The year is 1327. Franciscans in a wealthy Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, and Brother William of Baskerville arrives to investigate. But his delicate mission is suddenly overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths that take place in seven days and nights of apocalyptic terror. Brother William turns detective, and a uniquely deft one at that. His tools are the logic of Aristotle, the theology of Aquinas, the empirical insights of Roger Bacon - all sharpened to a glistening edge by his wry humor and ferocious curiosity. He collects evidence, deciphers secret symbols, and coded manuscripts, and digs into the eerie labyrinth of the abbey, where the most interesting things happen at night.
As Brother William goes about unraveling the mystery of what happens at they abbey by day and by night, listeners step into a brilliant re-creation of the 14th century, with its dark superstitions and wild prejudices, its hidden passions and sordid intrigues. Virtuoso storyteller Umberto Eco conjures up a gloriously rich portrait of this world with such grace, ease, wit, and love that you will become utterly intoxicated with the place and time. The story is performed by Theodore Bikel who has starred in numerous Broadway hits, including The Sound of Music, Zorba, and Fiddler on the Roof.
Download and start listening now!
"Once I read the author's note at the end of the book, I was completely amazed at the level of thought and intricacy with which the author thought out the entire fictional world of his novel. He needed to pick the 14th century, because he needed a world after Francis Bacon had arrived, when Europe became more in tune with cause and effect, investigation, and interpretation of signs (of which is another reason why this book is so amazing). He needed there to be the killing of some pigs to propel his plot with, so he needed the novel to start at the proper time of year for this, generally December, but he wanted it to start earlier, so he set his world in the mountains, where it would be colder and pigs would be slaughtered earlier in the year. And so on... The details he thought out are so intricate. Everything is cause and effect. Since the novel begins in this year and the main investigator is from England and is educated, then as a result of course there has to be a debate about poverty, because all educated men at this time were involved in the debate about poverty. The novel is made so much richer because the author is so knowledgeable about the time period.
The other amazing thing about this novel is the detail of the detective story. It's the kind of story where there are clues interspersed throughout the entire novel, and at the end when it all comes together it is so brilliant how every detail gets tied together. Ah, of course that's how it must end, how could it be any different! I think, when it's all figured out. And throughout the book there is the puzzle of the labyrinth. I found myself pulling out a (erasable) pen and drawing on the map at the beginning of the book to figure out myself how the layout of labyrinth must have worked. The whole story is layers of puzzle which tickled me pink as I read it. I cannot rave enough about how much enjoyment this book gave me."
—
Eliza (5 out of 5 stars)