I'm about halfway through and while Eco expects quite a bit from his readers, I'm not sure that I've ever encountered this much fun, humor and wit. I could not help but to be in awe of the universe Eco's created.
@@DamianLoved oh man its been more than 20 years since i read it, i just remember us laughing so hard in high school over it. i read it in my language also, but its a passage where he defines an idiot, a moron, a stupid person, etc I'm gonna buy the book again, I've lend it out a long time ago and didn't get it back. then ill reply you with the exact page or chapter :D
Just finished this novel and came to youtube looking for reviews. It sounds like I enjoyed it more than you but I don't necessarily disagree with your criticisms. I found the plot and characters very intriguing, but the "meat" of the book is definitely the histories and mythologies of secret societies and the personalities (both popular and obscure) that are associated with them. I find that stuff fascinating despite the dryness. If you're looking for a thrilling, action-packed page turner, this is not that book, although there is definitely both action and thrills. Also, while the book is long (and feels long) it's divided into 120 chapters, most of which are pretty short. I spent a couple of months with it reading on and off, and normally I can't do that without forgetting plot and characters, but with this novel it kinda worked since it's not that plot heavy to begin with. For anyone interested in reading this book, I actually recommend the kindle version, because as mentioned in the review this book will have you running back and forth to the dictionary and google, and for me personally, the kindle's translation feature was incredibly helpful as well. If you're looking for a more easily digestible novel with similar themes, but more action oriented, I would recommend The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte. I actually decided to read Foucault's Pendulum because I had finished and enjoyed Club Dumas and was looking for similar novels. Great video!
The part about the pendulum in the beginning is one of my favorite parts of the book. The main character muses that the pendulum is governed by a perfect mathematical formula that causes to oscillate in an almost divine way. Then, he adds that there are magnets in the floor to make sure this divine movement is correct in our profane little world. It's like physics / God / whoever needs a helping hand.
Fun fact: the whole portion of Casaubon in Brazil was written as filler because Eco needed to bridge a gap in time. He writes about it in Confessions of a young novelist. On Foucault's Pendulum, he explains the Brazil portion as a necessity. Eco wanted his characters to have experienced the student riots, but he also needed Belbo to have his word processor, which became available years later. That is why he sent Casaubon to Brazil to bridge that gap in time. But leave it to Eco to take an inconvenience and make it essential to the plot. Casaubon probably wouldn't have entrenched himself so deeply in Belbo's obsession with the Plan if he didn't experience the esoteric rites in Brazil, and wouldn't have accepted Lia's reasoning if he hadn't first been with Amparo. This book is so perfectly layered. I don't know how many times I've read it, but I still discover new things in it. Even though at this point it simultaneously feels like catching up with old friends. There is still no competition: this is my favorite novel of all time!
I have read this book AT LEAST 15-20 times and it still blows my mind. First read it when I was 16 and 22 years later it’s still the best book I’ve ever read.
I quite enjoyed this book and the labyrinthine conspiracy at the center of it. Although not as accessible as his brilliant 'The Name of the Rose', 'Foucault's Pendulum' was a rich read, and I've recommended this novel to several friends who also think very highly of it.
Finished it on April Fool's Day (how fitting)...great review, author clearly did his homework before writing this book. Decent read, but The Name of the Rose (by same author) was a far superior novel in my opinion.
Quite interesting. I want to read some books by Eco someday, but they're all so big that one is a bit put off. Anyway, all of them do have intriguing ideas, specially this one revolving around conspiracy theory, as you presented. Couldn't help but remember Assassin's Creed 😂.
So I am halfway through! I watched this review before I started, watching it now, and will when I finish. So far I feel exactly the same. Start a new chapter and I am thinking where the hell am I and what are we talking about! Lol! I just purchased Name of the Rose to start next! If you haven’t watched Name of the Rose series on Sundance App it’s great!
