books than this is one of the best out there.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent and superbly written
Review: If you enjoy learning about a subject when you read, read this book; it's interesting and historically acurate as well as being a smart mystery. The other wonderful thing about it is that it's a book about books, about the LOVE of books. The characters are interesting and round, and the reader enjoys following them, especially Adso, as they learn both about themselves and as they discover the mystery behind the murders at the abbey. One piece of advice: do get the Key to The Name of The Rose and keep it handy as you read. Many of the passages in Eco are in Latin, and they Key translates them for the reader. Without it, one may be a bit at a loss. (FYI -- if you liked this book, read The Club Dumas, by Reverte. Although not quite as sophisticated, it's well worth the read).
Rating:
Summary: Brain candy, a rare treat
Review: This is one of the best books I have read in years! It is like candy for the brain. Reading it was a pleasure. Eco has carefully crafted the story with several layers of detail. Read it as a detective story. Read it as a narrative on middle-age history. Read it as a parable describing the search for knowledge. The book speaks on many levels and most readers (especially those who love books) will find this book has much to say. I would also recommend getting the Key to The Name of the Rose, a useful text that will shed light on some of the more subtle aspects of the narrative; but read the first hundred pages before buying the key. If you like the book the key will only enhance the experience (and if you don't like the book the key will probably only serve to remind you of why you don't like the book). Give yourself plenty of time to read--and do not expect to soak it all in at once. Stories this good should be savoured slowly.
Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece of historical fiction
Review: I'm sure those who read this as a "mystery story" will not be disappointed, particularly since one would never have guessed the identity of the murderer, but there are far more layers to this brilliant work than that of a medieval detective tale. Umberto Eco incorporates his staggering knowledge of the period in incorporating accurate history (particularly regarding the inquisition), logic (William makes Sherlock Holmes look dense), and totally hilarious, subtle humour. I'll admit that, since I read Latin and have familiarity with the other languages which the "Babel tongued" Salvatore and others use, my sides have been splitting at the references more than would that of one who did not. Many of the references, in fact, are "inside jokes" which those who are well-versed in the history of the period (particularly the heresies) will greatly enjoy. It may have been more helpful were there an appendix translating the passages that are not in English, but, somehow, especially in Salvatore's monologues, by the time they are explained the humour would be lost. The character of Brother William is totally intriguing, and surely one of the most memorable in recent fiction. I would recommend this book particularly to those who wish some familiarity with the period (logic at the forefront) delivered in a totally painless and engagingly entertaining fashion. One learns the history and culture in spite of one's self, just "listening" to William. We book lovers, of course, will greatly enjoy reading of a period when (priceless) books were so cherished that a murderer's motive could be related to them.
Rating:
Summary: A virtual Middle Age
Review: This novel was fabricated in painstaking detail by a master in semiology.In this novel Eco gives us exactly the Middle Age we could imagine:fraught whit apocalyptic terrors,secretive monks,rich and spoiled Abates,fiery and inhuman inquisitors,superstitions,heresies.He then puts an Occamist predecessor of Sherlock Holmes and a young Wastson to investigate a mystery whit the most intriguing features:a closed environment (the Abbey) and a killer who appears to follow a pattern.How could he fail to produce a bestseller?Still,I've loved it.How could I not?
Rating:
Summary: Challenging, exhilarating, and simply sensational
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed Eco's "The Name of the Rose" in three distinct and almost independent roles. As a mystery-thriller, the fast-moving, convoluted plot left me anxiously awaiting the next twist lurking in the pages ahead. As an account of history, Eco's detailed and, from what I understand, accurate portrayal of specific events during the Inquisition was intriguing and educational. Finally, as a matter of philosophy, the naturally interspersed philosophical dialogues among the monks were coherent and thought-provoking. "The Name of the Rose" is a challenging read. Eco, in his postscript, descibes the first hundred pages as a "penance", written for the purpose of "constructing a reader suitable for what comes afterward." Let there be no doubt that readers who endure their penance are rewarded ten-fold.
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