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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“The rose of old remains only in its name; we possess naked names.”
This book was somehow both intellectually dense and widely accessible to those that are not well acquainted with the medieval monastery life of Catholic monks. When I was first reading the description for this book, it appeared to be a plain read that would be difficult to interpret and enjoy. That was until I learned it was a “murder mystery” type of novel. Literature centered around mystery is a large gap in my reading and I had recently developed a significant interest in Catholic architecture, namely medieval churches, which ultimately led me down the long journey of reading this book while in university.
This book wasn’t the perfect mystery novel, but I don’t believe Eco intended for it to be that. There is a mystery, yes, but it is mainly centered around medieval philosophy, Eco’s specialty. The elements of this novel that I most enjoyed were the father-son relationship between master and apprentice, William and Adso, the complex and entertaining personalities of the various monks intertwined in the plot, learning how a Catholic abbey functioned, and even some of the philosophical medieval inquiries Eco casually reveals during William’s investigation: the one that I found the most compelling being the argument as to whether or not individuals in the Catholic order should live humble poor lifestyles or if they should display wealth and riches to the public to assert their authority and God’s splendor.
The last line in the final pages, which I have quoted above, was a brilliant ending to the book, but then again, I tend to be quite biased when it comes to strong symbols in literature. Representing the abbey as a rose, something ephemeral that decays with time, and comparing it with the books older Adso tries to preserve is a direct call to the reader, Eco reminding us that nothing of the past is as it once was, each second that passes history withers and only its name remains without the heart of its previous identity. The abbey was an architectural monument to the Catholic faith, a physical representation of the love for Jesus Christ, the library a maze of knowledge, dwindled to scraps of scribbles that will never be pieced together to understand their original meaning. Everything we touch and see will never remain: the rose, no matter how striking, will wilt, darken, and burn, its ashes falling as fate had ordained. Eco shows us how helpless humans are when it comes to time and preserving original meaning, the best we can do is appreciate the rose while it is still in full bloom.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Eco gives us an amazing novel about a convent that calls a brother and his young assistant (our POV character) to them to investigate what seems to be a suicide but may be something more. The action unfolds over a week, with each section divided into the bells that mark the hours at the monestary. We get drawn into the intricacies and politics of the monastery. If you like the video game Pentiment, this was one of the inspirations, and you'll like it a lot.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-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:
No
So disappointed - I think the underlying story would have been great but there's just too much pretentious over explanation of stuff which feels wholly irrelevant and from what I see in other review, this continues throughout the whole book.