Umberto Eco’s first novel, an international sensation and winner of the Premio Strega and the Prix Médicis Étranger awards
The year is 1327. Franciscans in a wealthy Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, and Brother William of Baskerville arrives to investigate. When his delicate mission is suddenly overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths, Brother William turns detective. His tools are the logic … detective. His tools are the logic of Aristotle, the theology of Aquinas, the empirical insights of Roger Bacon — all sharpened to a glistening edge by wry humor and a ferocious curiosity. He collects evidence, deciphers secret symbols and coded manuscripts, and digs into the eerie labyrinth of the abbey, where “the most interesting things happen at night.”
“Like the labyrinthine library at its heart, this brilliant novel has many cunning passages and secret chambers… Fascinating… ingenious… dazzling.” –Newsweek
more
Read a bit of historical fiction and discover interesting perspectives on the 14th century Europe and religion.
The first hundred pages are a “penance,” and go slowly. All of a sudden the narrative picks up speed, and you truly can’t put it down until the end. The best of this author’s books, in my opinion. (I’ve actually read it twice! and the film with Sean Connery and Murray Abraham isn’t bad, either.)
What an interesting background for a mystery. Not an easy read, but definitely worth it
nice author for every reader…i hope that you will read it again and again…a book is ideal for weekends to read all day if you have time…
While this book is a bit hard to get through it is worth it! The movie is also wonderful with Sean Connery If I see a movie first, I try to find the book to get all of the “background” that was either not covered in the movie version or not readily explained, and many times the book is better than the film! In this case, the book …
Interesting characters. Engaging story.
The characters and setting in this book are amazing. The twisting plot line has you guessing all the way through and the writing is superb.
This was a slog of a read. I am very compulsive about reading so I did finish the but wish I had never started it. Don’t waste your time.
This book will place you right back in a fourteenth-century monastery, and you won’t want to leave. Great characters and a murder-mystery plot with twists and turns. Deftly written. A fascinating read.
Loved the complexity of thought & unpredictability of religious philosophy. It is so human. Also recommended: Foucault’s Pendulum – liked this even more!
a book with layers upon laters . An intellectual tour de force
This is one of my all-time fav books. Enjoy!
This is a terrific historical mystery with the unusual detective being a monk. I have never read another medieval murder mystery & it reveals a lot of how people lived in that time, how they interacted, and the fact that the basics of humanity have never changed.
A well-crafted whodunit taking place in a medieval monastery.
Loved this book, I don’t know how many times I have read it. I still have it and plan to read again.
Read it several years ago, but loved it. Great mystery tale.
One of the best books ever read!
Great research.
A Murder mystery set in a monastery! There is much medieval ideological conflict found here, but the plot involving several murders and the culprits gives the novel a forward momentum. The author is an accomplished linguist and semiologist!
Took me 2 tries to get started on this book but it was more than worth it. Very good read.