Baudolino

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as Rose or Pendulum
Review: This is a good book by the master of complicated and erudite historical fiction - Umberto Eco. However I found that it wasn't as good as The Name of the Rose and Foucalt's Pendulum both of which I consider amazing. This novel is about Baudolino - born into a peasant family in rural Italy, he is adopted as a pseudo-son by Fredrick Barbarossa (Holy Roman Emperor). This is due to Baudolino's charm and ability to spin a yarn and manipulate. The book takes place at the end of Baudolino's life when he tells his story to a historian from Constantinople in an attempt to immortalise himself and make sense of his life.

Like Eco's other books, this one contains a plethora of historical information. Here, the scene is mainly Italy's faction states, Paris and the east (Constantinople). However the book's mystical geography (ain't there always one in Eco's novels?) is concerned with the kingdom of Prester John. In the middle ages, he was believed to have been a benevolent Christian king with a kingdom in the east that was about to help liberate Jerusalem from the Muslims from the other front. Baudolino and his friends spend decades obsessing over that kingdom. They pore over arcane documents, make conjectures and finally go in search of the land.

Part of Baudolino's specialties is lies. He lies to everyone but believes his lies to be for the sake of a greater good, which they often turn out to be. His simple, no nonsense approach with Barbarossa is what earns him a place as his adopted son. What makes the book interesting is the way in which it describes how his fabrications were behind some famous historical events and ideas of the time.

The main flaw of this book compared to Eco's others is the ending. Rose and Pendulum had I thought tied loose ends brilliantly - some questions were answered unexpectedly, others left open and the result was an amazing yearning to make sense of a beautiful story. In this book, I didn't find the final revelations as profound. There was a giant question mark as to Baudolino's lies that I thought would make the book brilliant if dealt with - but it was a disappointment. To say more would spoil the book.

Still it's a very enjoyable read and thoroughly recommended to Eco/medieval/Prester John/Barbarossa buffs.

Rating:
Summary: A Contemporary Classic . . .
Review: Baudolino, the latest novel by Umberto Eco, is more than just a playful historical romance or an excuse to indulge in Thomist disputatio. It is a true contemporary classic of literature, full of what makes fiction great: strong characterization, compelling plotline, exquisite narrative style (even in translation), and multiple layers of philosophical resonance.

The basic premise of the book has been reiterated enough times by other reviewers for me to be brief. Baudolino, an Italian peasant from Lombardy, is adopted by the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick Barbarossa. He rises to become a distinguished courtier in the emperor's service, mostly through his skill in deceit-he invents stories effortlessly, always in support of what he considers to be a good cause. He attends the University of Paris-a major center of Medieval learning and Scholasticism-and finds himself entangled in Barbarossa's difficulties in Italy, a land which he understands better than the emperor himself does.

But the novel's main focus is on the search for the kingdom of Prester John-the legendary king of an eastern Christian kingdom. Along with his student-friends at the University, Baudolino decides that Prester John should be found because, as rex et sacerdos (king and priest), John's approval of Frederick could help Frederick assert his authority over the temporal and spiritual realms, giving him a final edge over the Pope.

This first section of the novel is historical, political, and fairly realistic. Not to say it is inferior to what follows, but I got the distinct impression that Baudolino keeps improving as it goes on. When Baudolino and his friends actually set out to find Prester John's kingdom, the story takes a fantastical turn-the group runs into a river of flowing rock, skiapods (men with one leg), forests of complete darkness, and many other wonders. What is so unusual about this fantasy is that it is so strongly Medieval: most of these creatures are actually described in ancient texts.

Besides this uniquely Medieval feel, what stands out most in this book (perhaps most of all) is the masterful characterization of Baudolino himself. He is a real, decent man, neither saintly nor corrupt, and profoundly ambivalent when it comes to truth and falsity: since he narrates nearly all the book (even when Eco uses the third person, we understand that Baudolino is still, in some sense, the narrator), we never know what to trust in his narration. But this is not just an old "unreliable narrator" technique; Baudolino himself comments on the nature of history, and how falsehood is sometimes useful in order to make events more interesting and useful. The layers of comment on this topic are multifaceted, yet they fit with ease into the novelistic structure.

