Foucault's Pendulum

Tough book to read. This was my third attempt to read it. I love a good historical novel, and I enjoyed 'The Name of the Rose' so much, that I read it either twice or thrice. So for some reason, I decided to give this book a last try.

In the year 2024, the premise of the book is as relevant as ever and the idea of the story is fun. I even have the feeling that the story was meant with a bit of satire.

However, the author overly used esoteric jargon, almost palpably for the sake of letting the world know how much esoteric jargon he knew. Not only did it make the satire fall flat, it also made the story extremely slow to develop.

I feel that the book could have had the exact same story with 200 fewer pages. Then, it would have been a banger.

A captivating and masterfully written book. I'm not sure if it's the main point of the book, but Eco's commentary on conspiracy theories, those who spin them, and those who believe them, feels incredibly relevant today. Googling the constant references to esoteric books and historical figures was fun and made me feel like I too was uncovering part of The Plan. If you read the book, keep a translating app open for the many quoted book passages and dialogue that has not be translated into English.

I stopped reading this book after painfully chewing through its first 20%. I feel like I'm not the target audience of this book, as it contained way too much jargon, and way too little actual progression through the story.

I feel like this book has had some bad luck by becoming increasingly true and relevant. Since conspiracy theories have proliferated this decade, we're all thoroughly familiar. Although this book was there first, if you've already had a read through everything on wikipedia and countless thinkpieces on the issue, this feels like more of the basics. What might have been obscure and exciting conspiracy theories, a mindblowing social milieu, and novel analysis when presented for the first time is just not so exciting anymore.
This is solidly a good book - its just that the other Eco novels are better. The ones set in the middle ages are more immersive, more imaginative, more vibrant. It also seems like Eco is taking this seriously instead of "just" having fun. There's an analytical and didactic feel at the heart of this novel, which I didn't like.

Suuri salaliittomysteeri, jossa kaikki liittyy kaikkeen ja panoksena ei ole sen vähempää kuin maailman herruuden mahdollistava salaisuus! Kolme palvelukustantamon hirtehistä kustannustoimittajaa leikkii ironisesti käsikirjoitusten hörhötarinoilla, kunnes kaikki alkaa vaikuttaa liian todelta, ja kabbalasta ja temppeliritarien veljeskunnasta liikkeelle lähtevään arvoitukseen kytkeytyy koko ajan uusia ulottuvuuksia. Mielenkiintoista muuten, vasta eilen illalla, luettuani taas sata sivua kirjaa, tulin tietokoneelle istumaan ja ensimmäiseksi näin jonkun väittävän saaneensa käsiinsä aiemmin tuntemattomia temppeliherrain salaisuuksia sisältävän vanhan käsinkirjoitetun muistikirjan — SATTUMAAKO?! Kolmannesvuosisata ilmestymisensä jälkeen Foucaultin heiluri on vain entistäkin ajankohtaisempi, ja mikä parasta, sekä älykäs että hauska.

Im Grunde eine Anleitunge wie man eine Verschwörungstheorie bastelt - für Fortgeschrittene. Ziemlich dicker Schinken, nicht leicht zu lesen. Und nebenbei verbringt man noch etliche Stunden damit Vieles was erwähnt wird auf Wikipedia nachzuschlagen. Aber meiner Meinung ist es das wert, auch nach mehrmaligem Lesen findet man darin noch Details die man bisher übersehen hat.

Il Pendolo di Foucault dovrebbe essere letto da tutti i complottisti. Il gran numero di citazioni, riferimenti e digressioni, dalla storia (e leggenda) dei Templari ai fantomatici Rosa-Croce, alla Cabbala, l'esoterismo e l'occultismo, la massoneria e molto altro, rendono la lettura piuttosto impegnativa, ma mai noiosa o eccessivamente pesante, come invece ho spesso letto in giro. A me è piaciuto tantissimo.

"Isn't it said that history is a bloodstained and senseless riddle? No, impossible; there must be a Design. There must be a Mind."

Finishing this long-winded opus felt like an accomplishment, and I never would have done it, had it not been picked out by my book discussion group. It's not the longest book I've ever read, but it's a tough read, full of esoteric conversations and not much action. However, I did find the characters interesting and mostly likeable. For instance, Belbo's family stories and his fictional writings are intriguing, as are Casaubon's conversations with Amparo and Lia. The ending is something to think about, too.

This novel is something to be experienced, and I'm glad that I did. Don't go reading it for the plot!

meh, got boring. It's cool how they tied all the esoteric religions throughout the centuries together to form one grand occult tradition but damn nothing ever really happens. Self fulfilling prophecies, we make our own reality etc... okay, yeah. I'm sure most of this book went over my head, but I can't see myself rereading it any time soon.

ok mark i'm gonna take you up on this one