The Name Of The Rose Paperback – April 22, 2014

I love this book! Such a strange curiosity- part historical fiction, part murder mystery. Umberto Echo is at his intellectual zenith, glibly quoting Latin and referencing (most accurately, I think) this troubled era. If you haven’t read it already, please do not hesitate- a real treat, and perhaps one of the finest books of literature produced in the 2nd half of the 20th century.

"The Name of the Rose " is a medieval murder mystery by author Umberto Eco. The paperback copy is 517 pages long and retails for $10.85 while the Kindle e-version is a 896 Kb download that retails for $3.28 at the time of writing this review.SPOILERSThe story is set in the 1327... William of Baskerville, a former grand inquisitor, has been called to a remote abbey in the north of Italy to investigate some rumors of heresy. However, a recent mysterious death sidetracks is original mission, and leads to many new and disturbing findings. The results are an investigation what will shake the Abbey to its very foundations and will affect nearly everyone associated with this Holy place of worship.With him is a young boy by the name of Adso, a monk in training, who also acts as his scribe. Their investigations meet obstacle after obstacle, but eventually enough information is gleaned between murders, to make our sleuths aware that the off-limits library seems to hold the answers to the ever increasing number of questions.END SPOILERSImpressions:The story, when it was able to stay on focus, was great...interesting, tense and even at times, harrowing. Dark recesses visible only by the ambient lighting from candles or oil lamps, affairs that were both secretive and illicit, clandestine meetings...all gave this book high marks for intrigue and maintaining the readers interest.But...as good as the main tale was, unfortunately there were long and drawn out segments that dealt with the religious ideology of the time. Differences in religious views that prevailed in neighboring areas of Italy, France and Germany in the early 1300s, resulted in the formation of several separate orders of Monks... each firmly entrenched into the thinking that their 'religious perceptions' were the only correct version.To illustrate some of the absurdity, two topic of great and prolonged discussion in this book were the interpretations of the 'vows of poverty' and whether Jesus ever laughed. Hard to believe that such insignificant sounding topics could dominate the religious politics of the day. And you had to be careful who you talked to, because your point of view could label you a heretic is the wrong circles.I'm not a historian, but if accurate, the detail in reciting some of the religious thinking of that era and the thousand years before it was truly impressive.Because of the rarity of books in that age (most were painstakingly copied by hand) most information of the millennium before the time of this story, was passed down by word of mouth or by fragile crumbling parchments. Not surprising then that accounts of events could change dramatically with the adding or dropping of an important word or phrase here or there. It also depended on the beliefs of the person telling these old accounts...adding a bit of personal 'color' to the history being related.Eco's book makes it perfectly clear that people of this era lived in a culture of ignorance, illiteracy, superstition and most of all, fear.In addition the book had a couple good maps at the beginning giving the layout of the Abbey, and one very informative map of the complicated series of rooms and hallways of the mysterious library.Conclusion:I loved this tale when it stayed on course with the story.The latter part of the book is somewhat different than what I remember from the movie.There is no questioning Eco's ability to write a great tale that can captivate a readers attention. That being said he also can drift off the subject at hand for prolong periods...side stories that although related to the story, have little to do with the actual substance of the plot. The number and length of these 'distractions' added significantly to the length of this book and to be honest had me skimming some of these sections.As it is...4 Stars (would have been an easy 5 if not for the 'diversions')Ray Nicholson

_The Name of the Rose_ is a challenging read: Eco infuses the dialogue with Latin, the primary plot doesn't really develop until after the first 100 pages, and he provides a superabundance of sub-plots and historical details. But where the journey is difficult, the rewards are tremendous - and I encourage readers who otherwise might consider leaving the book after the first dozens of pages to hang in there - the details Eco provides in the opening chapters are what make this such a marvelous, masterful work.Eco is writing on several levels: as a mystery, to be sure. Who is killing the monks at the abby and why? And why is there an apocalyptic theme to the deaths? What are the secrets being hidden by the monks, and how are they related to the crimes committed? But there is another level to the story: Brother William and his novice (Adso, the author of the story) are part of a larger theological mission regarding the nature of the Church - should it emphasize poverty? And if so, how does one reconcile this with the tremendous wealth and power the Church wields in the 14th century? (The backdrop of the story is set during the "Avignon Papacy" which resulted in two Popes claiming leadership of the Church). This conflict, in fact, may play a role in the murders; as a stand-alone issue, Eco not only shows remarkable historical accuracy, but also makes a commentary on the Church specifically and religion more generally. Yet Eco goes further still for those readers who are looking: while many of the characters and issues are drawn from history, Eco also gives a nod and wink to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in several respects - Brother William is "William of Baskerville"; the methods used by Brother William are identical to those used by Doyle's creation (deduction, inference and Occam's Razor - in fact, Occam is cited as an acquaintance of William's) - in fact, as the pair arrive at the abbey, the deductions William makes are too reminiscent to be overlooked. Further, the narrator writes as did Dr. Watson - _The Name of the Rose_ is essentially an account written by the investigator's side-kick.Eco's brilliance is also demonstrated in the organization of the book: it opens with the same lines as Genesis ("In the beginning was the word ...") and is broken up into seven days, each day divided into the monastic measurement of time (Matins, Lauds, Prime,Terce, Sext, Nomes, Vespers and Compline). This not only reinforces the sense of authenticity of the story, but it also draws readers into the rhythms and pattern of monastic life. The details of the monastery - and especially the library around which the investigation revolves - speaks to the conflict between reason (as exemplified by Brother William) and faith (as exemplified by the monks). This is a conflict that continues to the present and is related to the other issue of wealth and Christianity that is at the heart of the internal conflict within the Church in the 1300s.Perhaps my analysis is more than the casual reader is interested in, in which case Eco provides a top-notch mystery that is complicated, difficult to solve and rewarding in its conclusion. The only complaint I have plot-wise is the resolution: I was frustrated at the way in which Eco chose to end the mystery, if only because of my tremendous reverence for and love of the written word. That being said, the conclusion certainly does point to the value of monastic work in the Middle Ages, and the miracle that we have so many texts from the ancient world still extant._The Name of the Rose_ is dense and sometimes difficult to read (because of Latin, because of the historical details, and yes, because the mystery itself is a real challenge). But it is truly a masterpiece of writing - I highly recommend it.