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
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Excellent imagery and satisfyingly well written
Probably better in Italian
complicated. not an easy read
Spoiler alert: The name of the rose us “Tedious”.
A sense of history; theological and spiritual ; deep;
An extraordinary work of historical fiction.
Not a light read but worth the effort. Wonderful discription of the country side buildings and the layout of the monestery , character development is wonderful
It isn’t often one gets to read a book of fiction a second time because a medieval history professor requires it, but that is what happened with Eco’s “The Name of the Rose”. Despite reading it in translation, the prose is fabulous. The blend of mystery, mysticism, and hard logic is seamless in this classic.
The monastery of Istinjoln (in my …
Brilliant medieval mystery mixing adventure, philosophy and grand guignol horror
i tried 3 times & could not get into this book.
This book is not for the faint at heart. It is a tome, literally and figuratively. Eco is an elegant AND verbose writer. He is a historian at heart and expertly weaves an impeccably researched tale of religion in the middle ages. Disguised as a 13th century murder mystery, this book is a treatise on religion, spirituality, heresy, and the …
by far his best
I attempted to read this book 3 times before I actually finished it! It was tough going, but ultimately rewarding.
I cut it down to 4 stars because there were some very slow passages that were sometimes hard to get through. But it is a great story, with terrific twists and overall a very good book.
One of my favorite books!
Good “how did they do it?” mystery
This book requires some patience but it is ultimately a wonderful read.
Deals with medieval times, particularly monastic life and difficulties of the period.
One of the most cerebral and intellectually satisfying mystery novels ever. It is also much more “accessible” to the average reader than most of Eco’s works, some of whic can be very obscure. It is set in a Medieval monastery anf I recommend it to every librarian I know, for reasons whcih will be obvious to anyone who reads it.
It’s a great novel, with a good twist, but very difficult to read.