Really enjoyed this read - a lot of it went over my head and I ended up doing a lot of Google research like you mentioned. Unfortunately for me, some of the things I read while researching made a lot of sense and I'm into some pretty out there stuff now 😆. Possibly the moral of the story, who knows? Great review man 👍🏽
When you said stop listening to this UA-cam video right now I did. Now I’m scared, I came here looking for more information about the plan. I know you can’t just come out and talk about it in the open. There are lives at stake. Now I’m just not sure when you said stop watching had you already delivered the message or was that after you said stop watching. It’s like Schrödinger’s cat I wonder what happened after I stopped watching, did you tie it all together? The ancient freaking monists left mere breadcrumbs did I miss the unifying principal in all its glory?
Not a book I would recommend to pretty much anyone not heavily into conspiracies. While Eco considered this his magnum opus, and there is a ton of research behind it (years actually) it doesn't hold a candle against The Name of the Rose, which is one of if not the favourite book I've ever read. That one managed to strike a balance between being historically rich and well researched and actually being enjoyable for the reader who is more interested in a story and atmosphere than in the lives of monks and the power games of the Church of the medieval times. Foucault's pendulum on the other hand, as much as it pains me to admit, was a bore. As you said, great idea, poor execution.
I agree, a novelist needs to entertain the reader. There were a few good parts, but mostly, the book was a bore with some wasted pages full of ones and zeros if my memory serves.
in life, we think we have general knowledge and then you read Umberto Eco...and we become very modest about general knowledge lol
I'm about halfway through and while Eco expects quite a bit from his readers, I'm not sure that I've ever encountered this much fun, humor and wit. I could not help but to be in awe of the universe Eco's created.
my favorite part is his definition of an idiot
@@coachsondberg I'm racking my brain but it's no use, I cannot remember Eco's definition. Did that occur during William's dismantling of Jorge?
@@DamianLoved oh man its been more than 20 years since i read it, i just remember us laughing so hard in high school over it. i read it in my language also, but its a passage where he defines an idiot, a moron, a stupid person, etc
I'm gonna buy the book again, I've lend it out a long time ago and didn't get it back. then ill reply you with the exact page or chapter :D
@@coachsondberg right on!
One of the greatest novels I have read. Actually read it over and over through the years.
Exactly! You can read this book hundreds of time a you will find always new level. The best book a ever read!
Just finished this novel and came to youtube looking for reviews. It sounds like I enjoyed it more than you but I don't necessarily disagree with your criticisms. I found the plot and characters very intriguing, but the "meat" of the book is definitely the histories and mythologies of secret societies and the personalities (both popular and obscure) that are associated with them. I find that stuff fascinating despite the dryness. If you're looking for a thrilling, action-packed page turner, this is not that book, although there is definitely both action and thrills.
Also, while the book is long (and feels long) it's divided into 120 chapters, most of which are pretty short. I spent a couple of months with it reading on and off, and normally I can't do that without forgetting plot and characters, but with this novel it kinda worked since it's not that plot heavy to begin with.
For anyone interested in reading this book, I actually recommend the kindle version, because as mentioned in the review this book will have you running back and forth to the dictionary and google, and for me personally, the kindle's translation feature was incredibly helpful as well.
If you're looking for a more easily digestible novel with similar themes, but more action oriented, I would recommend The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte. I actually decided to read Foucault's Pendulum because I had finished and enjoyed Club Dumas and was looking for similar novels.
Great video!
Awesome, thanks for the info!
I like your username by the way ;)
The part about the pendulum in the beginning is one of my favorite parts of the book. The main character muses that the pendulum is governed by a perfect mathematical formula that causes to oscillate in an almost divine way.
Then, he adds that there are magnets in the floor to make sure this divine movement is correct in our profane little world.
It's like physics / God / whoever needs a helping hand.
