The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
3/5 stars
Premise- (3.5/5) I was very curious about The Name of the Rose. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it’s often cited as a classic, and the premise of a murder-mystery in a monastery is pretty unique. When I saw it on sale for two bucks, I couldn’t resist. I was both excited and wary, hoping for an excellent murder mystery, but unsure what to expect, especially for reading difficulty.
Characters- (3.5/5) There were a LOT of characters in this book. I would’ve liked to get to know many of them better. I did like the narrator for the most part; he was entertaining to read. His mentor, Brother William, was also really interesting to read about. A Sherlock-Holmes type character, but also a monk. Our villain, who I will not name for the purpose of spoilers, was a believable and suitably frightening figure, whose belief in his own correctness was deeply unsettling. At times, some of the monks blended together a bit, and I had a little trouble keeping everyone straight. There were a lot of names and just generally a lot going on, but I mostly enjoyed the characters.
Plot- (4/5) Definitely the best part of this book for me. Though there were a lot of digressions (see more about that below), and the novel was fairly slow-moving, once it came together, the plot was brilliant. An original and inventive murder mystery if I ever read one. It took a while for the pieces to fit together, but once they did, it made a lot of sense and incorporated a lot of clever details. Convoluted and messy, but ultimately satisfying!
World- (3/5) Coincidentally, the last book I finished, The Inquisitor’s Tale, also took place in the middle ages – very different story though. I’m not super familiar with the middle ages in general, much less monastic life at that time. The details of the monastery, particularly architecturally, were a bit much for me sometimes. I felt like I was getting a bit lost. Very thorough world building, and lots of discussion of the muddled politics and religion that was going on at that time. Probably very well researched and quite thorough, which is well done by Eco, but a little rough sometimes if you’re not that into the middle ages. Basically, plus points for putting in the work and research, minus points because it got overwhelming.
Writing- (2/5) Easily where I struggled the most with the book. Though the main plot is a murder mystery, there is a lot more going on. Commentary on the rooting out of heresy, the conflicts and connections between church and politics, and a lot of philosophical and theological debate. There were a lot of digressions, stuff that was interesting, but difficult to follow. I did not exactly breeze through this book, and I probably missed a lot of the author’s finer points about theology and philosophy. Plus, there was some misogyny and anti-Islam rhetoric, which while historically accurate, was just not fun to read. Don’t get me wrong, there were sections of the book that were really enjoyable to read, well-written, beautiful prose, sharp wit, but it was not an easy read. Also, though I appreciate the at-times extensive use of Latin throughout the book, there were no translations when Eco lapsed into other languages, so that was tricky. Good writing, but a bit dense.
Overall- (3.2/5) The Name of the Rose is a classic for a lot of people, and I can see why. I loved the murder-mystery plot of the story, but the writing was difficult for me to read at times. Pretty intensive world building was really interesting, but overwhelming at times. An excellent plot, driven by a large cast of interesting characters. This book isn’t one to breeze through in a couple days, but if you have an interest in the middle ages, are looking for a read that will make you think, or want a unique murder mystery, give The Name of the Rose a look.