Rating: 
Summary: A Provoking Plan
Review: Garamond/Manuzio Press, Casaubon, Belbo, Diotallevi and the Isis Unveiled Serie is just a pretext that Mr. Eco use to introduce us in a fascinating world of the helmetic mysteries and occultism where a serie of historical personages and events are mentioned in it pages. The book has a little of everything, Templars, Teutonic and Kadosh Knights, catars, illuminatis, jesuits, rosicrusians, freemasons and the assassins of Alamut. Also the author makes extended references to the Hebrew, Christian and Muslim theology and philosophy, the Thule Society, the Qabalah, the Ordo Templi Orientis, Madame Blavasky's Theophical Society, the myth of the Count Saint Germain immortality, alchemy, etc. This is a perfect novel for people who like thrillers mixed with occultism, mysticism and religious mysteries.
Rating: 
Summary: Quisquiliae turgidus (Latin for 'turgid gobbledygook')
Review: Umberto Eco's 'Foucault's Pendulum' is a book that inspires strong emotions. Readers either love it or loathe it. Count me in the latter category. Nothing against the author. I'm sure he achieved his objectives with flying colors. And the subject matter is, at times, pretty darn interesting. But Eco's style -- fraught with arcane references and interminable diatribes -- is not my cup of tea. To boot, the explanation of the causes of the holocaust, albeit fictionalized, is disturbing, to put it mildly. Here's a snippet of what I'm talking about: 'Hitler was searching the Jews for the clue that would allow him to determine, with the Pendulum, the exact point under the earth's concave vault where the telluric currents converged.' (See pp. 422-3, et al.)I regret that I plowed through the whole book, but I have an irrational habit of always finishing the books that I begin reading. To the more rational reader, I suggest the following: read the first six pages. If it tickles your shorts, keep reading. There's plenty more where that came from. If not, cut bait and find something else to read. Granted, there are many people for whom 'Foucault's Pendulum' is a brilliant piece of literature. But for others, the book will only disappoint for many, many hours.
Rating:
Summary: an absolute classic
Review: An enduring classic on the rich, wonderful territories of cognition and exploration of thought. An astonishingly entertaining novel that took this reader through the amazing corridors of mind, mysticism and magic in a manner unlike anything else. Eco's vast repertoire of knowledge shines through in such detail and vividness to uniquely render stunning imagery and lasting impressions. The story ain't too shabby, either. The story deals effectively with the realms of religion, mythology, symbols, psychology and mysticism - just to name a few. The reader is pulled into a sophisticated cognitive game that proves enlightening and thought provoking FOR YEARS to come. Eco set the bar extremely high on this one.
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Summary: To the Naysayers:
Review: For me the beauty of Eco's literary work isn't in the initial reading of the piece, but in the REREADING. I myself am a peon in comparison with the great literary minds of the century, but that doesn't prevent me from learning The occult, the templars, and other subjects covered in this book. And I swear, if armed with this knowledge, the book is almost guaranteed to be a rewarding experience. No other book offers that kind of shelf life, a book that can be reread countless of times. Unless you happen to be in the same level as professor Eco, reading the book multiple times will almost always reveal a new level of understanding. A must read. definitely worth reading, most definitely worth buying.
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Summary: My favorite book ever... who knew it was so controversial?
