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A review by runjnee
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
4.0
What a mind-blowing read.
(This is a pretty disjointed review owing to the amount of gushing involved. No spoilers, however.)
Owing to various circumstances, I had to keep snatching time to read this book, and therefore ended up having to stick with it for a very long time. I wish I could have read it faster so that I can read it again sooner. This was Eco's first book? Woah.
I have read a few of his other books, and went into this one expecting it to be similar to Baudolino. I found it much better in a completely different way, but I also felt that there was a bit too much exposition at some places. To be expected, perhaps, in a book with Benedictine monks, but that's the only reason I took away one star (although I agree with the "it was amazing" according to Goodreads' rating system). In one part, I actually put the book down angry at how much preaching I had to read!
Plot-wise, it's an excellent mystery with an ending that is apropos. I grew quite fond of the narrator and Brother William, and despite the number of characters focused on in the monastery, I remember all of them by name. Each one has a distinct personality that has somehow been fully fleshed out even if only a few pages have been devoted to describing them.
One complaint many people seem to have about this book is the amount of Latin in it. Despite that, it didn't go over my head - most of it can be understood contextually anyway, even if you can't place the quote.
Despite all its other merits, the biggest plus of the book for me was the wrapping up of the mystery. I'm someone who doesn't mind spoilers - I can definitely enjoy the journey to the end even if I know the end. In this book's case, I didn't (surprising despite how famous it is, I suppose), and for the first time in my life I feel like it was a good thing that I didn't. The read wouldn't have been as enjoyable. It is a mystery that is perfectly solvable on our own, unlike all those other novels where the main detective knows things we don't, and so the experience is highly rewarding.
I find myself learning so much when reading an Eco book. This is one that I will definitely revisit with a pen and notebook on one side, and Google on the other.
(This is a pretty disjointed review owing to the amount of gushing involved. No spoilers, however.)
Owing to various circumstances, I had to keep snatching time to read this book, and therefore ended up having to stick with it for a very long time. I wish I could have read it faster so that I can read it again sooner. This was Eco's first book? Woah.
I have read a few of his other books, and went into this one expecting it to be similar to Baudolino. I found it much better in a completely different way, but I also felt that there was a bit too much exposition at some places. To be expected, perhaps, in a book with Benedictine monks, but that's the only reason I took away one star (although I agree with the "it was amazing" according to Goodreads' rating system). In one part, I actually put the book down angry at how much preaching I had to read!
Plot-wise, it's an excellent mystery with an ending that is apropos. I grew quite fond of the narrator and Brother William, and despite the number of characters focused on in the monastery, I remember all of them by name. Each one has a distinct personality that has somehow been fully fleshed out even if only a few pages have been devoted to describing them.
One complaint many people seem to have about this book is the amount of Latin in it. Despite that, it didn't go over my head - most of it can be understood contextually anyway, even if you can't place the quote.
Despite all its other merits, the biggest plus of the book for me was the wrapping up of the mystery. I'm someone who doesn't mind spoilers - I can definitely enjoy the journey to the end even if I know the end. In this book's case, I didn't (surprising despite how famous it is, I suppose), and for the first time in my life I feel like it was a good thing that I didn't. The read wouldn't have been as enjoyable. It is a mystery that is perfectly solvable on our own, unlike all those other novels where the main detective knows things we don't, and so the experience is highly rewarding.
I find myself learning so much when reading an Eco book. This is one that I will definitely revisit with a pen and notebook on one side, and Google on the other.