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sarah_tani's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual content
astrangewind's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I'm not really sure if I liked The Name of the Rose.
The book was incredibly slow-moving, and written very densely, full of philosophical and literary references and tirades that I'm not well-read enough to understand. In general, I feel like philosophers (and their work) have a smugness about them that I find distasteful, which was true for the portions of this book that devolved into arguments or monologues about whether or not Jesus Christ laughed.
That said, I did find the plot compelling enough to finish the book. At times, it lulled, but the mystery was sufficiently mysterious to keep me reading. There was humor to be had, too; a 14th century monk talking about a perpetual motion machine made me chuckle. The ending was fascinating, and I genuinely couldn't put the book down at the last 70 pages or so. I'm sure there's some kind of allegory there, or other kind of metaphor or lesson, but even without the background to be able to understand it, I still enjoyed the plot for what it was.
The book was incredibly slow-moving, and written very densely, full of philosophical and literary references and tirades that I'm not well-read enough to understand. In general, I feel like philosophers (and their work) have a smugness about them that I find distasteful, which was true for the portions of this book that devolved into arguments or monologues about whether or not Jesus Christ laughed.
That said, I did find the plot compelling enough to finish the book. At times, it lulled, but the mystery was sufficiently mysterious to keep me reading. There was humor to be had, too; a 14th century monk talking about a perpetual motion machine made me chuckle. The ending was fascinating, and I genuinely couldn't put the book down at the last 70 pages or so. I'm sure there's some kind of allegory there, or other kind of metaphor or lesson, but even without the background to be able to understand it, I still enjoyed the plot for what it was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, Blood, and Islamophobia
Minor: Confinement and Torture
deparme's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death, Misogyny, and Torture
saintmaud's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, and Misogyny
Minor: Incest
milomoment's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Its got monks!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
its funny even though theres a lot of words and goderebus53's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I read this as book club read (specifically the two-monthly thick book). It was a book that I had heard the name of and I had heard was a "classic" but I really had no idea what I was getting myself in for.
This is a book that is.. weighty.. and verbose. It is full of smatterings of French, Latin, Italian Arabic and German (deftly and comprehendibly narrated in the Audiobook!) that don't have any subtitles or footnotes, so unless your Latin is top notch, it is advisable to arm yourself with a companion or glossary.
The story is historical drama meets murder mystery ..less cozy more cloistered. (All the monk stuff reminded me of reading Anathem.. though it is a vastly different book.) The inquisitors and the politics crafted a labyrinthine theoretical minefield that made me wonder how people could ever seek truth in a place where philosophy could be so dangerous. Power, control, and orthodoxy, and their interaction with piety, truth, honesty and love, are in constant antagonism.
Through this all is strung a lot of dark humour. Holmes-like deduction baffles people who are unaware of the underlying logic, and intellect is lauded, while at the same time it recurs that truth is often uttered by the foolish or innocent who don't have the guile to hold their tongues. Major theological arguments about charity and poverty (is it ethical for the church to own riches?), and the use of humour to convince the commoners to follow a righteous path (because surely if they aren't taking their Faith seriously, then they are destined for ruin), are battled over many chapters. A lot of dry sarcasm is employed in ironic exploration of the values of humour.
As people seem to be dropping dead in Shakespearean abundance, there is some discussion of the use of herbs and healing things for making poisons. The use of hallucinatory herbs is in there, and I felt less in over my head when the monks were talking about herbs, of which I had previous knowledge. Along with hallucinations, visions and dreams there are a lot of demonic descriptions, some of which come from Classical mythology. All that time I spent reading the Revelation of John and Rick Riordan's Demigods was not wasted, as some of those slightly more obscure monsters were also familiar to me. I was reallly impressed with the way the narrator related a ridiculous fever-dream / prophesy(?) filled with historical and biblical characters and familiar characters from the story, gabbling at a fairly constant patter. Comedic indeed!
Depictions of women in this book are ... 12th century monastic misogyny? The main character falls for someone and thinks it's love despite never having had a conversation with the object of his desire. Homosexual relationships are telegraphed quite early in the peace and decried by the monks. Not every coupling in the story (none of which are particularly explicit, save maybe one(?)) is based in mutual consent, many being for payment or favours. Demonic visions get a bit bawdy and grotesque, as does the talk of bodily fluids.
I honestly think I would have never finished this if I was attempting to read it with my eyeballs, not just because I can only read in half-hour increments due to my eye injury, but just because it's lofty and dense and full of lengthy Latin quotes from other texts that I would have laboured over rather than getting an approximate understanding of. My Latin isn't super great, but it's not non-existent either.
I think the lumbering pace of the book knocks a star off. The mystery of it was not too taxing to figure out, and it was funny, but I won't be hustling to re-read it any time soon.
This is a book that is.. weighty.. and verbose. It is full of smatterings of French, Latin, Italian Arabic and German (deftly and comprehendibly narrated in the Audiobook!) that don't have any subtitles or footnotes, so unless your Latin is top notch, it is advisable to arm yourself with a companion or glossary.
The story is historical drama meets murder mystery ..less cozy more cloistered. (All the monk stuff reminded me of reading Anathem.. though it is a vastly different book.) The inquisitors and the politics crafted a labyrinthine theoretical minefield that made me wonder how people could ever seek truth in a place where philosophy could be so dangerous. Power, control, and orthodoxy, and their interaction with piety, truth, honesty and love, are in constant antagonism.
Through this all is strung a lot of dark humour. Holmes-like deduction baffles people who are unaware of the underlying logic, and intellect is lauded, while at the same time it recurs that truth is often uttered by the foolish or innocent who don't have the guile to hold their tongues. Major theological arguments about charity and poverty (is it ethical for the church to own riches?), and the use of humour to convince the commoners to follow a righteous path (because surely if they aren't taking their Faith seriously, then they are destined for ruin), are battled over many chapters. A lot of dry sarcasm is employed in ironic exploration of the values of humour.
