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henrycooke's review against another edition
4.0
struggled in the middle a lot but i did quite like the ending. it could have been maybe 250 pages shorter quite comfortably.
when it sang it really sang. and it was deeply funny, and like all the best scholarly adventures made you feel very smart when you understood the references, and only a little lost when you didn’t - although he did write it before google.
there is so much discourse about conspiracy theories now that some of the book’s ideas feel a little flat, but not all of them. it’s definitely better than the da vinci code.
when it sang it really sang. and it was deeply funny, and like all the best scholarly adventures made you feel very smart when you understood the references, and only a little lost when you didn’t - although he did write it before google.
there is so much discourse about conspiracy theories now that some of the book’s ideas feel a little flat, but not all of them. it’s definitely better than the da vinci code.
troysennett's review against another edition
1.0
My main memory of this is that it was utterly inscrutable.
eustachio's review against another edition
3.0
È una storia ricca di intrecci e lo stile di Eco la fa apprezzare ancora di più, sia per il suo modo di caratterizzare e far interagire i personaggi sia perché la "morale" è di lasciar perdere le ricerche di Graal, tesori e segreti sperduti (cose almeno per me terribilmente noiose, infatti la parte del Piano è stata un polpettone).
Insomma, Eco è un genio, altro che Dan Brown.
Insomma, Eco è un genio, altro che Dan Brown.
sarahrigg's review against another edition
4.0
I bumped this novel up on my "to read" list after Eco died in 2016, and am glad that I did. The premise of the novel is that the protagonist and his friends at a publishing house in Milan start specializing in authors writing on occult and obscure topics, and the three begin to make a game out of creating their own conspiracy theory that they call "The Plan" by mish-mashing cabala with Rosicrucianism and mystical strains of Islam, witchcraft, Knights Templar and other bits of arcane knowledge. They think of it as a joke, but they realize someone is taking their Plan seriously when people start to go missing. The man's novels are NOT easy reads, but I didn't mind it. Sometimes I want a challenging read. I enjoyed this and plan to read more by Eco.
raceyburden's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
librarianna81's review against another edition
4.0
It took me 2 decades to read this...
When I worked in France during the summer of 2001, this book was passionately recommended to me by my boss, who had just himself climed this mountain. Now, nearly 20 years later, I myself have finally scaled the peak. I'd say it was worth it. What a book. Over 600 pages and I don't even know if that was half enough to explain everything. I know I only probably caught about 25% of the meanings and references in here. But it was still hard to put down and so well written. Eco really shines in his prose when he is relating vignettes; those really sang out to me in amongst the dense and sometimes impenetrable passages that dove so deeply into metaphysics.
En tout cas: Merci, Laurent.
12/31/20 ETA: I just realized that Eco's pastoral vignettes remind me so much of Borges. So much.
When I worked in France during the summer of 2001, this book was passionately recommended to me by my boss, who had just himself climed this mountain. Now, nearly 20 years later, I myself have finally scaled the peak. I'd say it was worth it. What a book. Over 600 pages and I don't even know if that was half enough to explain everything. I know I only probably caught about 25% of the meanings and references in here. But it was still hard to put down and so well written. Eco really shines in his prose when he is relating vignettes; those really sang out to me in amongst the dense and sometimes impenetrable passages that dove so deeply into metaphysics.
En tout cas: Merci, Laurent.
12/31/20 ETA: I just realized that Eco's pastoral vignettes remind me so much of Borges. So much.
kat_bird's review against another edition
4.0
The only reason I'm giving this four stars is because when I first read it in high school for a math class, I was too stupid to get it. I'm probably still too stupid to get it. I'm not sure if that is my problem or the book's problem.
towercorvid's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
fbeepo's review against another edition
5.0
Outstanding. Packed tightly, but not overwhelming. A fun and interesting story.
simo_t's review against another edition
4.0
Hengästyttävä ja paikoin uuvuttavakin sukellus salaliittojen maailmaan uponneiden ihmisten joukkoon. Eco osoitti kirjassa, miten kaiken saa halutessaan liittymään kaikkeen, jolloin historiasta voi rakentaa palapelin, joka todistaa mitä tahansa. Kirjan mieleenpainuvin osa on loppu, joka kuvaa vaikuttavasti ja koskettavasti mitä salaliittoteorioihin paneutuminen voi pahimmillaan ihmiselle tehdä.