This was a tough one to get through. I was about 300 pages into the paperback before the story began to come together for me. But there are so many references in the book to European history, religion, philosophy, secret societies of which I know almost nothing, that I may reread the book with my reference volumes at hand and try to learn something!

This is one of those books that is a great read until the last pages, where it sort of fizzles out. The plot is quite complex, full of secret societies, impending doom and exciting adventures. I would rate it second best after 'The Name of the Rose'. ( )

Anspruchsvoll und spannend: Das ganze Buch ist sehr anspruchsvoll und ergibt ein gutes Verständnis für geschichtliche Sensationstheorien.

Faszinierend wie Bücher die ähnliche Theorien aufgreifen, jedoch zwanzig Jahre nach Eco`s Pendel, haltlos und lächerlich wirken.

Man kann Alles mit Jedem in einen Zusammenhang bringen und danach eine Verschwörungstheorie spinnen. Es zeigt vieles auf und man erkennt, wie labil doch die ganze Gesellschaft immer nach irgend einer Warheit, Weisheit oder einem Wunder sucht, egal wo auf dem Globus, überall findet dies statt.

Das alles in solch eine Relativierung zu bringen, hat mir sehr gefallen.

Natürlich bei einem Buch von mehr als 800 Seiten, gab es Längen, diese sind fürs Verstehen jedoch nötig.

Eco empfiehlt sich nicht für "Fast food Leser".

(Dieser Anglizismus an obiger Zeile schien mir richtig treffend).

Sondern für diejenigen, die auch aktiv während dem Lesen das Lexikon oder das Internet zu Rate ziehen um gewisse Gegebenheiten verstehen zu können.

Das ist nicht immer einfach, jedoch wer will schon einfach, wenn es anderweitig mehr zum Verstehen und Nachdenken gibt?

Brilliantly conceived. Meticulously plotted. Beautifully written. Superb characterization. Stunning complexity and depth of scholarship showcased throughout. With this book, Umberto Eco has given us one for the ages.

At graduate school, an attractive female student (a PhD candidate in Education) handed me a paperback copy of this book and said: "I've read this book twice and I can't understand it. Will you read it and then tell me what it means?" As I got to know her better I learned that she considered herself a white witch, and that one of her witchy friends had told her there were secrets in this book that she (as a professional witch, that is) needed to know. Another woman I know (a daycare operator and Sunday-school teacher) thinks she's a Christian. She wouldn't read this book. She said she'd 'spurned it' because it has an occult symbol printed at the head of each chapter. She thinks Satan will get her immortal soul if she reads the book.

So once again it turns out that people in real life are crazier than the villains in the book -- and they're pretty crazy. Scary, too.

I say, "Read this book. If you're not stupid, you'll probably have a real good time with it. I mean, the witches convinced me: even some crazy people like 'Foucault's Pendulum'." ( )

A few hundred pages less of Templars, Jesuits, Rosicrucians, and so on would allow the wonderful premise "Beware of faking: people will believe you" to better breathe. Here is a book the Blowtorch Brigade, a shadowy cabal of frustrated editors, should have visited prior to its publication. ( )