Foucault's Pendulum

While this book is ostensibly about conspiracies, ancient orders, secret societies, codes, riddles, catacombs and satanic rites it is also about less esoteric themes - obsession, meaning, reality vs. fantasy. Possibly it is an analogy to the dangers of historical revision. It attacks both modernism and tradition, the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. It derides false authenticity, and yet hints at a diffusionism in which nothing can be authentic. Eco combines scholarly treatises, human interest stories, absurd character studies and serious introspection in a story that encompasses all of written history. Taught, measured, delivered expertly in careful doses, the narrative is addictive - I read this book in three days. The only thing I can compare it to is the [b:Illuminatus Trilogy 57913 The Illuminatus! Trilogy The Eye in the Pyramid/The Golden Apple/Leviathan Robert Joseph Shea http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170482063s/57913.jpg 813], but none of its humor is self-aware or full of winking fan-service; or perhaps the film “Pi,” but of course, Eco is much more skilled than poor Aronofsky, and the journey of descent into obsessive desire for grand secret knowledge (and thus madness) is gradually illuminated rather than drilled into our heads... In short, this book is fantastic. You should read it you uncultured fascist pig!

Made it through 600 pages this time, but it's turned into a slog. It's such clever writing, and the sardonic wit when they're all discussing Templar history is very funny, but it stops being funny at some point and I need just a little bit more plot movement, character development, something. Maybe I'll try reading it again before I die.

This is a re-read after 30 years, an unlike The Name of the Rose which I loved even more third time round this one bogged down in parts that took the shine off the memories of the first time. It is still a monumental book that sets the standard to which all the wannabe Dan Brown's aspire to in the construction of their Rosicrucian worlds, however I found myself glossing over Belbo's life reflections and it did read as a very interesting reference book with an uneven underlying plot thread. It is worth the challenge though.

For years I'd heard people talk about this book, but I hadn't really understood the type of book that it was. It's long, and it's dense, but it's also quite enjoyable as a satire about conspiracy theories that mostly hits the mark about understanding the conspiratorial mindset.

Reading this in 2020, when mainstream political figures will gladly share information about Qanon or “The Great Reset” added an interesting wrinkle to my appreciation of it.

Finally, I got to the end of this book! This was my second attempt at getting through it. The first time I got about half way. But, to the tale...

Some consider this to be the thinking man's Da Vinci Code. It follows three main characters who work for a publishing company in Milan. The company is cleverly split into two separate entities, one of which persuades so-called Diabolicals (any persons involved in secret societies such as the Knights Templar, the Rosicrucian and the Freemasons, conspiracy theories, etc.) to self-finance their own publications. The three characters decide to play a game with these texts, taking information from different sources and mixing them all up to come up with the Plan. However, once the Diabolicals learn of the Plan, it becomes real and the consequences are deadly.

The first 100 pages were easy enough to get through, as were the last 100 pages. But please read this book with a dictionary by your side as some of the vocabulary is esoteric and the prose turgid. It is packed full with obscure references to philosophy, literature, science etc. and a knowledge of French would certainly be useful as well. It's the last 100 pages that bring the story together and changed my opinion of the book. For weeks now I've been stubbornly persevering, just wanting to get to the end of it so I can say that I read it and move on to something else. But now that I've finished it, I find myself wishing to read some more detailed reviews to learn more about the references. I will not be giving this book away as I intend to read it again, at which point I expect it to make more sense, now that I know the ending.

For anyone who read and enjoyed the Da Vinci Code, I'd certainly recommend giving this book a go. For anyone who read some of it and quit as I did the first time around, it's definitely worth reading to the end.

This book makes you work! Now I was kinda prepared for this because I've read The Name of The Rose (which I loved) but a few things you will have to consider before you delve into this: 
- Are you ready to look up a ton of shit?
- Are you ready to use google translate?
- Are you ready to get A LOT of information thrown at you? 
- Does any of the following topics interest you: Conspiracy Theories, Historical Facts, Religion (both monotheism and more native/primitive), The Occult, Templars..? 

If you answered yes, go for it! 

Lettura bellissima. Lettura difficile. Purtroppo bisogna dire che non è, secondo me, una lettura alla portata di tutti. O per meglio dire è una lettura che va affrontata in particolari momenti. Ricordo di un'intervista di Eco che quando scrisse “Il Nome della Rosa”, volle scrivere le prime pagine in maniera molto complessa, perchè voleva fare una scrematura degli ipotetici lettori. Anche qui, credo ci ha messo del suo. Diciamo che qui Eco ha intriso le sue pagine di tutta la conoscenza che possiede, ed è tanta, tantissima. Ricordo che quando lo lessi cominciai a studiarmi le Sefirot e l'albero della vita ebraico... un argomanto davvero interessante.

Mesmerizing, upsetting, paranoia-inducing, moving from trains of broken logic to scenes from a shattered kaleidoscope, and ending in a last-act burst of madness and clarity that rivaled the films of Gaspar Noe. When I saw the number for the final chapter, I let out a burst of air that was half-fearful laugh, half-relieved sigh. My mind has been warped and my heart rinsed clean. I am so happy I read this.