Historical Fictionistas discussion
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The Name of the Rose
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May 2017 Group Read- The Name of the Rose **SPOILER FREE**
Ive requested it from my library so should have it around April 20th.
So does reading of this book start on May 1st? I've seen the movie years ago, but have always wanted to read the book :)
Mod
There are no strict rules about when you have to start reading. You can start discussing the book whenever you would like. The threads stay open even after the month is over.
Sweet...I'm in. I may not wait until may to start.
Ordered the book from my library, looking forward to the conversation...it has long been one I've wanted to read.
I completed this only today.
I read it when it was a new book ... back around 1980-1982, long before I joined Goodreads or Shelfari and began keeping track of books I'd read.I remember I loved it ... and just flew through it.
But a few years ago I tried to re-read it and could not get interested in it.
Oh fab! This has been on my to read list for ages looking forward to reading it and joining in discussion :)
Good Book I read it years ago. Enjoy all first time readers
Years ago I saw the movie and then picked up the book. Loved it. So rich in details and characters you'll remember for some time.
I saw the movie of course, but I also had to read it for one of my first Library Science classes......many, many moons ago. I look forward to a reread after so long,
Nice! Thanks for the heads up. I owned this years ago & read it then but look forward to a reread.
Mod
Jasmine wrote: "I picked it up from the local library. It is sometimes nice to read older books. It means I have a better chance of being able to get them from the library without waiting on a ridiculously long wa..."Agree! For some reason I thought I owned this one, but no. It's just been on my GR shelf forever...since 2008! Glad to finally get to it.
I'm looking forward to this one. I saw the movie years ago and loved it. And I studied some semiotics at university so I've always known the name Umberto Eco. The title has to be a reference to the Romeo and Juliet quote, right? "A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
Glenn Dixon wrote: "The title has to be a reference to the Romeo and Juliet quote, right? "A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet."That's not the meaning of the title. It's been years since I read this but as I recall the meaning of the title becomes clear in the last line. It was a huge surprise to me and even though I don't remember a lot of detail about the book I sure remember that.
I hope I'm not remembering that from the movie. I read the book when it first became available in paperback and saw the movie years later. The title has no direct relationship to the main line of the story but somehow it manages, right there at the very end, to change it's complexion.
I sure hope nobody thinks it's a spoiler to tell that there's a surprise coming, especially in a book full of surprises.
Barry
Barry wrote: "Glenn Dixon wrote: "The title has to be a reference to the Romeo and Juliet quote, right? "A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet."That's not the meaning of the title. It's been years sinc..."
I stand corrected then - and very much look forward to the mystery at the end!
Barry wrote: "Glenn Dixon wrote: "The title has to be a reference to the Romeo and Juliet quote, right? "A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet."That's not the meaning of the title. It's been years sinc..."
I believe you are right Barry. But I haven't read this book in years so I also could be remembering it differently.
I also haven't read it in years and I hope I'm right. I'm pretty sure I am. I'm reading it again now so I'll find out soon enough. :)Barry
I'm hoping to start it soon. So much to read!
"So much to read!"Ain't it wonderful! :)
Barry
I started it but I was having a really hard time getting into it. It's way more dense than I remember. Then I got to the part (about 8% where they describe a picture, possibly a real one, possibly a hallucination, I got confused about that, for page after page after page. I put it away and started reading an 87th Precinct mystery instead.I haven't decided yet if I'll go back to it. I don't want to and I don't want to give up. I guess I'll see how I feel about it after this book.
Barry
I have had to make a list on a post it of the various hours of the religious day. Only way I can keep my Nones and Matins straight.
I did that by highlighting each of them in the definitions at the front so I can reference them any time.I considered making a note with all of them but this seemed easier to make even if it wasn't quite as easy to use.
Barry
Barry wrote: "I started it but I was having a really hard time getting into it. It's way more dense than I remember. Then I got to the part (about 8% where they describe a picture, possibly a real one, possibly ..."It gets better. I know the part you're talking about - dense description. There are also some bits of heavy theological conversation (probably pretty accurate for the times) but if you get beyond that, to the second day, the going gets easier and more interesting.
Good to know. Thanks.I remember enjoying the book a lot right after it was first published.
That part, the heavy descriptions of something that seemed no part of the story, was pretty tedious. Theological discussions will probably be more interesting. I've always found that an interesting topic even though I'm not at all religious.
Barry
I'm about 5% in and it is pretty dense and challenging. That being said I am looking for a read that is a little more challenging then my everyday reads.
Barry wrote: "I started it but I was having a really hard time getting into it. It's way more dense than I remember. Then I got to the part (about 8% where they describe a picture, possibly a real one, possibly ..."Historical fiction is such a broad category, it goes from dense, deeply researched work to exciting adventure or romance that happens to be set in the past. For some people all that research and depth is a bug, to some it's a feature.
sometimes I like dense books where i have to do a lot of work, sometimes I just want a good, fast read.
I'm okay with dense if it adds to the story in some way. My problem with this is that it didn't seem to have anything to do with anything that was going on or that might go on. It seemed like a kind of wild and very lengthy digression for no purpose. I finally stopped reading so I may be wrong about that but I read quite a lot of it and it was getting harder and harder to believe I was wrong.Barry
Barry: I have just finished the sequence in which Adso describes the picture in the church. I agree it seems to be more a vision inspired by the picture...almost an LSD trip...than it was a simple description of a picture. I think the sequence offers a great deal of insight into Adso's world view and the way in which it is dominated by religion and the church. I admit I did skim some of it but did take note of it if only for fear that it would figure prominently in later chapters. Still...I find the story compelling especially when you compare the fervor of Adso's vision with William's more worldly view of the Church and religion.
