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sonjamchen's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
andrew_j_r's review
4.0
I came to this book with a bit of a sense of trepidation. It was from a book group on this website, and the subject matter just initially seemed to be rather daunting.
This was not helped by the amount of exposition in the early parts of the book. Okay, I get how important the background is to what is actually going on, but early on there were pages and pages of it. And sometimes the descriptions of the places seemed to go on for too long as well.
But then I got to it. There are some elements that almost seem designed to put off the casual reader - passages and phrases in Latin, pages of dialogue about what one group of monks believe that literally went on for two or more pages without a break in the paragraph! But somehow I started to enjoy it, the characters intrigued me, and the further I got Ito the story, the easier it actually was to read.
Not sure if I'm brave enough to try more Eco soon, but I am really glad that I gave this boom a try and actually got something out of it. And actually, now I have read it, I am actually looking forward to seeing the film.
This was not helped by the amount of exposition in the early parts of the book. Okay, I get how important the background is to what is actually going on, but early on there were pages and pages of it. And sometimes the descriptions of the places seemed to go on for too long as well.
But then I got to it. There are some elements that almost seem designed to put off the casual reader - passages and phrases in Latin, pages of dialogue about what one group of monks believe that literally went on for two or more pages without a break in the paragraph! But somehow I started to enjoy it, the characters intrigued me, and the further I got Ito the story, the easier it actually was to read.
Not sure if I'm brave enough to try more Eco soon, but I am really glad that I gave this boom a try and actually got something out of it. And actually, now I have read it, I am actually looking forward to seeing the film.
fred312's review
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
underworldblues's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
song_bird's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
mcfade28's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Extraordinarily tedious. The murder mystery itself would likely be entertaining on its own, but the whole book is just bogged down with so much religious discussion and arguments between various sects of monk.
I heard the film adaptation is quite good, and I could see that, assuming they trim a lot of fat.
I heard the film adaptation is quite good, and I could see that, assuming they trim a lot of fat.
arina_lowery's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5