diana_eveline's review against another edition
4.0
“The library is testimony to truth and to error”
Brother William visits an Italian abbey on theological business alongside a novice, Adso. When all of a sudden one of the monks comes to an unfortunate and mysterious end, William becomes the main detective on the case. The murders continue and the plot thickens over seven days, when the murderer(s) is/are discovered.
I was a little intimidated by the first few pages of this book and the reviews I had seen online. Even the most raving reviews seemed to complain that the book was far too long and is plain dull at some points. Determined not to give up, I pushed myself to get through the first 150 pages before even considering quitting it. I am so glad I didn't give up...
The lengthy conversations between Adso and William that pop up inbetween interrogations with suspects have the most complicated philosophical and theological ideas woven through them. William plays the role of the wise old man who is not afraid to admit when he is unsure of something and Adso asks the "dumb" questions that help explain the ideas in a more approachable way. I was blown away by the theories about heresy, love, lies and most importantly truth.
My favourite part of the book has to be the confrontation with Jorge in the library. William tells Jorge that he was wrong in keeping the controversial and potentially offensive work away from the others. Truth is something that develops and shouldn't be granted a permanent status easily. The power of truth lies in the depth it has gained from opposition. Christianity is no exception to this. A fantastic line of reasoning that I marvel at. I sympathized a little with Jorge, as I can relate to the need for an untarnished absolute truth that you can cling to. We humans don't deal well with our value structures collapsing on us.
I knew the library would burn... I knew when Adso walked up the staircase somewhere earlier in the book and discovered these openings that let in air. Once they established that the entire library has these slits in walls and staircases, I knew the whole thing would go up in flames. And so it did... Such a shame but also strangely poetic in a way. In a twisted attempt to prevent change or any form of opposition to come to light, the whole thing collapses on itself.
I loved Eco's afterword in which he expresses how he wants his work to be as free as possible from authorial intent and how he believes authors should or could go about achieving this. His light glossing at the end does an impressive job of enlighting readers, while also leaving plenty of room for personal interpretation.
Brother William visits an Italian abbey on theological business alongside a novice, Adso. When all of a sudden one of the monks comes to an unfortunate and mysterious end, William becomes the main detective on the case. The murders continue and the plot thickens over seven days, when the murderer(s) is/are discovered.
I was a little intimidated by the first few pages of this book and the reviews I had seen online. Even the most raving reviews seemed to complain that the book was far too long and is plain dull at some points. Determined not to give up, I pushed myself to get through the first 150 pages before even considering quitting it. I am so glad I didn't give up...
The lengthy conversations between Adso and William that pop up inbetween interrogations with suspects have the most complicated philosophical and theological ideas woven through them. William plays the role of the wise old man who is not afraid to admit when he is unsure of something and Adso asks the "dumb" questions that help explain the ideas in a more approachable way. I was blown away by the theories about heresy, love, lies and most importantly truth.
My favourite part of the book has to be the confrontation with Jorge in the library. William tells Jorge that he was wrong in keeping the controversial and potentially offensive work away from the others. Truth is something that develops and shouldn't be granted a permanent status easily. The power of truth lies in the depth it has gained from opposition. Christianity is no exception to this. A fantastic line of reasoning that I marvel at. I sympathized a little with Jorge, as I can relate to the need for an untarnished absolute truth that you can cling to. We humans don't deal well with our value structures collapsing on us.
I knew the library would burn... I knew when Adso walked up the staircase somewhere earlier in the book and discovered these openings that let in air. Once they established that the entire library has these slits in walls and staircases, I knew the whole thing would go up in flames. And so it did... Such a shame but also strangely poetic in a way. In a twisted attempt to prevent change or any form of opposition to come to light, the whole thing collapses on itself.
I loved Eco's afterword in which he expresses how he wants his work to be as free as possible from authorial intent and how he believes authors should or could go about achieving this. His light glossing at the end does an impressive job of enlighting readers, while also leaving plenty of room for personal interpretation.
ailegais's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
imor43's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.5
mwwils17's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
zuzi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
irmgardk's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
fishface's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Murderous monks maniacally memorise mnemonics. That isn't what this is about, but there are murderous monks with a passion for literature, and an author who loves excessively long lists. Umberto Eco clearly knows a lot about this whole philosophy and religion thing and I struggled to remain interested in the long diatribes of various monks on it. Zzzz (sorry). I liked the little glimpses of Adso and Williams mentor and protégé relationship, and the actual mystery.
forever_rain's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
didsomeonesayviolin's review against another edition
I thought I'd die. I was super determined to push through this feeling, but after 230 pages I just gave up. Hated almost every second of this book.