I'm half way through. The basic story of the mystery is inter spaced by sequences in which the main characters discuss religious issues or issues pertaining to the politics of the era. These can be difficult for those of us from the secular 21st century to understand, especially if one does not have an understanding of the period's historical background. I for one tend to have Wikipedia open my tablet to confirm who Pope so-in-so was and the significance of such and such heresy. The problem is that the religious debates and the historical discussions are absolutely central to the world view of the characters so one cannot simply skip these passages. It is a challenging read.
Jason wrote: "I'm half way through. The basic story of the mystery is inter spaced by sequences in which the main characters discuss religious issues or issues pertaining to the politics of the era. These can be..."Yes, it is a bit of a challenging read. I knew that in these times the Pope had moved to Avignon (and that many no longer supported him) and that the larger power in the north was the Holy Roman Emperor. This was the reason that Dante Alighieri was exiled from Florence ( he supported the wrong faction). There's also an interesting story in Verona about the true story of Romeo and Juliet - where the Capulets supported the Pope and the Montagues supported the Emperor - the reason for the feud between the families in 1302. But this book goes into much, much more detail (maybe too much I think sometimes) of all the factions and which holy orders supported which others. Complicated.
Glenn Dixon wrote: "I'm looking forward to this one. I saw the movie years ago and loved it. And I studied some semiotics at university so I've always known the name Umberto Eco. The title has to be a reference to the..."Not from Romeo and Juliet. It's from a Latin phrase, but you'll have to wait to find out which one...
Just got the book and will start reading it tomorrow.
I'm sure this book may have redeeming qualities and I am trying my best to allow the author to engage. However there seems to be a lot of superfluous stuff that distracts and hides the underlying story that it is a struggle for me to stay on a page without rereading it several times to find a connection. I will finish it.
Fred wrote: "I'm sure this book may have redeeming qualities and I am trying my best to allow the author to engage. However there seems to be a lot of superfluous stuff that distracts and hides the underlying s..." It gets better Fred. Hang in there.
Fred wrote: "I'm sure this book may have redeeming qualities and I am trying my best to allow the author to engage. However there seems to be a lot of superfluous stuff that distracts and hides the underlying s..."I just started it as well and find my mind wandering as well. But, I will continue reading.
I am now up to page 200 and finding this a challenging read. There are so many layers within the storyline. The style is heavy with interspersed lighter passages. Despite this I am enjoying it.
I just started during lunch time. I saw reviews beforehand stating this book was dense, which is why I always hesitated in picking it up. The "Naturally, a Manuscript" was a little rough going so I can't imagine the rest, but I'm going to give it a good effort to stick with it.
Mod
It is a tough read. I'm on about page 350 now - can't help but skip over some parts of heavy description (almost lists of things that go on for pages) - but beyond all that, there is a good story and interesting characters.
Stick with it guys. it is dense but a satisfying read in the end. In finished it about 4 days ago. Try not to skip too much as some of the really dense portions offer a great deal of insight into the motivations of the main characters.
Definitely finish the book. You will see, hopefully, that all these other elements are layers of a higher significance and meaning, and their complexity gives them deeper meaning. For example, the book parallels and contrasts religion with church establishments, the message of their ideal, Christ, against the way the church treats the poor, and many, many other levels. Name of the Rose is one of the greatest novels every written--on many levels. As for the film, it is much underrated, and I'm not sure why. Perhaps in the scene when Baskerville gives a summary of murders and their clues the film is cut too fast if you haven't read the book. Otherwise, the film, too, was brilliant. But read the book first, then definitely see the excellent film. edprotzel.com
This is my review. The Name of the Rose is the May Historical Fictionistas book club read. It is a famous, widely read novel, written by Umberto Eco, a brilliant historian.and writer.
This however was a struggle for me to read, mainly due to the length and use of foreign languages, possibly Italian, definitely Latin, maybe others. Finally we were given a month to read it, and with the obstacles (translations) I met, I would need at least another month to try and grasp the full effect of the book. Intermingled with massive history lessons, I found pieces of a murder mystery and the last 150 pages were very good to that portion of the book.
I leave you to your own opinions, and make your own decisions about reading this novel.
Many years ago I started this book and didn't finish, lost among all those monks and lucid dream images. When the movie came out I enjoyed it enough to give the book a second chance, and did survive the experience. I would sum it up by saying: a book that is best enjoyed by slow reading, taking time to think through the implications of religious transcendence, human passions, and the lens of history. This is not a lake to dive into if you're looking for a wild and mysterious escape.
The year is 1327. Franciscans in a wealthy Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, and Brother William of Baskerville arrives to investigate. When his delicate mission is suddenly overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths, Brother William turns detective. His tools are the logic of Aristotle, the theology of Aquinas, the empirical insights of Roger Bacon - all sharpened to a glistening edge by wry humor and a ferocious curiosity. He collects evidence, deciphers secret symbols and coded manuscripts, and digs into the eerie labyrinth of the abbey, where "the most interesting things happen at night."
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