skconaghan 's review for:

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

4.0

challenging dark informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Always wanted to read this, finally dug in and finished… 

 

A darkly humorous and intellectual piece of historical narrative mingled with a multiple murder mystery that must have been at least a mild source of inspiration for CJ Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake novels. 

 

I watched the film ages ago, and it was a poignant on-screen rendition, but as usual, the word on the page brings so many additional layers of unuttered nuance to the narrative. 

 

This plot of intricate deceptions threads terror through a crumbling establishment, the sense of distrust growing among once bonded members, their faltering faith teetering on the brink of extinction while bodies drop daily at the hand of an unknown killer. Amid his astute observations and the detective work he employs to find the murderer, Brother William philosophises like an ancient Greek, theologises like a verbose Rabbi, and decodes symbols like Indiana Jones. 

 There’s a bit of action in here reminiscent of Indiana, too, if he’d been a Franciscan monk from the fourteenth century. 

 

I can see why this became an instant classic in its time and now, these forty+ years on, has become a timeless piece of literature.