As people seem to be dropping dead in Shakespearean abundance, there is some discussion of the use of herbs and healing things for making poisons. The use of hallucinatory herbs is in there, and I felt less in over my head when the monks were talking about herbs, of which I had previous knowledge. Along with hallucinations, visions and dreams there are a lot of demonic descriptions, some of which come from Classical mythology. All that time I spent reading the Revelation of John and Rick Riordan's Demigods was not wasted, as some of those slightly more obscure monsters were also familiar to me. I was reallly impressed with the way the narrator related a ridiculous fever-dream / prophesy(?) filled with historical and biblical characters and familiar characters from the story, gabbling at a fairly constant patter. Comedic indeed!
Depictions of women in this book are ... 12th century monastic misogyny? The main character falls for someone and thinks it's love despite never having had a conversation with the object of his desire. Homosexual relationships are telegraphed quite early in the peace and decried by the monks. Not every coupling in the story (none of which are particularly explicit, save maybe one(?)) is based in mutual consent, many being for payment or favours. Demonic visions get a bit bawdy and grotesque, as does the talk of bodily fluids.
I honestly think I would have never finished this if I was attempting to read it with my eyeballs, not just because I can only read in half-hour increments due to my eye injury, but just because it's lofty and dense and full of lengthy Latin quotes from other texts that I would have laboured over rather than getting an approximate understanding of. My Latin isn't super great, but it's not non-existent either.
I think the lumbering pace of the book knocks a star off. The mystery of it was not too taxing to figure out, and it was funny, but I won't be hustling to re-read it any time soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
zosiablue's review against another edition
challenging
funny
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? It's complicated
3.75
Was I thinking I was checking out the novelization of In The Name of the Father (IRA story) and not The Name of The Rose (13th century monk crime story)? Yeah but it's kind of fun when I accidentally step into a genre I wouldn't normally read. And so I stepped! This book was:
A murder mystery
A full-on escape room
About the dangers of syllogisms, books preserved but not read, and religious fervor
A what-if theory about the lost second book of Poetics,
and kind of horny.
It was fun but tedious, twisty but repetitive, and tender, no notes on that one. Glad I fell into it.
A murder mystery
A full-on escape room
About the dangers of syllogisms, books preserved but not read, and religious fervor
A what-if theory about the lost second book of Poetics,
and kind of horny.
It was fun but tedious, twisty but repetitive, and tender, no notes on that one. Glad I fell into it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
bookish_bry's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
First of all, despite my 5 star rating, this book really isn't for everyone. I myself have a degree in anthropology and enjoy reading rather dense books. It hit a perfect sweet spot for me as a reader, but if you are not one for philosophy, it likely is not a book for you.
This was honestly such a strange books at times and was often hilarious. Eco basically dropped a rather liberal stereotypical Sherlock Holms rip off into an abbey in 1327. The absurdity of the detective novel formula mixed with the setting and content often had me smiling in bemusement. (Which did fit well with one of it's major themes of humor.) If done poorly, the character of William existing in 1327 as a monk could have taken me out of the plot, but it was done very well here.
The mystery was well laid out and I managed to sus out some, but not all of the ending twist, which is the most enjoyable state to be in while reading a mystery novel for me. The events were well foreshadowed, but not in my face.
I really enjoyed the theme of signs throughout the book and I could probably write a research paper on the topic if I was still a student needing a topic for an English class.
"Books are not made to be believed, but to be subjected to inquiry. When we consider a book, we mustn't ask ourselves what it says but what it means." I will be thinking about the topics brought up in this book for a while.
This was honestly such a strange books at times and was often hilarious. Eco basically dropped a rather liberal stereotypical Sherlock Holms rip off into an abbey in 1327. The absurdity of the detective novel formula mixed with the setting and content often had me smiling in bemusement. (Which did fit well with one of it's major themes of humor.) If done poorly, the character of William existing in 1327 as a monk could have taken me out of the plot, but it was done very well here.
The mystery was well laid out and I managed to sus out some, but not all of the ending twist, which is the most enjoyable state to be in while reading a mystery novel for me. The events were well foreshadowed, but not in my face.
I really enjoyed the theme of signs throughout the book and I could probably write a research paper on the topic if I was still a student needing a topic for an English class.
"Books are not made to be believed, but to be subjected to inquiry. When we consider a book, we mustn't ask ourselves what it says but what it means." I will be thinking about the topics brought up in this book for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Antisemitism
Minor: Sexual content and Cannibalism
There is sexual coercion mentioned.nakednames's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this time im really gonna do it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Vomit, Antisemitism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
It's all handled very well, and none of it comes across as bigotry from the author. Most of the content warnings are inherent to the time period/ institution, and are there for the purpose of critique by the author.emmonsannae's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
I’m going to miss being able to lose myself in this book! At once a thrilling example and a brilliant subversion of the mystery novel, this story is just as much of a labyrinth as the library at its center. And it is magnificently researched! The medieval world is so painstakingly constructed that we are able to live in the abbey with the characters. (Because it is so unflinching in depicting the past using the same wording as its sources, there is some brutal content especially relating to women and treatment of heretics—see warnings.) I loved finishing the novel and being able to read U.E.’s notes on his method and literary theory—that took this book from a 4.5 to a 5 for me. The ending isn’t anything like I expected, which disappointed me at first (even though that is very clearly the point). I do think it would be a disservice to the story and to what we’ll call “natural law” for it to have ended any other way. I wish I could start it again from the beginning blind!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Classism