The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
Set in a wealthy Italian monastery in the 14th century, the novel follows a Franciscan friar and his young apprentice as they investigate a series of mysterious deaths within the monastery. As they navigate the labyrinthine library and decipher cryptic manuscripts, they uncover a complex plot involving forbidden books, secret societies, and the Inquisition. The novel is a blend of historical fiction, mystery, and philosophical exploration, delving into themes of truth, knowledge, and the power of the written word.
The 122nd greatest book of all time
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This book is on the following lists:
- 4th on Kanon na koniec wieku (Canon at the end of the century) (Rzeczpospolita (newspaper))
- 7th on Tozai Mystery Best 100 (2012 Revision) (Shūkan Bunshun (Japanese Newspaper))
- 13th on The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time (Crime Writers' Association)
- 14th on Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century (Le Monde)
- 18th on Big Read (German) (Germany)
- 23rd on The Top 100 Mystery Novels of All Time (Mystery Writers of America)
- 23rd on The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Culture Café)
- 25th on 100 Best Novels, in Translation, Since 1900 (CounterPunch)
- 29th on Big Read (Bulgarian) (Bulgaria)
- 33rd on The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians (Bookman.com)
- 42nd on Waterstone's Books of the Century (LibraryThing)
- 61st on Big Read (Hungarian) (Hungaria)
- 81st on The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read (Telegraph)
- 93rd on In Which These Are the 100 Greatest Novels (ThisRecording.com)
- 95th on 100 Books of Classical and Modern Foreign Literature (The Union of Russian Writers)
- 174th on The Big Read (BBC)
- 268th on The Complete 500: OCLC (OCLC)
- 450th on Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- Zeit Literaturkanon (https://www.librarything.com/award/335/ZEIT-Literaturkanon)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- The Bigger Read List (English PEN)
- The 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books of All Time (Time)
- The 100 Best Crime Novels and Thrillers since 1945 (The Times)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)