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The Name of the Rose

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The Name of the Rose

By: Umberto Eco
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Read the enthralling medieval murder mystery.

The year is 1327. Franciscans in a wealthy Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, and Brother William of Baskerville arrives to investigate. When his delicate mission is suddenly overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths, Brother William turns detective.

William collects evidence, deciphers secret symbols and coded manuscripts, and digs into the eerie labyrinth of the abbey where extraordinary things are happening under the cover of night. A spectacular popular and critical success, The Name of the Rose is not only a narrative of a murder investigation but an astonishing chronicle of the Middle Ages.

'Whether you're into Sherlock Holmes, Montaillou, Borges, the nouvelle critique, the Rule of St. Benedict, metaphysics, library design, or The Thing from the Crypt, you'll love it' Sunday Times

© Umberto Eco 1980 (P) Penguin Audio 2010

 Crime Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Medieval Mystery Classics Fiction Crime Middle Ages Italy Suspense
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This is for the patient so if you like a book that is a complex mystery historically and a slow burner this is for you

pay attention!

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A very enjoyable listen with the superb Sean Barrett narrating. Lots more background than they had time to put in the film version. I haven't read the novel so I don't know if the occasional use of Latin by the characters was presented in translation as a footnote, but I felt a knowledge of Latin would definitely have helped me appreciate the novel more. Additionally, a map of the Abbey would have come in very handy. The description of the library, which is central to the plot, is very complicated and at times difficult to envisage. These reservations apart, still worth listening to I would say.

Brush up on your Latin before reading!

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For those who are not familiar with the author's work, or who have seen the film, this unabridged version may be a rather difficult listen.

The story is presented as a narration by Adso, an ageing Benedictine monk, who witnessed the events of the tale as a teenage novice many years before. It is set in the early fourteenth century at an unidentified monastery in the mountains of northern Italy. It is a superb mystery woven around the religious and political unrest of the time and is a commentary of the perverse and deadly bigotry of the Inquisition. Or maybe it's the other way around.......

This is one of the best mysteries I've ever read, but it is extremely hard going in places. The narrator does not help, as his voice, which I disliked intensely in the beginning but came to find appropriate for the prose of a mediaeval monk, makes the difficult passages even more of a chore to get through. I'm no fan of abridged audiobooks; I want to hear a book in the fullness intentended by the author so no under-plots, sub-plots or nuances are lost. However, I think that this book is one where a good abridged version would make for an easier listen. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book but would not recommend this unabridged version to the faint of heart.

Rosa Mundi Non Est

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I'm afraid I rather struggled with this audiobook. I think this particular style of book doesn't really translate very well into the audiobook format. Something about it made it very hard to follow, and I just kept losing concentration and missing bits. I wouldn't recommend it. You'd probably be better off reading this one.

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