Eco, Umberto ; The Name of the Rose ; Relaxed Buddy read ; Start date 6 December 2014

[Michelle]

I trundled through another 5% of this last night and I think it's going to take me a while to get to the end.
I just keep getting sidetracked while reading as it's really not holding my interest.
I just keep thinking that it has to get better!

[Nancy]

I was the one who asked for this BR so it is a bit rubbish of me that I have only just jumped in now!

Anyway, I have started and I am enjoying it but it is slow. I do know that one of the biggest criticisms of Umberto Eco is the fact that he sort of shoves his erudition in your face a bit, leaving you feeling as if you just aren't quite clever enough. I am trying to accept that I don't know it, but I want to enjoy the story.

I like William - he is like Sherlock Holmes of the middle ages. Problem is, I can't get the face of Sean Connery out of my mind even though it is years and years since I saw the film.

[Michelle]

So I just finished after doing a power read of it last night and this morning and it really wasn't my thing.
I admit that some parts were interesting, such as the ways William managed to solve things in his Sherlock Holmes manner, but there was just too much extraneous filler in the story that kept losing me and forcing me to skim through a lot of pages. Also, being that I'm not all that religious, alot of the deeper meaning in that side of the story was lost on me.
At least I'm now happy to be able to cross another 1001 Books to Read Before You Die place holder off my list!

[Srividya]

I just started this again, after a break where I had to finish some other BRs. I am finding it quite interesting. Of course, it could be because I like reading about philosophy and religion.

The Latin could be a problem but till now Google hasn't let me down. I hope it stays that way though! Lol

[Michelle]

I still need to start this one. I'll try to get going this weekend.

[Alanna]

So I finished on my lunch break this evening and ended up loving it. I see what people are saying about the writing style--there's a lot of information irrelevant to the plot--but, again, I like that sort of thing. I also saw a commentary on anti-intellectualism, refusal to challenge one's ideas, and elitism/classism, which I admit probably wasn't meant to be there. Heh, listen to me sound pretentious.

I know a lot of people who read Lord of the Rings after the first or second movie came out and hated it, and I think it's a matter of expectation. These people read the books expecting the movies, but the books are about the world-building way more than the story or characters. A lot of us (including me) went into NotR expecting a Sherlockian mystery.

[Srividya]

I am still on the first day but I am really loving it till now. Will post some really coherent thoughts after I finish Day first.

Alanna - I am also loving the writing style. I have to say that after reading the first few pages, I get why they compare William to Sherlock Holmes! It's all in the deduction, I guess!

[Alanna]

Srividya--oh, the Sherlock comparisons are definitely there! You might have noticed that William is even from Baskerville. I just think the book has a completely different purpose from Doyle's.

[Zara's Retreat]

Michelle wrote: "So I just finished after doing a power read of it last night and this morning and it really wasn't my thing.
I admit that some parts were interesting, such as the ways William managed to solve th..."

I would agree with you Michelle. I read this book ages ago and also found it had lots of filler in it. I was disappointed in this book when I read it because I was attracted, initially, by the fact that it had religious content. However, it failed to deliver unfortunately.

[Nancy]

I am now halfway through and I am thoroughly enjoying it. In fact, I am finding it less difficult than I thought it would be although there have been passages and paragraphs which have rambled on. I have just read the chapter where Adso came across the girl in the kitchens and that was all described in pretty convoluted terms! But I think that there is enough coherence in all of the extraneous history that it isn't making it too arduous.

[Nancy]

Alanna wrote: "These people read the books expecting the movies, but the books are about the world-building way more than the story or characters. A lot of us (including me) went into NotR expecting a Sherlockian mystery...."

I agree, which is possibly one of the reasons I have waited so long to read this - because I wanted the movie completely out of my head (it must be 20 years since I saw it). Although I do keep getting flashes of the movie, I am far more involved in the story and not expecting it to be cinematic in any way. I am really enjoying it.