The Name of the Rose
by Umberto Eco

Recommended by MaryL (Lady Sylkie)

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
 

The fourteenth century is presented in all its murky, superstitious glory. Historical background: Pope John XXII has just moved his court from Rome to Avignon, and talks are in the process between papal delegates and the Franciscan friars concerning the poverty of Christ. These talks are set to take place at a remote abbey in the mountains of Italy.

Enter our heroes, William of Baskerville, a philosophical middle-aged English monk of the Sherlock Holmes variety, and a young German novice, Adso of Melk, our narrator. Diana Gabaldon's fans should get a smile out of this if they've read the excerpt available online titled "The Coming of Adso". Adso has been paired with William to learn about life as a monk and the ways of men from this wise teacher. The two are also on their way to the Italian monastery to investigate allegations of corruption and heresy.

Upon arrival, they learn that a young monk skilled in the art of manuscript illumination has recently died under mysterious circumstances. In the days that follow, more gruesome deaths occur, and the abbot charges brother William to solve the crimes before the papal delegation arrives. William and Adso find themselves in a world of weird monks obsessed with knowledge. Many of them seem deformed or mad or both, the sort of men who turn to God after being rejected by humanity. These men are apparently willing to kill, die and prostitute themselves for those greatest of medieval treasures, books.

At the center of the mystery is the monastery's famous library, filled with the wisdom of the world. The library is a labyrinth, accessible only to the librarian and his chosen apprentice. What forbidden text lurks there, enticing these strange monks, and eventually our heroes as well? No monk seems innocent, and the terror of the mystery almost manages to dwarf that of the Holy Inquisition when it arrives to seek out heretics.

In the midst of these terrifying murders, we are shown a detailed portrait of fourteenth century monastic life. Many debates occur on the nature of Christ and the Church, as well as discussions on whether laughter is a sin. Adso tells us all about falling in love, as well as about the pain of losing a loved one. We share the delight of William and Adso as they explore the library, and learn something of the terror of being lost in a labyrinth. Will our heroes solve the crime before we run out of suspects? I won't spoil the surprise for you, since one of my English professors saw fit a couple of years ago to announce murderer, motive and method in front of our entire class.

Now I know most of you probably don't read Latin, French, Greek, etc. and probably aren't extremely familiar with the figures and politics of the fourteenth century. For all of you, there is a very useful supplement called The Key to "The Name of the Rose" by Adele Haft, Jane White and Robert White. It is really wonderful to have on hand when you run into an especially sticky passage that you think you could probably understand better with a little background.

For those of you who have seen the 1986-film version starring Sean Connery and a VERY young Christian Slater, don't let this stop you from reading the book. The film, while good, just barely scratches the surface. Also, the film's ending is a lot different from that of the book, since film makers always seem to think that viewers must feel that justice has been served at the end of a film. Good guys live happily ever after and bad guys get what's coming to them, right? No way! For those who haven't seen the film, try to put it off until you have read the book.

Other novels by Umberto Eco:

Foucault's Pendulum *****

The Island of the Day Before (haven't read it yet)

Baudolino (English translation due out September 2002)

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The Name of the Rose William Weaver Translation Hardcover	The Name of the Rose Harvest Translation Paperback Also available from Amazon.uk
Foucault's Pendulum Also available from Amazon.uk	The Island of the Day Before Also available from Amazon.uk