Tabs & Twists
The Name of the Rose
A Franciscan friar and his novice investigate a series of murders in a remote medieval abbey with a secret library.
- Genre
- Historical fiction
- Setting / Period
- Medieval Italy
- First published
- 1980
- Pages
- 536
- Language
- English
Review
In 1327, William of Baskerville and his young assistant Adso arrive at a Benedictine abbey in northern Italy to attend a theological meeting, only to find monks dying one after another. William applies logic and observation to the case.
Eco has written a detective story, a medieval history lesson and a philosophical debate in one. The labyrinthine library, the arguments about heresy and laughter, and the echo of Sherlock Holmes in William all make it a joy for readers who like their mysteries intelligent.
The first hundred pages, heavy with theological detail, are the hardest part. Stay with them and the book becomes a gripping puzzle with a haunting finale.
