Scan barcode
mahariel's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
wwatts1734's review against another edition
4.0
"Baudolino" is another wonderful story of Medieval Europe by Umberto Eco, an Italian professor of Philology and the history of the Middle Ages. Like his book "The Name of the Rose", Eco tells a compelling story of the Middle Ages. In doing so, he manages to avoid many of the sins committed by other writers of Medieval Historical Fiction. He takes the faith of the people seriously while avoiding the flaw of portraying the times as a period of universal holiness. He paints the people of the Middle Ages as neither a Communion of Saints nor a society of fools and naves. He also has a great grasp of the culture of the times and especially the overlap of the two "Roman Empires", the Holy Roman Empire centered in Germany and the Byzantine Empire centered in modern day Turkey. His mixture of historical figures like the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and fictional characters makes for a great story.
Set in the high Middle Ages of the 12th Century, the story is set during the sack of Constantinople by the fellow Christians of the 4th Crusade. This sad and embarrassing era of history is punctuated by the political intrigues of the two Roman Empires and the expanding scholarship of Europe, including the rise of many of the great Universities of Europe. In this setting, Baudolino, a man of peasant extraction who is fortuitously adopted by an Emperor, wanders the continent and well into Asia, telling lies and stories as he goes. In many ways this novel is part historical fiction and part fantasy. It is obvious that several of the lands described by Eco could not exist, and were an amalgamation of ancient mythology and the heresies of the early Christian Church. But the story has some wonderful plot twists and, in true Eco fashion, the ending of the story is something that the reader will never anticipate. Overall this is a masterfully told story.
My only criticism of this book is that, like other novels by Umberto Eco, this one dwells a bit too much on controversy. There are long interludes where the characters debate topics in Christian theology, philosophy and other topics that makes the story drag a little. It is obvious that Eco is an expert on the ancient and medieval world, but in this setting it is hard to divulge too much novel to a reader who really wants to enjoy a good story. While the reader will learn a ton about many topics in European history, he will do so at the cost of a much longer and drawn out story than is necessary.
Overall I would highly recommend this novel to fans of Umberto Eco, the historical fiction of Medieval Europe and fans of fantasy novels.
Set in the high Middle Ages of the 12th Century, the story is set during the sack of Constantinople by the fellow Christians of the 4th Crusade. This sad and embarrassing era of history is punctuated by the political intrigues of the two Roman Empires and the expanding scholarship of Europe, including the rise of many of the great Universities of Europe. In this setting, Baudolino, a man of peasant extraction who is fortuitously adopted by an Emperor, wanders the continent and well into Asia, telling lies and stories as he goes. In many ways this novel is part historical fiction and part fantasy. It is obvious that several of the lands described by Eco could not exist, and were an amalgamation of ancient mythology and the heresies of the early Christian Church. But the story has some wonderful plot twists and, in true Eco fashion, the ending of the story is something that the reader will never anticipate. Overall this is a masterfully told story.
My only criticism of this book is that, like other novels by Umberto Eco, this one dwells a bit too much on controversy. There are long interludes where the characters debate topics in Christian theology, philosophy and other topics that makes the story drag a little. It is obvious that Eco is an expert on the ancient and medieval world, but in this setting it is hard to divulge too much novel to a reader who really wants to enjoy a good story. While the reader will learn a ton about many topics in European history, he will do so at the cost of a much longer and drawn out story than is necessary.
Overall I would highly recommend this novel to fans of Umberto Eco, the historical fiction of Medieval Europe and fans of fantasy novels.
tgestabrook's review against another edition
5.0
Like Forrest Gump, but with Gnosticism?
In all seriousness, I loved this book and found it beautiful, imaginative, hilarious, and moving. More adventure stories should devote pages to neoplatonism and more philosophical novels should have manticore battles, Armenian wizard's towers, and skiapods.
In all seriousness, I loved this book and found it beautiful, imaginative, hilarious, and moving. More adventure stories should devote pages to neoplatonism and more philosophical novels should have manticore battles, Armenian wizard's towers, and skiapods.
aceface's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
kellynanne's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.0
Didn’t have a gosh darn clue what was going on the entire time. Will probably have to reread to properly understand it
brendanjones's review against another edition
1.0
I don’t know if it’s the author of the translation, but this was painful to read. Gave it a chance but didn’t make it past 100 pages. Overly florid and rambling – yet somehow disjointed – dialogue written in run-on sentences. Maybe with a better translation and grammar this would be doable.
laurenmsilverman's review against another edition
Not sure how I feel. I find so much beautiful charming potential in the characters (Baudolino especially) but the novel didn't land for me. It was a two-starrer till the end, since I do love a great tragic ending. I was hoping for more, especially after becoming obsessed with The Name of the Rose!
Characters were too flat for me to care about them, except for Baudolino. I think condensing the story and focusing on fewer characters would make for a lovely film, actually. Looking forward to reading more Eco books.
Characters were too flat for me to care about them, except for Baudolino. I think condensing the story and focusing on fewer characters would make for a lovely film, actually. Looking forward to reading more Eco books.
meksus's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
tsenteme's review against another edition
4.0
Αν και λίγο κουραστικός ο Eco, αποδεικνύει ότι είναι φοβερός γνώστης τη μεσαιωνικής ιστορίας, αλλά και ταλαντούχος μυθοπλάστης.