I found myself looking up more words in the text for their meanings than I have for any other book, fiction or nonfiction, that I have ever read.
Secret societies, covert cults, Knights Templar, Rosicrucians, mysticism, cabalism, gnosticism FreeMasons, Jesuits, Elders of Zion... All looking for 'The Map' or 'The Secret'.. and all compiling rumors, half-truths, truths, gossip and hearsay into their quests for either world domination or deep cultureal impact.
A genuinely fun endeavor for any of those around you who have either encountered the histories of those types of societies or who have a deep love of difficult fiction.
Yes, this is a difficult read but it is filled with nuance and interesting scenarios. WWII recollections, international history, European enlightenment and populism and fascism.
READ IT!

hard pass

Махалото на Фуко би трябвало да представлява подигравка с теориите на историческата конспирация тип Шифърът на Леонардо, знаете ги тия - тайни монашески братства, скрити от църквата древни завети и документи, мистериозни грвюри с невероятностно значение...

Само че законът на Поу ( Poe's law) казва, че ако нямаш ясна индикация, почти е невъзможно да различиш някакви екстремни възгледи от тяхната пародия. Т.е. не знаеш дали някой наистина е луд или просто много успешно се шегува, че е.

И понеже в книгата точно това се случва - трима решават да се подиграват с хората, които вярват в конспирацията на Тамплиерите, като създадат своя собствена теория за нея, логично, цялата книга се чете просто като логореичните бълнувания на вярващ в съответната конспирация.

Ако ви кефи подобно нещо - пожелавам ви успех.

I almost feel that I have to say I liked this book in order to be taken seriously as a reader of literature. I mean, I did like it. Mostly.

I read somewhere after having finished it that Eco has a huge library (50,000 volumes? is that even possible?). After having read Foucault's Pendulum, I think that Eco has probably actually read every single one of them and can probably instantly recall every detail from every book.

A challenging read is something I enjoy. But don't take this one to the beach. And maybe study semiotics for a few semesters before you try to tackle this tome.

Take out the intrigue plot and this reads like some historiography textbooks I've suffered through. I'd say I now know more of the history of the Templar Knights and the Rosicrucians and other such groups, but two weeks or so after having finally put this book down, I'm not sure I actually retained any of those details.

The characters are smug and unlikeable and 2/3 of the book is essentially gibberish. I honestly have no idea how anyone could possibly enjoy this book.

The first 200 pages are good. The last 100 pages are also good. The middle 340 pages are a slog. I might have enjoyed this middle section more if I'd read it faster, breezed through it, but frankly, a lot of it went over my head. The references to obscure historical figures, groups, and texts really piled up on me. Maybe the overwhelming pileup is the point, but it didn't add to my enjoyment of the novel.

I'm glad i read this because it was challenging and i learned a lot, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Poche parole:
trama stupenda,
dialoghi eccezionali,
piena di passaggi da leggere, rileggere e citare,
Scritto magistralmente,
istruttivo,
insomma, cosa chiedere di più?
Adoro Eco.

Supposedly the "thinking man's" Da Vinci Code. We shall see. Already though I need a dictionary though, so that is a step up (and I liked the Da Vinci Code).

***

(02/22/08) I just noticed that this book was published in 1989. So way before Brown and all the current Templar hoopla. I'm about 2/3 into it (having taken a 3 month break) and it's pretty good. It's like a bunch of sub-stories within the main thriller. I'm not so much enjoying his time in Brazil. It's a lot of radicalism and "down with the man" talk that I'm not really educated on. So I'm missing out on most of the references. I can't tell if who he's referencing is historically real or not. And I hate that. But overall, the book's intriguing and I'm enjoying it a lot. Considering it's over 600 pages, it's going a lot faster than I expected.

(03/17/08) Okay, I think was I overly optimistic in my assessment last month. I'm only 1/3 of the way into it (whoops). BUT I've finally gotten out of Brazil, so the book's picked back up again. (Brazil was hell by the way.) What I've found is that I don't so much enjoy the main character, Casaubon. I really like Belbo. I find that when the book talks about him, I get sucked in and just find him fascinating. I like it best when he's philosophizing. You can really feel the bitterness of all his wasted opportunities or rather his impotence to do something "worthy" that his fellow radicals do every day. Now he's old and what does his life mean? It's about the truest person I've read in novels in a long while. But seriously, can we get Casaubon out of the freaking museum soon?!

(11/12/08)I HAVE FINISHED! After realizing that 360 pages are all set-up for the last 300 pages, the story was able to move much more quickly. I think I will enjoy [b: In The Name of The Rose|119073|The Name of the Rose|Umberto Eco|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1415375471s/119073.jpg|3138328] better. But this wasn't bad. A lot of theology and mysticism that is beyond my scope. And the ending was kind of a let down. Really glad I read The Alchemyst (the kid's book). Kind of gave me a head's up on Dee and Flamel and golems. But what I can say is that Eco sure knows his stuff and if not, has one heck of an imagination.

I just could not get into this book. While I think he is a brilliant writer and knows what his subject matter - the amount of detail - for me - is overwhelming. And he layers detailed scene on top of detailed scene and then takes tangents with more detail. I just could not pick up the thread. I am disappointed I couldn't follow. Maybe when I retire and have a broader attention span....