The Name of the Rose
Umberto Eco, 1980
Il nome della rosa
608 pages
Read in 2007
Check the synopsis and details on amazon.com
🔽 Summary and quick note 🔽
✔ Umberto Eco's debut novel and one of the bestselling books of the world, ever
✔ In a monastery with a secretive library, they face mysterious deaths and mysteries of Christianity
✔ The more you know about history and theories the more you enjoy, but it's still surprisingly entertaining
★★★★★ In short it's a mystery novel, solving murders, but what they are facing is not only the deaths but the mystery of Christianity. Every page, every line is gorgeous. Don't be scared of the big notions and difficult bits, it's surprisingly entertaining, and I already know that next time I'll read it I'll enjoy it even more.
English reviews, ENG_Historical Fiction, ENG_History, ENG_Italy, ENG_Mystery, ENG_Philosophy, ENG_Religion
🔽 Book review 🔽
My first ever Umberto Eco.
If you are Italian, you'll know this book probably you were made to read a section, and you'd tell me "how can you read this book" (actually many people in the world would know it considering it's one of the best selling books, ever)
It's a modern classic (it was written not so long ago, only in the 80s) and critically acclaimed yet popular, and you'll know why, because it's surprisingly entertaining.
Intellectual is the perfect word to describe Umberto Eco; every single page, every line, depiction, notion, is gorgeous.
In short it's a mystery novel with 2 people acting as detectives to solve mystery of murders, but what they face is not only the mystery of the deaths of the monks but of Christianity itself.
I read it in English, but even in Italian the original language, there are lines in French, German or even Latin, so that makes everything slightly more difficult (yeah slightly...), and of course if you don't know Christianity and Middle Ages, you lose a lot of fun bits, like I did.
The book does criticise Christianity, it's famous for that, but one one the questions "Was Christ really poor" is something we most likely will never find out, maybe I should say questions Christianity.
It talks about witch hunt, torture of heretics, comedy, and Christ's humour, among other things that are kept as secrets, and soon we'll find out how these are connected to the murders...
There are endless discussions on references and Christianity, which are things that will help you greatly to enjoy more, if you know Latin you enjoy more, if you know Aristotle, you enjoy more, or postmodernism and semiotics, and if you know Middle Ages and Christianity you'd probably be chuckling all the way.
But I didn't know much of any of these, and what's great about this masterpiece is that even if you don't, you still enjoy the book because it's fun!
You feel for Adso when he thinks about a farmer girl he had briefly met, you laugh at William's "very English" attitudes, you get shocked by his words towards authorities - it's actually, surprisingly, fun.
Sure I didn't fully understand it, but I'd still give 5 stars because it's great, and maybe in a few years time I'll read it again (hopefully with more knowledge) and I'll enjoy it even more and give 5 star plus.
It's a kind of book that you will be coming back a few times in your lifetime and gives even more joy each time, the anticipation is included in the package.
🔽 Related pages 🔽
English reviews, ENG_Historical Fiction, ENG_History, ENG_Italy, ENG_Mystery, ENG_Philosophy, ENG_Religion
🔽 Where to buy / Summary and more info 🔽
●●● Amazon.com (US) ●●●
The Name of the Rose: The Beloved Internationally Bestselling Medieval Historical Mystery Featuring Never-Before-Seen Sketches from the Author
赤パンの本棚 akapan's bookshelf 