The Name of the Rose

• The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco

I really liked this book. I thought that the story was interesting, but more importantly I loved the historical quality of it. Umberto Eco did a lot of research before writing the book and he goes to great lengths to establish the aura of the era. He sticks you in the middle of of a monastary in the middle ages, and he does so rather accurately. While some people may not enjoy the random tangent into ancient texts and medicinal herbs I was delighted by the fact that the author did not stray away from these additions. Most authors assume they are writing for the masses, and that the typical person would get lost, while Umberto Eco includes it because it is true to the era. He takes a leap of faith and hopes that his reader will be intelligent enough to understand it, rather than neglect the additions at the expense of the setting. The book is rampant with symbolism and quotes on knowledge, faith, the ancients, monastic life, inquisitors, etc. I don't think that this book is for everyone, but I enjoyed it.