Meghan's review
Foucault's Pendulum
by Umberto Eco
glad to hear that you're enjoying this. I got about halfway through before getting distracted by lighter books. But I really enjoyed what I did read of it, and I intend to get back to it eventually.
Have you read anything else by Eco that you'd recommend?
This is my first. I bought Baudolino also when I bought this one. I thought it looked more "light hearted". But as I really liked The Da Vinci Code I started with this one first. Boy is long! I hope you finish it. I'm DYING to get to the actual thriller part. So far he's still stuck in the periscope, which makes me giggle trying to picture Tom Hanks in the same situation.
I just found in my bookshelves that I also own The Name of the Rose, which I believe is considered a "classic". I also think it's on the Rory list. He has a bunch of other ones too. But those are the two that I intend on reading next (well, not "next"--I need a break after this one!--but next of his).
Amazon often recommends Baudolino to me and I have no idea why. I see it in the list but have never really checked it out properly, the cover never enticing enough I think (sad but true!) - something with a priest in a religious procession on it. (of course now that you've mentioned it, I definitely will check it out!)
There are plenty of his other books that I'm interested in though. I think I have copies of The Name of the Rose and The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana laying around somewhere with my best intentions. I've also heard that his book on the difficulties of book translations, Mouse or Rat, is fantastic. So many of his books sound so interesting, it's hard to decide where to start.
And you're right, I think Name of the Rose is on the Rory list.
PS - just went to read about Baudolino and the first sentence ..."Umberto Eco has absorbed the real lesson of history: that there is no such thing as the absolute truth."...already has me hooked. :)
Can't wait to see what you think of this. I loved The Name of the Rose and this was recommended afterwards. I tried to get started on it once and couldn't get into it... Maybe one day!
I just got out of Brazil and the story is picking up again (thankfully). I think I'm just not revolutionary enough for this book. A lot of it I have to keep re-reading because it's so "much". Plus, I don't speak Italian, Porteguese, or French so I'm missing out on a lot of the passages. I'm sure it's not critical to the story, but I hate not being able to understand it all. Footnotes would really be helpful (as well as a deep background in all this history). But my goal is to have this done by June. Only 420+ pages to go!
Thanks for the opinion on NOTR. I just found out that I own a copy and it's on the list for another club, so I know I'll be tackling it. Have you heard of Baudolino? I got that one too.
I loved The Name of the Rose and liked Six walks in the Fictional Woods and On library. I thought about reading Foucault's Pendulum, but I was always finding some reasons to not do that.
Meghan's review
Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
Meghan's review
bookshelves:
half-read,
own
recommended for: Anyone interested in the Templars or who'd like a smarter The Da Vinci Code
Supposedly the "thinking man's" Da Vinci Code. We shall see. Already though I need a dictionary though, so that is a step up (and I liked the Da Vinci Code).
***
(02/22/08) I just noticed that this book was published in 1989. So way before Brown and all the current Templar hoopla. I'm about 2/3 into it (having taken a 3 month break) and it's pretty good. It's like a bunch of sub-stories within the main thriller. I'm not so much enjoying his time in Brazil. It's a lot of radicalism and "down with the man" talk that I'm not really educated on. So I'm missing out on most of the references. I can't tell if who he's referencing is historically real or not. And I hate that. But overall, the book's intriguing and I'm enjoying it a lot. Considering it's over 600 pages, it's going a lot faster than I expected.
(03/17/08) Okay, I think was I overly optimistic in my assessment last month. I'm only 1/3 of the way into it (whoops). BUT I've finally gotten out of Brazil,...more
***
(02/22/08) I just noticed that this book was published in 1989. So way before Brown and all the current Templar hoopla. I'm about 2/3 into it (having taken a 3 month break) and it's pretty good. It's like a bunch of sub-stories within the main thriller. I'm not so much enjoying his time in Brazil. It's a lot of radicalism and "down with the man" talk that I'm not really educated on. So I'm missing out on most of the references. I can't tell if who he's referencing is historically real or not. And I hate that. But overall, the book's intriguing and I'm enjoying it a lot. Considering it's over 600 pages, it's going a lot faster than I expected.
(03/17/08) Okay, I think was I overly optimistic in my assessment last month. I'm only 1/3 of the way into it (whoops). BUT I've finally gotten out of Brazil,...more
glad to hear that you're enjoying this. I got about halfway through before getting distracted by lighter books. But I really enjoyed what I did read of it, and I intend to get back to it eventually. Have you read anything else by Eco that you'd recommend?
This is my first. I bought Baudolino also when I bought this one. I thought it looked more "light hearted". But as I really liked The Da Vinci Code I started with this one first. Boy is long! I hope you finish it. I'm DYING to get to the actual thriller part. So far he's still stuck in the periscope, which makes me giggle trying to picture Tom Hanks in the same situation.
I just found in my bookshelves that I also own The Name of the Rose, which I believe is considered a "classic". I also think it's on the Rory list. He has a bunch of other ones too. But those are the two that I intend on reading next (well, not "next"--I need a break after this one!--but next of his).
Amazon often recommends Baudolino to me and I have no idea why. I see it in the list but have never really checked it out properly, the cover never enticing enough I think (sad but true!) - something with a priest in a religious procession on it. (of course now that you've mentioned it, I definitely will check it out!)
There are plenty of his other books that I'm interested in though. I think I have copies of The Name of the Rose and The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana laying around somewhere with my best intentions. I've also heard that his book on the difficulties of book translations, Mouse or Rat, is fantastic. So many of his books sound so interesting, it's hard to decide where to start.
And you're right, I think Name of the Rose is on the Rory list.
PS - just went to read about Baudolino and the first sentence ..."Umberto Eco has absorbed the real lesson of history: that there is no such thing as the absolute truth."...already has me hooked. :)
Can't wait to see what you think of this. I loved The Name of the Rose and this was recommended afterwards. I tried to get started on it once and couldn't get into it... Maybe one day!
I just got out of Brazil and the story is picking up again (thankfully). I think I'm just not revolutionary enough for this book. A lot of it I have to keep re-reading because it's so "much". Plus, I don't speak Italian, Porteguese, or French so I'm missing out on a lot of the passages. I'm sure it's not critical to the story, but I hate not being able to understand it all. Footnotes would really be helpful (as well as a deep background in all this history). But my goal is to have this done by June. Only 420+ pages to go!
Thanks for the opinion on NOTR. I just found out that I own a copy and it's on the list for another club, so I know I'll be tackling it. Have you heard of Baudolino? I got that one too.
I loved The Name of the Rose and liked Six walks in the Fictional Woods and On library. I thought about reading Foucault's Pendulum, but I was always finding some reasons to not do that.