Review: I first read Foucoult's Pendulum back in college when it was first published. It was recommended by my bofriend, and I spent half of Spring Break plowing through it. Hard work. One of the few books that absolutely necessitates having a dictionary at hand to really absorb it, and it better be the OED because Webster's doesn't have all the words. Seriously. And in the end, I was floored, absorbed, and used the remaining days of vacation to read it again. I had found a new "Favorite Book Ever!" I guess I understand why so many are so full of vitriolic loathing when they discuss "Foucault's Pendulum". It isn't really a thriller, nor a consipiracy theory text, nor a philosophical treatise, nor an easy read. If you really want some brain candy (and I certainly do a lot of the time--PG Wodehouse forever!) this is not the book to pick up. It was, however, probably the first work of fiction I had ever read that made me think about the nature of reality... what is real, what is knowledge, how do we know and who decides. I loved the historical mind games, the twisted conspiracy plots, the flights of fanciful speculation. I found the language dense, yes, but dense like the best kind of rich, dark, brownies--intense and flavorful. For me the climax of the novel had nothing to do with the plot, it was the moment when I went "ah-ha!" and actually "Got It!" An intellectual pleasure in the extreme, but a genuine joy nonetheless. Twelve years later I own three copies of this book (my tattered original paperback, a hardcover I've read once because I felt this was a book I wanted to own in hardcover, and another paperback for lending out). I've read "Foucault" three additional times... it would be more, but, as I said, it's a tough read and you have to be in the right mood. Every time I've experienced again that first wonderful "Ah-ha!" moment, though perhaps a little less intense since I know it is coming. The boyfriend who recommended it is now my husband. And hundreds of books later, it's still my favorite book.
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Summary: one of the richest intellectual books for the last 45years
Review: First, this book is for people having a certain preference for historical and philosophical oriented books .It is trully one of the best books I ever read ,for it asks very deep questions which are fundamental in our present era.
This books has three levels or axis of explanations :the first one, which is the most "superficial" and that is an apparently uninteresting story about three editors having "fun"(more like an obsession) for an obscure reason ,in making stories up about different sects (Masosns, Rosicrucians,illuminati of bavaria, ... ), connecting different hitorical facts, suspicions, rumors and it ends in absurdly apparently by the death of two of our three heroess, the third narrator also waiting for its expected death ... .
However, the people whom I read a very negative assesment of the book are really angry because they apparently expected a more "en action" story where the author i.e eco himself would explicitly tell them about the meaning of this "absurd knot".
I think that is the kind of the very simplistic and naive approach to the "novel" ,but maybe it is just like the characters' approach to "History".That is why there is a second axis less obvious If i can say so but nevertheless important and which a lot of the readers suspected ,which is the idea that revolves around the feasibility, falsifiability of conspirationnal theories, how close they could be to reality, with all their temptationnal aspect.For example it appears suddenly that a certain secret society posesses by pure chance the very same approach to "History" as our heroes fanciful plan!Now is this very "pure" coincidence a sufficient argument to disregard the Plan or the fact that by chance we have some people that would beleive in it may give a certain real value for what were just doing by fun?
This only one of the questions which it asks and there are many more... .
The third axis which in my opinion is a very unique one , truly original , a kind of a "dobbleganger" motive between the reader and the narrator Casaubon which symbolizes the mere average person posessing a rather very good amount of intelligence and who tries to understand what is going on.
This third deeper level is focusing on a rather central issue : What can Man make out of all this? Can we really as individuals separate on our own without a physical experiment between truth and relity in history? Even if we could do an experiment, what does it became the instant it it in the past behind us writtten in history, where it is now and again a "mere" hitorical event?
We are entangled here with the shortcomming of man in general in verifying what he knows, or even knowing enough on an individual level.
I reckon that the story may be difficult , especially in its second third part, but that is only for "readers" of the first level... .
Moreover Although the traduction is very helpful for the exerpts above each chapter however I doubt that it was itself a reason of the apparent silliness of the english traduction where sometimes expressions are transformed into vulgar english slang to try making this colossal work close to the average reader while the french ( De Poche editions )version which I read also is much more authentic and frankly more attaching - maybe because of the close relation between italian and french expressions, culture, ...-.
However it is only fair to acknowledge the huge effort in this book and the great philosophical dimensions it opens in a totally original way.Since the 60's existensialism, I didn't see any intellectual having this much of a rich view which bears so many interpretaions as eco's work.
This is trully a great book, a star still shining in the relatively intellectually poor sky of this last half of century.
Ponder it thouroghly!
Rating: 
Summary: why?
