Member Reviews

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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 4 stars

  “I had seen the movie, so the whole time I was reading this I imagined me (Adso) and William (Sean Connery) roaming about the grounds. It really is brilliant. The only other Eco I've read is Foucault's Pendulum, which I probably liked more. If I could go back I'd have not watched the movie first (as much as I like Connery =] )[br/][br/]Lots of interesting historical information about the Catholic Church. It's not too surprising that Eco could put so much detail, as he's studied much medieval Christendom. I enjoyed that he modernized some of the concepts and debates in the book, which made the whole thing easier to understand. Framed narratives are awesome. Lots of twists and turns.”

  libertyblues wrote this review Tuesday, October 9 2007. ( reply | permalink )
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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 0 stars

  “This is one book that provides an inside look into the monastic culture prevalent in hyper-religious Medieval European society. Much more than that, the setting and the story itself allows its readers to reflect on their own beliefs about Christianity, God, and external as well as internal violence. Nothing in this world, then and now, is ever what it seems. ”

  Fritzie wrote this review Tuesday, October 9 2007. ( reply | permalink )
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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 5 stars

  “This novel by Umberto Eco, professor of semiotics at the University of Bologna, is ostensibly a murder mystery novel. Eco stated the purpose for writing this novel in 1978 as: "prodded by a seminal idea: I felt like poisoning a monk." However it is probably one of the more complex murder mystery novels I have ever read. Set in the 14th century, there are many discussions surrounding the Roman Catholic Church of the Middle Ages, its heresies and hidden secrets. Underlying all these discussions are debates about the ability of texts to convey truths to subsequent generations; a common postmodern theme. I strongly recommend this novel; it is in my opinion, Eco's best (I read "Baudolino" and did not find it nearly as captivating).”

  tapbirds wrote this review Sunday, September 30 2007. ( reply | permalink )
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  1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

  • Rated 4 stars

  “Eco is not an easy read, he doesn't wish to be. That being said, it took a couple of tries for me before I was able to really get into this novel and finish it. When I was able to devote my time and energy to thhis story it paid off. It is a great historical mystery and I am a sucker for any historical thriller/mysetry which includes monks and rare manuscripts. If this is your cup of tea as well than try and try again until you get through this masterpiece.”

  KateT wrote this review Monday, January 29 2007. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 4 stars

  “I found this book hard to start but I was completely taken in once I did”

  Morrigan F wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 3 stars

  “It probably came to me too highly recommended, as even though I think this was a good book, it didn't quite live up to my expectation. Personal bias aside, it's a detective story set in an abbey, 500 years ago. The debates on various facets of Christianity were very interesting, even eye-opening but they did sometimes tend to get a little tedious. The mystery angle was fairly straight-forward for today's reader but it was well-woven into the fabric of the story.”

  Me S wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 3 stars

  “i know that a lot of people that i respect just loved this book, but i thought it was just ok. the characters seemed stiff and distant.”

  Anne H wrote this review Friday, June 6 2008. ( reply | permalink )
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  • Rated 3 stars

  “Period novel. For those uninitiated in history of England or the church may be lost for some time, but a bit of knowledge helps in appreciating the epical proportions of this murder mystery better. ”

  payalmukherjee wrote this review Monday, June 2 2008. ( reply | permalink )