'Imagine a medieval castle run by Benedictines, with cellarists, herbalists, gardeners, young novices. One after the other half a dozen monks are found murdered in the most bizarre of ways. A learned Franciscan who is sent to solve the mystery finds himself involved in the frightening events...a sleuth's pursuit of the truth behind the mystery also involves the pursuit of meaning of meaning - in words, symbols, ideas, every conceivable sign the visible universe contains...Umberto Eco has written a novel - his first - and it has become a literary event' -  New Your Times Book Review

'The late medieval world, teetering on the edge of discoveries and ideas that will hurl it into one more recognisably like ours, its thoughts, its life-style, its intense political and ecclesiastical intrigues...its steamy and seductive currents of heresy of thought...all these are evoked with a force and a wit that are breathtaking' - Financial Times

'This novel belongs with Voltaire's philosophical tales...in the entertaining guise of an erudite fiction story, it is also a vibrant plea for freedom, moderation and wisdom' L'Express

'A novel of stunning intelligence, linguistic richness, thematic complexity' Il Giorno

 

 
I started this book one night, long ago. It was my last day in France, my flight out was the following morning and like a total prat I managed to lock myself out of my accommodation (without my luggage or passport) and with no way back into Nigel's flat (my step, whose place I was crashing in), at least until the following morning, I was forced to spend the night on the floor of my dad's new apartment. I had a mattress and bedclothes, but not a whole lot else, and worse no book! I can never sleep in new places, especially when there are cockroaches (eeeeeewwwww!!!!! I'd never seen them before, and they seemed to flood out as soon as the lights went out....AND I WAS ON THE FLOOR!!!!!) so I borrowed one of the few books dad had unpacked. This was the book. I love the film, and so it was both familiar, comforting and at the same new. I found it a bit hard going, but enjoyable. The next day I managed to get the the airport on time (just!) and forgot about the book, until I saw it for sale recently. I decided to buy it and finish the book that I began in the midst of my French drama.