Fun fact: the whole portion of Casaubon in Brazil was written as filler because Eco needed to bridge a gap in time. He writes about it in Confessions of a young novelist. On Foucault's Pendulum, he explains the Brazil portion as a necessity. Eco wanted his characters to have experienced the student riots, but he also needed Belbo to have his word processor, which became available years later. That is why he sent Casaubon to Brazil to bridge that gap in time.
But leave it to Eco to take an inconvenience and make it essential to the plot. Casaubon probably wouldn't have entrenched himself so deeply in Belbo's obsession with the Plan if he didn't experience the esoteric rites in Brazil, and wouldn't have accepted Lia's reasoning if he hadn't first been with Amparo.
This book is so perfectly layered. I don't know how many times I've read it, but I still discover new things in it. Even though at this point it simultaneously feels like catching up with old friends.
There is still no competition: this is my favorite novel of all time!
I have read this book AT LEAST 15-20 times and it still blows my mind. First read it when I was 16 and 22 years later it’s still the best book I’ve ever read.
I quite enjoyed this book and the labyrinthine conspiracy at the center of it. Although not as accessible as his brilliant 'The Name of the Rose', 'Foucault's Pendulum' was a rich read, and I've recommended this novel to several friends who also think very highly of it.
Bravo, what a smart woman !!!
Am prob going to reread this next. I last read it in 1990, def best reading his books on kindle.
Finished it on April Fool's Day (how fitting)...great review, author clearly did his homework before writing this book. Decent read, but The Name of the Rose (by same author) was a far superior novel in my opinion.
Quite interesting. I want to read some books by Eco someday, but they're all so big that one is a bit put off. Anyway, all of them do have intriguing ideas, specially this one revolving around conspiracy theory, as you presented.
Couldn't help but remember Assassin's Creed 😂.
Wow, you're right! This book is definitely related to Assassin's Creed... now I want to play...
So I am halfway through! I watched this review before I started, watching it now, and will when I finish. So far I feel exactly the same. Start a new chapter and I am thinking where the hell am I and what are we talking about! Lol! I just purchased Name of the Rose to start next! If you haven’t watched Name of the Rose series on Sundance App it’s great!
Really enjoyed this read - a lot of it went over my head and I ended up doing a lot of Google research like you mentioned. Unfortunately for me, some of the things I read while researching made a lot of sense and I'm into some pretty out there stuff now 😆. Possibly the moral of the story, who knows?
Great review man 👍🏽
Suddenly I am seeing Umberto Éco everywhere. The name of the rose, how to spot a fascist, now this ...
You Lucky bird
When you said stop listening to this UA-cam video right now I did. Now I’m scared, I came here looking for more information about the plan. I know you can’t just come out and talk about it in the open. There are lives at stake. Now I’m just not sure when you said stop watching had you already delivered the message or was that after you said stop watching. It’s like Schrödinger’s cat I wonder what happened after I stopped watching, did you tie it all together? The ancient freaking monists left mere breadcrumbs did I miss the unifying principal in all its glory?
Great review, thanks!
Hi from Brasil, thanks a lot !
Hi back !
This book was a real downer.
I'm sorry, but, "big headed and pompous", is what I took away from reading this book. Not the characters, but Eco himself.
Not a book I would recommend to pretty much anyone not heavily into conspiracies. While Eco considered this his magnum opus, and there is a ton of research behind it (years actually) it doesn't hold a candle against The Name of the Rose, which is one of if not the favourite book I've ever read. That one managed to strike a balance between being historically rich and well researched and actually being enjoyable for the reader who is more interested in a story and atmosphere than in the lives of monks and the power games of the Church of the medieval times. Foucault's pendulum on the other hand, as much as it pains me to admit, was a bore. As you said, great idea, poor execution.
I agree, a novelist needs to entertain the reader. There were a few good parts, but mostly, the book was a bore with some wasted pages full of ones and zeros if my memory serves.
Suddenly I am seeing Umberto Éco everywhere. The name of the rose, how to spot a fascist, now this ...