Reviews

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

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emniy's review against another edition

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informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

lynguy1's review

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2.0

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco is translated by William Weaver. It is set in Italy in 1327. Brother William of Baskerville is sent to investigate the suspicions of heresy by the Benedictines in a wealthy abbey. However, when arriving at the abbey, mysterious deaths force him to turn detective.

While the story line was interesting and the descriptions of the abbey were vivid, the verbose, and flowery writing style overshadowed everything for me. There is a lot of philosophy and some wry humor, but it did not overcome the writing style for me.

I enjoy historical mysteries, but this one didn’t work for me. However, many readers have loved this book and it has won some literary awards.

I purchased a digital copy of this novel. This is my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and are not biased in any way.