Review: This review reveals a bit of the ending, so don't read it if you don't want the ending spoiled. (Though by the time you get to the end you're just glad to be there). One of my (too many) hobbies is esoterica. So a book like this should have been a treat. I can follow more of the arcane references than the average reader, I reckon. But the book is all intellect and no imagination or soul. The plot is not interesting or believable. Nor are the characters. The characters don't even care about each other. (At the end, the narrator's best friend is hung by a group of theosophists and the narrator doesn't intervene or get upset but simly engages in abstract speculation.) Read it for the few chapters on the history of the templars, and for the overview of esoterica. But not for the plot, or the theme, or the characters, or for any other reason you normally read a book.
Rating:
Summary: absolutely astonishing...
Review: This book matches the best works of Hesse and Mann. It is thought provoking, funny, intelligent, and mysterious. It is great writing by a REAL writer.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and Mischeivous Book. Unputdownable!
Review: "Foucalt's Pendulum" is a unique piece of literature. Though Eco may be a Professor of Semiotics in Milan this book is essentially a piece of good fun whereby Eco pokes fun at the myriad of esoteric sects and beliefs based around the Templar Knights, Masons, Rosicrucians and assorted other groups, some real and some made up. For the majority of the book, however, he keeps us in a world where we actually believe the possibility of the strange and esoteric mysteries he spins. In doing so Eco walks the tightrope between farce and satire with some skill. Even as the book undermines credibility in the esoteric it also builds a fascination around it. The central exercise of this book, then, is to poke fun at those who believe in the illogical, the unlikely and the absurd. Many of the characters in this book are so conspiracy-focussed that they would paraphrase the old saying: "If it looks like a dog, walks like and dog and smells like a dog, it certainly can't be a dog". The results of this are fascinating and take the plot in some very surpirsing directions. This is a unique book, clever, well written, intellectually resonant and with an impish sense of fun. The effect of this is that it is totally unputdownable. I read this recently on holiday and became fascinated by it, even reading it when I woke up, before breakfast(!). Top marks also go to the translator who must have had to deal with some very unusual and difficult translation from the original Italian; Eco's sense of fun and cleverness shine through without a hint of awkwardness. Best book I've read for ages. You really should read it.
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Summary: The Role of the Reader shouldn't be to create the story.
Review: A publisher thinks authors who try to convey their own passion are fools; that it doesn't matter what you put in a book, people will draw their own conclusions from anything you throw together because humans need to see meaning where there is none. The publisher's conclusion being that you can make a good living by duping everybody. This is both the plot of the book and the intent of the author. An interesting duality that Eco must delight in. I, too, could be delighted if there was a bit of art rather than just correctness in the delivery. With one hundred pages of Umberto Ecco's book remaining, I may yet be surprised: There may still be character development. The very next page might hold a well turned phrase, an artful description, a crackling bit of dialog. The real characters may wake from a sleep induced by a long lecture in semiotics; one in which they dreamt the first 430 pages and now can get on with their real lives. But I doubt it. Bottom line for me is that I'm insulted. My first thought was that I had a bad translation; an international best seller wouldn't be such a chore to drag my eyes through. Even badly translated fiction, though, would have tangible characters and robust settings. "Foucault's Pendulum" has neither. What it does have is a tedious display of facts, some real, some not. Bits and pieces of titillating information about the Knights Templar, Rosicrucians, Freemasons; secrets that many readers will just love to believe. Are there any academics out there who will condemn a colleague? It seems not. The Chronicle of Higher Education recently ran an article about two brothers who managed to have meaningless text with false mathematical equations pass peer review to get published in a physics journal. That same spirit allows some to claim that "Foucault's Pendulum" is a work of genius. There may be layers. There may be knowledge of history. There is, however, no worthwhile story; nothing new to challenge a mind that hungrily observes the life around them. Like the lad who said the emperor is naked, I have to say this book stinks. Save your money, but more- save your time.
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