May 2017 Group Read- The Name of the Rose **SPOILER FREE**

[Jeffrey]

I'm nearly done and admit it is a long, hard slog. Although Eco is a wildly skilled fiction writer, one should never forget that he was first and foremost a medievalist and a professor of semiotics. The layer upon layer of meanings and the at times opaque symbolism in almost every scene makes this a tough murder mystery to read. I taught European Legal History for years, including a lot of material on the development of medieval law in its academic and social context, so I could read most of the Latin and picked up on a lot of explicit and implicit references to medieval philosophers and theologians. Let me assure you, however, that didn't help all that much.

I guess I'd put Eco in the same category as Shakespeare. You have to really work at him, but in the end it's well worth it. Nevertheless, it never ceases to amaze me how "The Name of Rose" ever became such a runaway global best seller.

[Jackie]

I applaud those that finished it or at least close to finishing it! I gave it a good go, but I just couldn't continue torturing myself.

Jeffrey, I'm just as amazed as you that this book became a best seller. I must say, the name and plot description help for marketing purposes, so it's more the high ratings that surprise me.

[Sarah]

Jackie and Jeffrey, I am also impressed with the people who finished this book so quickly. I have to say I'm enjoying the material because I've always loved Medieval History but at the same time, I feel like this is a book I would've read in school. I literally have a translation next to me when I'm reading to take care of the Latin!

It's quite an accomplished work but not an easy one to read. I will not be able to finish it for May, but will keep reading it.

[Glenn]

Rachel wrote: "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 surviv..."Well said. This book is worth the perseverance. I loved that the book behind it all is a lost work by Aristotle. So many threads to talk about and, really, the last hundred and fifty pages were a joy to read.