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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
jayisreading's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
3.0
I’ll admit that it never crossed my mind to pick up this novel, partially because of my slight aversion to semiotics (which Eco is well-known for). However, knowing that it was a huge influence on a video game I absolutely loved (i.e., Pentiment), I thought I’d give his novel a try.
Not entirely to my surprise, The Name of the Rose was quite dense in its themes, writing style, and theoretical frameworks. I would even go so far as to say that Eco’s philosophical interests overshadowed the story itself. As a result of this, I felt a bit frustrated by the novel, because I wasn’t particularly interested in the erudite discussions that somewhat strayed from the main story, which I wanted more of. Ultimately, I think I would have liked the novel far more if there was a better balance of creative storytelling and scholarly writing. To me, at least, I felt that Eco had a very particular group of people in mind while writing this novel; I was definitely not a member of this audience, which might be why a fair bit of what he wrote flew over my head (for example, I know very little about Catholicism, which is central to the story).
That being said, I will say that this is a novel that demands the reader’s full attention, as well as their willingness to take the time to digest Eco’s ideas. Unfortunately, I didn’t have either of these due to my schedule and having borrowed the book from the library (i.e., I had limited time), so these definitely played into why I struggled to fully appreciate this novel. I guess this is to say take this review with a grain of salt, because it’s clear that a fair number of readers found the book quite rich and engaging (e.g., the developers of Pentiment, haha), and that’s likely because they had the time to sit with Eco’s words.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Suicide
Minor: Torture and Cannibalism
marxxx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Blood, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Excrement and Cannibalism
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.