Completists' Club discussion

I read his first novel many years ago. I was intrigued with the complicated plot and the many twist and turns the story took. Eco's work is full of subtle references to literature, history, and religion. He tries to show the inter-connectedness of all literary works. Eco cites James Joyce and Jorge Luis Borges as the two modern authors who have influenced his work the most. I plan to read only his novels at present, starting with his first novel.

1. The Name of the Rose (1980)

2. Foucalt's Pendulum (1988)

3. The Island of the Day Before (1994)

4. Baudolino (2000)

5. The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana (2005)

6. The Prague Cemetery (2010)

7. Numero zero (2014)

I own each of the above novels, however, I've only managed to read The Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum (which is one of my all time favorites).

Dharmakirti wrote: "I own each of the above novels, however, I've only managed to read The Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum (which is one of my all time favorites)."
I just started re-reading The Name of the Rose. It is a bit like Dan Brown on steroids! I love the history and intrigue of this story.

Kathy wrote: "I just started re-reading The Name of the Rose. It is a bit like Dan Brown on steroids! I love the history and intrigue of this story."

Have you read Foucault's Pendulum? Best novel dealing with secret societies I've read.

I have Foucault's Pendulum, Baudolino and The Prague Cemetery but I haven't read any of them yet. I thought I might read them in order to see if I could pick up on any overarching theme. Sometimes when you read like that, though, you notice a pattern or formula to the writing. Nothing ruins a writer for me as much as the same basic plot line being used over and over again. I don't think that will be the case with Eco.

Since Eco's academic background is in semiotics, I assume that is what informs much of his work. But that is just my guess based on the couple novels I'v read and the authors bio.

Wow, I can't believe I forgot that I read The Prague Cemetery. I did like it, a lot. I thought Eco did himself a lot of favors by slimming things down (I seem to recall the novel being shorter than others) and tightening up the narrative a bit. I did find the novel darkly humorous, but I didn't find it as powerful as The Name of the Rose or Foucault's Pendulum.

The Prague Cemetery seems to be his most compact book to date. I wonder if he will be publishing another book shortly. Seems to be a new one every 5 to 6 years. Have to admit that I do like conspiracy theories -- though working with a lot of government bureaucracies the actual mechanics of a well-laid plan seems highly unlikely with our current cast of bureaucrats.

My tally:
1. The Name of the Rose. Re-read 9/18/15. (view spoiler)[Interesting theories concerning factions of the Catholic Church set in a murder mystery. (hide spoiler)]
2. Numero zero. Read 12/1/15. (view spoiler)[Shows how public opinion can be swayed by mass media. (hide spoiler)]

Kathy wrote: "I have Foucault's Pendulum, Baudolino and The Prague Cemetery but I haven't read any of them yet. I thought I might read them in order to see if I could pick up on any overarching theme. Sometime..."

I have not yet found that to be a problem with Eco. Certainly, some books are better-crafted than others. But I've not been disappointed so far. Of all the books I want to find time to re-read, his are at the top.

Umberto Eco died on February 19, 2016. He called himself a "weekend novelist". His exploration into the definition and manipulation of truth in his novels were quite in depth for a "weekend novelist". He will be missed.