A word of comment on a criticism often leveled at this book, and Eco in general: the Scholastic debating contained in this book is neither boring nor overwhelming. At least, I never found it to be so in the least. If a reader has no interest in philosophy whatsoever, or loses patience with anything less plot-centric than Grisham or King, I concede that he may become bogged down in Eco's erudition. But the average reader who can appreciate literature for more than just entertainment will not be disappointed or bewildered here; Eco doesn't flaunt his genius, but rather allows it to serve his fictional structure. I am not an expert on Thomist debate or the intricacies of early church heresies, but I found almost nothing confusing in this book. With its rich characterization, philosophical inquiry, and beautiful prose elegantly translated by the doyen of contemporary Italian-Lit translators, William Weaver, this fantastic novel is not to be missed.

Rating:
Summary: Flowing, entertaining, and multi-layered book...
Review: You have probably already read a summary of the plot so i won't bother with that. I must counter some complaints other posed, however.

Firstly, some said that it's boring, because of all the narration, but this is what fascinated me about this book, because it brought me so deep into this strange medieval world. If you're overwelmed by this go back to Stephen King novels...

Secondly, the characters are in fact deep, and although Eco doesn't give you their favorite colors or make them extremely contrasting, you learn of what the character is like, and what his views on life are.

The book *greatly* changed my views on religion, and I understood many new aspects of it. This book was masked as a fairy tale but in truth portrays the many fluctuations of life. Additionally, it was interesting to me how throughout the book you follow the life of Baudolino and see how much he changes.

Although not Eco's best book, it is a very powerful one, and is deffinitely much less of a dialogue drag than The Name of the Rose.

Rating:
Summary: A bit of a struggle...
Review: This book is the life story of Baudolino as told by the title character. It should be noted that Baudolino is a great story teller and a known liar. As Eco ties in many historical and fantasy figures into Baudolino's life the reader is never sure what is the truth and what is not. As a whole the story was great. Having never read one of Eco's books before I was not sure what I was getting into. I found parts of the story a struggle to get through. However, the book was worth sticking to and the ending was very good. If you are a fan of Eco's books you will enjoy this story. If you have never read one of Eco's book I do not think I would recommend this as a first taste.

Rating:
Summary: My first Eco book; not my last!
Review: This is my first exposure to Eco's work, but definately not my last. I found Baudolino to be hugely entertaining. Eco is a master storyteller with an attention to detail that brings his characters alive. His humor is subtle, to be sure, but it is ever-present nonetheless. Eco has a unique feel for the times which is another gift he has for making this book come to life for the reader.

Highly recommended. 5+stars!

Rating:
Summary: Not my favorite of Eco's books
Review: Loved "Name of the Rose" and expected another adventure with "Baudolino", but like many of the other reviewers here I agree that this one goes nowhere. The book starts with our hero Baudolino in Constantinople while it is being invaded and burnt, he has rescued Niketas, court historian and very rich man, and proceeds to relate his own amazing life story to Niketas. Born a peasant in Italy, Baudolino was adopted by Emperor Frederick for saving his life, later a student in Paris, then in pursuit of the Holy Grail into the kingdom of Prester John. Or is it all a lie?

Too many medieval events and characters all crammed into one book, and Baudolino was just not a likable enough guy to make me care what happened to him, Niketas was more interesting to me with his wise intellect and sensual delight in eating.

Rating:
Summary: Characters Lacked Depth
Review: Just finished reading Baudolino, by Umberto Eco. It was good enough that I kept reading through to the end, but rather disappointing compared to The Name Of The Rose or Foucault's Pendulum. Baudolino is a poor simple peasant who is picked up by a king and uses his wits to survive. The book is a story of his exploits during the middle ages, as he uses lies and storytelling to alter the course of history. Eventually, Baudolino forms alliances with other liars, and they run off on a quest that increasingly resembles a Breugel painting. "Rose" and "Pendulum" both deal with themes of faith, devotion, love, and mystery, which is perhaps part of their appeal. Baudolino, on the other hand, is a rather crass and materialistic fellow who wears his religion only because of expedience and social obedience. The book attempts at time to give Baudolino some depth, but he comes across as rather shallow and unsympathetic. The book gets smugly preachy at times, seeming to delight in ever-greater examples of how history itself may be a lie, religious extremism is dangerous, and so on -- but without a very sympathetic or believable charater, the preaching gets boring.

