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Title: The Name of the Rose: including Postscript to the Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco ISBN: 0-15-600131-4 Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: 28 September, 1994 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.59 (189 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Too Smart to Be A Novel
Comment: Remember when your parents and teachers would try to get you to read? The favored line is that reading "can take you anywhere in the world". Well, that sounds nice, but it never really rang true, especially as books offer only a short term separation from the problems of real life. Well, Umberto Eco's epic novel The Name of the Rose might be one of those few novels that really approaches the suggested transportation powers books can possess. It is such a "thick" novel. Intellectually, it is staggering in its complexity and fluidity. The reader can simply marvel at the range of ideas and logical conversation that Eco includes in this novel. As other reviewers have pointed out, you really do feel smarter upon finishing it. That is the first theme of the book that strikes you, but many more are out there for you to explore.
The actual story of The Name of the Rose (sometimes the story gets lost in the novel) is a classic murder mystery, set in a 14th century Italian abbey. Because of recent political and religious strife in the surrounding areas, the competing powers of the Holy Roman Emperor and the Papal authorities both see importance in this area. Rumors of heresy within the walls abound, a mark the Franciscan friars try their best to avoid. Our main character is the former inquisitor William of Baskerville, an extremely intelligent and learned official, under the employment of the Emperor. With him is his faithful assistant Adso, who is our narrator. Their assignment is to make sense of the conflicting stories people tell about what is in the monastery. Just as they start their investigation, monks start getting killed, in brutal but symbolic ways. William and Adso are forced to use all their powers of logic and deduction to begin to piece together the clues.
The clues point to a dark secret inside the heralded library of the abbey. There, monks toil day after day, reproducing the classics and more modern works. This is where civilization was being saved at the time, in small monasteries which kept alive science and ancient literature. However, somethings that are hidden away in the library are not meant to be seen, and a strangely rigid library control apparatus shields certain works from William. As the murders and the obstinacy of the librarians continue, William becomes more suspicious of the abbey's leadership at large. A conspiracy begins to emerge, one dedicated to the many scriptural and architectural secrets possessed by the Italian abbey. It quickly becomes apparent to William and the reader that what is involved here is much more important than the political issues of the day.
The pure historical swath of The Name of the Rose is hard to even summarize, as it is just immeasurably grand. The reader learns of the medieval church and of a Europe torn apart by theological argument. Messiahs and prophets tour the land, with inquisitors and church officials constantly at work stamping them out. Battle between the secular and divine worlds begin to emerge, as the Popes become more and more involved in the everyday politics of Europe. Eco shows the reader how important ideas were at this time, as theological speculation was by far the most critical arena of thought in that violent era. Ideas concerning the divinity of Christ, the power of the Popes, and the importance of older, "pagan" philosophies were constantly fought over. William is a wonderful guide, as his mind is the window into the age. He is the embodiment of learned divinity, torn between the complex humanism of the ancients and the compelling reality of the present. He is a man of his time, a valuable tool for readers so much removed. The writing itself is absolutely magnificent, as every scene, every setting, every character is rendered in eminently readable caricatures. It's just a novel you shake your head when you put it down, knowing you never will fully understand the brilliance of this book. Go get it, now!
Rating: 4
Summary: Tedious but worth reading
Comment: Though at times painfully tedious in its detail of 14th century Catholic theology and annoyingly esoteric in its numerous passages in Latin, I feel I must give this book a positive recommendation. Its grand scope of chronicling such an obscure period, its depth of research, and its feeling of authenticity give this book the right to be considered an epic of modern fiction. As far as mysteries go, this one certainly is not the most intriguing. It drags at times, and the final revelations are neither startling nor intricate in their conception. But as a period piece, this is a 500-pound gorilla. It's amazing to think of the amount of scholarly research that went into the making of this novel. How many hours did Eco have to spend studying the writings of Aristotle, Aquinas, and who knows how many Franciscan and Benedictine theologians?
I have to admit I came close to putting this book down after 100 pages. I'm glad I didn't, though it was a struggle the whole way through. There were a few too many characters, and at times I couldn't keep track of all the different monks, but fortunately they start to get killed off pretty quickly so there are fewer to remember.
The underlying theme is an important one to me. The book explores the medieval notion that religious faith and intellectual pursuits should be mutually exclusive. Imagine living your life as a monk, working in a library surrounded by thousands of scholarly works, and spending your days copying texts that you don't understand. The preservation of knowledge is a noble goal, but so is the advancement of our understanding of the universe.
Rating: 5
Summary: Oh Wonderment . . .This is such stuff as dreams are made on!
Comment: I hate mysteries. I really do. I'm terribly sorry but that is the honest to goodness truth. This is different; obviously or why in God's name would I have bothered to read it?
Struck by the phrase "apocolyptic terror" I impulsively bought it and immediately began to read, foresaking all previoius engagements, hoping against hope that I had finally found a mystery that followed a path not yet trodden.
Well, being a student of Thomas Aquinas I was immediately impressed at finding dear William to be a Thomist. Wonderful! Well done Eco! Now, about the story... I loved it, I read while I ought to have slept, I read while I ate, I read while I walked on the treadmill... I read and I read and... then I finished it. And as I closed the book I heaved a sigh. I missed William, and Adso, and oh the glories of a library labyrinth!
The Name of the Rose was an extraordinarily crafted tale that was so intensely layered and richly related that I am compelled to quote Anthony Burgess "No man should know that much."
Eco has effortlessly transported us into a time that so few truly grasp. The blind faith of the people; the ease with which the simple strayed; the vanity of the knowledge that in those days meant power. Aside from a difficult mystery with a thoroughly satisfying conclusion, this story held fascinating philosophical debates that penetrated depths of history of which I have never even heard. This novel is not merely a mystery or an historical fiction, it is a philosophical and psychological study that occasionally leads you to sit and think and any book that leads to contemplation is a rare treasure.
This is the first of Eco's works that I have had the pleasure to enjoy but I intend to find and read all the rest. What a master! What a mind!
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Title: Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco ISBN: 0345368754 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 13 November, 1990 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Key to The Name of the Rose : Including Translations of All Non-English Passages by Adele J. Haft, Jane G. White, Robert J. White ISBN: 0472086219 Publisher: UMP Pub. Date: 15 October, 1999 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Baudolino by Umberto Eco, William Weaver ISBN: 0156029065 Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: 06 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: The Eight by Katherine Neville ISBN: 0345366239 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 14 January, 1990 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, Henry Lincoln ISBN: 0440136482 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 15 January, 1983 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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