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emmonsannae's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I’m going to miss being able to lose myself in this book! At once a thrilling example and a brilliant subversion of the mystery novel, this story is just as much of a labyrinth as the library at its center. And it is magnificently researched! The medieval world is so painstakingly constructed that we are able to live in the abbey with the characters. (Because it is so unflinching in depicting the past using the same wording as its sources, there is some brutal content especially relating to women and treatment of heretics—see warnings.) I loved finishing the novel and being able to read U.E.’s notes on his method and literary theory—that took this book from a 4.5 to a 5 for me. The ending isn’t anything like I expected, which disappointed me at first (even though that is very clearly the point). I do think it would be a disservice to the story and to what we’ll call “natural law” for it to have ended any other way. I wish I could start it again from the beginning blind!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Misogyny
Moderate: Body horror, Classism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Gore, Murder, Sexism, Sexual content, and Torture
nozomi's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexism, Homophobia, Rape, Murder, and Misogyny
Moderate: Torture and Death
Minor: Suicide
seanml's review
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A very well-written story, centered on a mysterious death at a Catholic abbey in the 1320s, and the two monks that set to uncover the truth. Despite its length, I thought this book was very well written (Or perhaps, translated since it was originally published in Italian) and goes by quickly. However, if one half of this book is mystery, the other half (And I’m not exaggerating: 50% of the narrative at least) is all theological discussion in the setting of medieval Italy. If that doesn’t sound very interesting to you, brace yourself. And even if that does sound interesting, brace yourself even further because with medieval Abrahamic religion comes intense, indoctrinated misogyny. Is it culturally and historically, accurate? Perhaps. Does the author actually believe in the evil of women? Luckily, no. Nevertheless you’ll encounter multiple sections where monks preach the evils of womanhood, all while the abbey is beset by lies and murder. But as our main characters trudge on, they must ask: Where is the goodness of their God? Where is the justice in His cosmic plan? The answer becomes less and less confident. Equal parts mystery, equal parts Catholic history, equal parts theological skepticism, I thought this was a captivating story. 8/10.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Classism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Homophobia, Murder, Death, Outing, Religious bigotry, and Suicide
Minor: Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Violence, Sexual content, Animal death, Antisemitism, Dementia, Incest, Confinement, Islamophobia, Rape, Vomit, Alcohol, and Sexual assault
lananis's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Hay partes que son muy lentas pero lo vale por la trama. Me sorprendió el sentido del humor y tiene uno de los mejores finales de cualquier historia de misterio que he leído.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexism and Homophobia
crufts's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow, what a book.
The Name of the Rose is a murder mystery set in an Italian monastery in the year 1327. As in the style of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, where the narrator is the detective's assistant, so it is here.
The main character is Brother Adso, a young German monk visiting Italy, who acts as an assistant to Brother William of Baskerville, an English monk who has been called to the monastery for his Inquisitorial skills. The protagonists soon learn that one of the monastery's monks (Adelmo) has died in mysterious circumstances, and so the investigation begins.
So as not to spoil the plot, I'll refrain from going into an excited rant about the clever puzzles the narrative poses to the main characters. Instead, I'll comment that I was delighted to see the way these medieval characters applied medieval modes of forensic and logical investigation to the mystery. There were fun and fascinating chase scenes in spooky hidden passages, and a library which edges into sci-fi with its clever design.
The story's characterization was another one of its gems. Adso's innocence and eagerness to help is charming, and William's sly humour brought light and levity to this detective novel. Lest you be concerned that the novel might put you off by being too religious, rest assured that many characters' religious views are the target of debate and incredulity, and even form the butt of jokes. For example, there's a hilarious moment when Adso is disappointed to learn that unicorns aren't real. At another point, a long passage of argument between monks about what the poverty of Christ should mean suddenly picks up and turns into a brawl with amusing and creative insults thrown around.
The Storygraph website has asked me to note whether the characters are diverse. While they're not diverse in the way I assume the site means (because they're nearly all white cis men), they are diverse in the context of the setting: the monks are from a dozen different countries with a spectrum of different languages and cultural backgrounds, and this turns up in the plot.
Overall, if you enjoy mystery and detective novels, The Name of the Rose will be right up your alley.
I strongly recommend listening to the audiobook (which I did), as the historical storytelling parts are a lot more fun when you get to hear Brother William raising his voice and using different intonations.
The Name of the Rose is a murder mystery set in an Italian monastery in the year 1327. As in the style of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, where the narrator is the detective's assistant, so it is here.
The main character is Brother Adso, a young German monk visiting Italy, who acts as an assistant to Brother William of Baskerville, an English monk who has been called to the monastery for his Inquisitorial skills. The protagonists soon learn that one of the monastery's monks (Adelmo) has died in mysterious circumstances, and so the investigation begins.
So as not to spoil the plot, I'll refrain from going into an excited rant about the clever puzzles the narrative poses to the main characters. Instead, I'll comment that I was delighted to see the way these medieval characters applied medieval modes of forensic and logical investigation to the mystery. There were fun and fascinating chase scenes in spooky hidden passages, and a library which edges into sci-fi with its clever design.
The story's characterization was another one of its gems. Adso's innocence and eagerness to help is charming, and William's sly humour brought light and levity to this detective novel. Lest you be concerned that the novel might put you off by being too religious, rest assured that many characters' religious views are the target of debate and incredulity, and even form the butt of jokes. For example, there's a hilarious moment when Adso is disappointed to learn that unicorns aren't real. At another point, a long passage of argument between monks about what the poverty of Christ should mean suddenly picks up and turns into a brawl with amusing and creative insults thrown around.
The Storygraph website has asked me to note whether the characters are diverse. While they're not diverse in the way I assume the site means (because they're nearly all white cis men), they are diverse in the context of the setting: the monks are from a dozen different countries with a spectrum of different languages and cultural backgrounds, and this turns up in the plot.
Overall, if you enjoy mystery and detective novels, The Name of the Rose will be right up your alley.
I strongly recommend listening to the audiobook (which I did), as the historical storytelling parts are a lot more fun when you get to hear Brother William raising his voice and using different intonations.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism and Homophobia
Minor: Antisemitism and Sexual content
Period-typical homophobia, also condoned by the protagonists, as "sinful" and "unnatural". However, no direct harassment or confrontation is made towards the gay characters.Period-typical sexism is woven into the fabric of the society and even condoned by the main characters. "Women are the vessel of the devil", etc.
A sex scene is written in highly chaste and poetic language, which is actually made of stitched-together religious quotes - imagine a monk describing a spiritual and transcendent experience.
Antisemitic remarks are made briefly by some characters.
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