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antonio_rg's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jazose's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cortomaltese's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Definitely much on the easier side of Eco's to get into with regards to density of prose, subject matter, and so on. Not the most engaging of his--and I cringed on occasion--but Eco nonetheless has a wonderful ability to take one into the past, not just in the spacial settings around the characters but between them, how they see the world and engage with it, and their perspectives. There's an almost whimsical charm that's not present in, for example, The Name of the Rose (a favorite of mine), though Baudolino is certainly not devoid of tragedy and complex emotion. Definitely worth a read.
frahorus's review against another edition
4.0
Inizialmente un po' spiazzante, visto che inizi a leggere delle lettere sgrammaticate in latino, poi quando ti immedesimi nelle avventure del simpatico Baudolino ti lasci trascinare nella Storia con la esse maiuscola.
Esilarante la parte della moltiplicazione delle reliquie, le teste di San Giovanni Battista.
Da rileggere.
Esilarante la parte della moltiplicazione delle reliquie, le teste di San Giovanni Battista.
Da rileggere.
roxanamalinachirila's review against another edition
5.0
I am a geek, giving a geek's rating. If you lack patience for essays on medievalism, you'll probably prefer to throw this book against the wall.
It's incredibly rich in detail, with a lovely narrator who loves to lie - or at least, to make stories much better than they really are by adding things to them that aren't true, but ought to be. Luckily, all of Baudolino's lies are actually truths: Umberto Eco took his job of documenting the medieval spirit absolutely seriously. All creatures, places and events mentioned in the book do in fact exist - if not in reality, at least in medieval bestiaries.
Well, almost all. Some very obscure things are actually references to other books. For example, some sort-of-anthropomorphic creatures who have never seen horses before Baudolino and his friends bring some into their land, call horses "houyhnhnm", which is what Swift called his intelligent horses in "Gulliver's Travels".
Baudolino-the-book is also versatile, switching from a somewhat historical account, to a mystery novel, to an almost fairy tail-like style as it goes on.
It's wonderful, it's rich, it's a bit difficult - and all in all, if it's your sort of thing, it's really lovely.
It's incredibly rich in detail, with a lovely narrator who loves to lie - or at least, to make stories much better than they really are by adding things to them that aren't true, but ought to be. Luckily, all of Baudolino's lies are actually truths: Umberto Eco took his job of documenting the medieval spirit absolutely seriously. All creatures, places and events mentioned in the book do in fact exist - if not in reality, at least in medieval bestiaries.
Well, almost all. Some very obscure things are actually references to other books. For example, some sort-of-anthropomorphic creatures who have never seen horses before Baudolino and his friends bring some into their land, call horses "houyhnhnm", which is what Swift called his intelligent horses in "Gulliver's Travels".
Baudolino-the-book is also versatile, switching from a somewhat historical account, to a mystery novel, to an almost fairy tail-like style as it goes on.
It's wonderful, it's rich, it's a bit difficult - and all in all, if it's your sort of thing, it's really lovely.
tabea_sph_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
dany_abra's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
supernautster's review against another edition
5.0
Excelente novela histórica que transcurre en la alta edad media y recorre una serie de mitos y leyendas recreadas por el protagonista, a través de su propia versión apócrifa.
En su punto más álgido, el autor claramente juega con el lector al presentarle la historia ficticia de una leyenda, como cierta.
Es un libro que desearía no tuviera fin.
En su punto más álgido, el autor claramente juega con el lector al presentarle la historia ficticia de una leyenda, como cierta.
Es un libro que desearía no tuviera fin.
theveryslowreader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Honestly this book suprised me. In beginning it seemed long and boring, but it really got me towards the end. It was really raw and the language is so flowery and poetic that it is beautiful. I loved reading about the adventure Baudolino has and toward the end I started rooting for him in a way. I also really enjoyed the philosophical discussion in this book as well as the question of spirituality. This book also question illusion and reality and how do we what we know is real. In the end this book caught my off guard and I really enjoyed it.