Foucaults Pendulum (Us Edition)

I've yet to digest vast tracts of this title - it is simply too deep and complex! This book challenged me at every statement, at every paragraph and every page. There are huge sections that I had to skip over as they were beyond my current comprehension and there were words that had me reaching for encyclopaedias and dictionaries. Still, I'd recommend this to anyone who has ever wondered if there...more

I've yet to digest vast tracts of this title - it is simply too deep and complex! This book challenged me at every statement, at every paragraph and every page. There are huge sections that I had to skip over as they were beyond my current comprehension and there were words that had me reaching for encyclopaedias and dictionaries. Still, I'd recommend this to anyone who has ever wondered if there is something like a self-fulfilling myth, a story that comes alive as it is being written. A fantastic tale that combines mathematics, the Kabbalah, physics, myth and some rather romanticised fiction about the Templars, this is one of the few books that has made me want to read it all over again.   hide

I really enjoyed the beginning and the middle of this book. But like the "Name of the Rose", I felt the ending just fizzled out. It was definitely a thinking person's Da Vinci Code--much better written. But at the end of Da Vinci I felt like I had had a fun ride. I got to the end of this and said "Is that all?"

Rushdie's hilarious and scathing critique of the flatulences of this book are probably correct, but it's still a very fun read. The thing that is hilarious, but that the reviews below seem to have missed is that the conspiracies are all invented. They only become real because people too clever to actually believe them advertise them to people stupid enough to want to believe them. That's why...more

Rushdie's hilarious and scathing critique of the flatulences of this book are probably correct, but it's still a very fun read. The thing that is hilarious, but that the reviews below seem to have missed is that the conspiracies are all invented. They only become real because people too clever to actually believe them advertise them to people stupid enough to want to believe them. That's why the comparisons to the Da Vinci code are totally off-base: there a self-important author thinks he has something important to say about art and history. Here a clever author and narrator both have a lot of fun saying nothing (until someone gets hurt).   hide

This is possibly one of the hardest books I have ever read, but once you get into reading (and re - reading) Eco's in depth knowledge of all the different topics covered in the story (mythology, history, mathematics, religion, the occult, I could go on.....) there is a wonderful story about conspiracy, what we know (or think we know) of what is truth and fiction, all wrapped up in, well, a kind...more

This is possibly one of the hardest books I have ever read, but once you get into reading (and re - reading) Eco's in depth knowledge of all the different topics covered in the story (mythology, history, mathematics, religion, the occult, I could go on.....) there is a wonderful story about conspiracy, what we know (or think we know) of what is truth and fiction, all wrapped up in, well, a kind of 80's set Italian adventure/detective story (apologies for the excessive fragmentation of the last sentence). But that doesn't do it anywhere near justice. The language and storytelling in the book are truly wonderful and if you feel in the need for a hearty read which will suck you in, get you hooked and leave you excited by considering the validity of things that you previously had little or no knowledge of, well, I suggest you read this immediately.   hide

This guy is much smarter and more erudite than I, and i'm sure many others. therefore, we all have to give it a bunch of stars so as to not expose the fact that 50% went over our collective heads Well i'm proud to say i read the whole book and got the very basic premise, but ultimately i was a neandrolithic mouth breather who stumbled from big word to big word, longing for a bigger brain. but...more

This guy is much smarter and more erudite than I, and i'm sure many others. therefore, we all have to give it a bunch of stars so as to not expose the fact that 50% went over our collective heads Well i'm proud to say i read the whole book and got the very basic premise, but ultimately i was a neandrolithic mouth breather who stumbled from big word to big word, longing for a bigger brain. but i'm sure it's very good. just listen to the high ratings of all the other mouth breathers who don't want to admit it... :)   hide

More high-brow and less readable than Da Vinci Code, but well worth the effort, this takes the cynic's point of view. Built around the sort of intricate plot and rich text that makes you feel more intelligent at the end, even if you haven't followed everything. It seems that many people (me included) give up 2/3 of the way through, thinking it is going nowhere. They (like me) often finish it...more

More high-brow and less readable than Da Vinci Code, but well worth the effort, this takes the cynic's point of view. Built around the sort of intricate plot and rich text that makes you feel more intelligent at the end, even if you haven't followed everything. It seems that many people (me included) give up 2/3 of the way through, thinking it is going nowhere. They (like me) often finish it off months later after encouragement from a friend, and are glad they did. I'd be pleased to be that friend for you. Go on; you won't regret it.   hide

to diabazw gia trith fora (thn ellhnikh ekdosh - ellhnika grammata)! einai to teleio antisynomwsiologiko biblio! katargei tis synomwsies mesa apo th dhmiourgia mias megalyterhs kai boulwnei ta stomata tou ka8e fantasioplhktou typou pou pernei mia leksh h mia frash kai ftiaxnei katastrofologikes, ratsistikes, para8rhskeutikes kai loipes 8ewries! to megalytero mysthrio einai h idia h...more

to diabazw gia trith fora (thn ellhnikh ekdosh - ellhnika grammata)! einai to teleio antisynomwsiologiko biblio! katargei tis synomwsies mesa apo th dhmiourgia mias megalyterhs kai boulwnei ta stomata tou ka8e fantasioplhktou typou pou pernei mia leksh h mia frash kai ftiaxnei katastrofologikes, ratsistikes, para8rhskeutikes kai loipes 8ewries! to megalytero mysthrio einai h idia h zwh.kai h zwh den einai mysthria kai mayra skotadia.   hide

Ok, so it took me nearly three years to complete this book because I started it and put it down at least three separate times. Unfortunately, the time between each attempt was so great I had to go from the beginning again each time. I had been promised that once you made it through the first 100 pages, it was a really amazing book -- but frankly those first 100 pages held me at bay for quite some...more

Ok, so it took me nearly three years to complete this book because I started it and put it down at least three separate times. Unfortunately, the time between each attempt was so great I had to go from the beginning again each time. I had been promised that once you made it through the first 100 pages, it was a really amazing book -- but frankly those first 100 pages held me at bay for quite some time. That being said, it was an interesting, intriguing, and eventually enjoyable read once I did make it through to the end. I'd recommend it, but only for the determined reader. Now, if only I could get up the motivation to pick up The Name of the Rose again...   hide

Not a bad book. just bad timing for my reading of it. In the wake of all the crappy secret society books and movies this book is especially entertaining (especially since it predates the fad). It's an interesting spin on conspiracy theorists and the idea that academics can find connections anywhere. One last thought, like so many books I've read, it reminded me that I need to...more

Not a bad book. just bad timing for my reading of it. In the wake of all the crappy secret society books and movies this book is especially entertaining (especially since it predates the fad). It's an interesting spin on conspiracy theorists and the idea that academics can find connections anywhere. One last thought, like so many books I've read, it reminded me that I need to go back to Paris.   hide