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Summary: this is not a review but
Review: if you give this book five stars and then proceed to employ cliched literary jargon to sing its virtues you have missed one of the major themes of Eco's works which is the complete deconstruction of "grand truths" and the re-examination of their application to facts, real or imaginedtell us why YOU liked it not your pseudo-semiotician college professor also if you compare this book to the alienist i truly feel sorry for your reading future
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Summary: It will blow your mind
Review: Eco leads you on a fascinating journey through the middle ages, where the pope has lost power and books have gained it. Or has it? Eco totally blows your mind with this twisting tale that takes another turn everytime you think you've figured it out. You just can't win, but you can by reading this.
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Summary: If you liked the Alienist - You will love The Name of the Ro
Review: I hate to compare a book's worth to that of others, but in this case the comparison serves it justice: The Name of the Rose is to 13th century monastic Italian life as the Alienist is to Puritan, New York turn of the 19th century life. Eco braids an intricate plot using strands of historical context, philosophical cleavages, sectarian politics, and personal struggles. Some details are more relevant than others depending on what you read for, but they are all neccesary in exposing the whole story. An erudite storyteller who produced the Godiva chocolates of historical fiction.
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Summary: The Labyrinth of knowledge and human weakness
Review: Excellent!. I've read it 3 times in the last 2 years, and I still enjoy each and every word of it. With indeniable talent and a huge historical research behind, the author (who is also a famous linguist) mixes Jorge Luis Borges ("Jorge de Burgos") with Sherlock Holmes ("Guillermo de Baskerville") in a murder mystery that permanently threatens to enter the grounds of the supernatural. The human weakness, while in search of power and pleasure, stands in a disguise of virtue. And behind all that, the decadence of the Middle Ages in deadly fight with the embryo of the Renaissance in a time when the limits between religion and heresy were blurry.
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Summary: Life-changing novel!
Review: The book is undeniably massive, but once I started reading, I couldn't stop. When I came to the last few pages and found out what the cause of the mayhem was, I almost burst into tears. This book has changed my life in more than one way; I cannot look at everyday life anymore without seeing philosophical and theological aspects of everything around me.
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Summary: An amazing accomplishment!
Review: I first read this book for the mystery, and have continued to re-read it because of its amazing evocation of medieval Europe -- in fact, we read passages from it in an Italian history course that I took in college many years ago! Unlike run-of-the-mill historical fiction, Eco actually succeeds in creating the feeling of how it was to live and more importantly, to think the way that people did so long ago. William of Baskerville (who now inextricably wears the features of Sean Connery) is one of the most fascinating creations of modern fiction. One little note to one of the other reviewers though: the abbey of Melk in Austria is where Adso originally comes from, NOT the abbey which is where most of the action of the book takes place. That's a Benedictine monastery somewhere in northern Italy -- perhaps vaguely modelled on places like Monte Cassino?
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Summary: The best book ever!
Review: I believe this is one of the best books, if not the best book, ever! During the past 2 years I have read the book more than 20 times, each time focusing on one specific element. The first time I read it mainly for the plot. I was so magnetized, by the numerous unsolved murders and William of Baskerville's orthologism, that I couldn't eat or sleep, not before I had read it all, in one - or rather half - day. The times that followed, I focused on many philosophical and theological questions and discussions the narrator had with William of Baskerville or Umbertino of Cazale. 1327 can be placed in the dawn of Renaissance so I learned a lot about the later medieval Europe. I just finished reading it once more, and the reason I am writing this review is because I understood what I like most about this outstanding book: the first couple of pages. Mundus senescit.
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Summary: A fantastic book in many, many ways
Review: It's not easy to make a short review of this novel. Certainly it's one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. As every usual reader of The Name of the Rose knows behind the mistery plot there is a deeply and brillant discusion about philosophy, teology and history that demands an important effort from the reader. Be sure that this work will be highly profitable and that, maybe, you will never be same after reading this book.
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Summary: Una obra maestra.
Review: Leer esta novela significo un gran esfuerzo para mi, dado que era muy pequeño para entender gran parte del contenido. Pero aun asi disfrute muchisimo la trama y toda esa descripcion acerca de la abadia y los monges. Percibi el enorme esfuerzo intelectual que el autor tuvo que realizar para elaborar el libro. Y eso me parecio genial. Cuando grande deseo ser un intelectual al estilo de Umberto Eco.
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Summary: One of the best historical novels!!
Review: This book is intelligent, fun, and just plain good literature. It's anything but dull, If you like historical novels this is one of the best. Right there with "I, Claudius" "The Egyptian". An instant classic.
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