Rating:
Summary: The Medieval Forrest Gump
Review: Baudolino is a great book, but not Eco's best. The meticulous detail of Rose/Focault is here, but seems to be streamlined. The Eco wit and sharp humor, however, is there. Baudolino is a born liar, and spins lies that take him from his peasant Genoa to the kingdom of Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor!

Eco makes Baudolino so believable a character that you might begin to think he truly existed. The first two thirds of the book have you turning the pages at a quick pace, wanting to find out just where Baudolino is going to end up or who he's going to affect with his grand lies. It's the last part of the book I find a bit tedious. Eco takes us into a more complex fantasy world from that point, and it seems like he's trying to cram a lot of information into that 1/3. It is said that he spent 6 years writing the first half, and then 6 months writing the last half. Could that have affected the book?

Eco is one of my favorite authors. I wholeheartedly recommend Baudolino. You will chuckle while reading this book, and possibly try to look him up in a history book!

Rating:
Summary: More layers than an AutoCAD drawing
Review: "Baudolino" seems to be italian writer Umberto Eco's most accessible fictional work. I mean, you can read this book without an encyclopaedia by your side (unlike "Foucault's pendulum", for example), even if sometimes you wished there was a Britannica or at least an internet terminal close by so you could look up some interesting things depicted in the book.

Baudolino is an italian gentleman born in the XXII century. Early in life, he is adopted by Frederick Barbarossa, ruler of the Holy Roman-Germanic Empire. As his son, Baudolino is drawn to many important happenings, and claims he was sole responsible, through a series of interesting schemes, for some of the most important situations in the history of Europe.

Is Baudolino the grey figure behind Barbarossa's actions, or is he just a very immaginative liar? The answer is given by Eco in the final third of the book, where Baudolino and his friends get to know fantastical places and beings while looking for the fabled Christian Kingdom of Presbyter Johannes in the eastern unknown territories of Earth.

"Baudolino" may seem simple at first sight, but there are so many levels buried behind the improbable shallow layer of paper that the reader may be tempted to read it again only to disclose cool information and references, randomly (not too much randomly, in fact) pasted in the story by Eco. There're links to Swift's "Gulliver's travels", Marco Polo, Voltaire, and these are just the obvious ones. "Baudolino" is a blend of real history with fictional situations, but a blend that only Eco could create, and the reader is always wondering what is true and what is not. The story is so compelling that the reader may not notice that Baudolino himself is the only character fully developed. But who cares? This book is as fantastic as Baudolino's stories. There's even a misterious murder in it, like "The name of the rose".

One other thing. "Baudolino" has two narrators: one is Baudolino himself, telling the story of his life. The other narrator is a third-person, omniscient one, but sometimes (like he forgot to correct himself) he uses the "we" conjugation in his phrases, and the reader is left with the impression that this misterious narrator was in fact part of Baudolino's friends. Am I wrong? Did I understand it right? I don't know, but this is just something else about this book that I'll try to find out.

To fully understand "Baudolino", and as a matter of fact to fully understand Eco's universe, look for other information in the internet about him, especially the website "Porta Ludovica".

Grade 9.2/10

Rating:
Summary: Another installment
Review: Eco takes us on another journey here but its less literal than his others (or it was for me). The book is very much a parable for those searching for something (or someone) and offers not answers, but a sounding board for our own journeys through love, work, friendships, parents and life. I'm not sure if i am the only one who put the book down and felt a bit too much like Baudolino. In any case if you like Eco's style of "faction" this is a great example of his work, and easier read than his others too.