jpv 2008-11-14

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

I have to say that I had to read this book twice to really appreciate the story. I have trudged through a great deal of literature in my time (it's my undergrad), and "Pendulum"--the first time, was among the most dense. However, I wanted to give it a second go (for no other reason than I wanted to) and I was not disappointed. I absolutely loved it.
I highly recommend this gem, even though it might take a couple of trips to enjoy the journey :-)

WriterGirl 2008-10-14

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

If I had not read the above first, I think F's P would have harder to follow. This reads a lot like a novelized version of the Baigent/Leigh/Lincoln book. I wish the novel had started with the visit by Col Ardenti and stuck to that story line. But, Eco is a professor and is probably using this as a forum for his philosophies. He is also writing for a more intellectual audience. I think the hype was a little overblown, though. I would recommend it if you don't mind not being able to finish it in one read. It's a book that makes you think so you read a few chapters, put it down, then start again.

John Sandow 2008-09-28

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Okay, this WAS a hard book to read. So much going on and so many references to cults and phenomina. Reading this book is more of an education than an entertainment. But what fun! Eco is a true literary genius, in the same class as his italian brethren of musical fame.

Baudolino is perhaps his most engaging, with rushdie-esque fableture, but the pendulum is penultimate. Facing a pendulum, nose to mass, may seem a silly simulacrum of the story, yet it engages you to the characters' experiences. And the seeding of an idea directed from any random seed idea as from Albulafia, well it works better than one could ever expect.

The pendulum, make no mistake, seeded many a templar festooned modern tale.

Ecco Eco!

J. Seibert 2008-09-10

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Note: An error lead to three stars instead of 1.

This is just a bad, bad book with virtually no storyline to speak of.

I picked this book up after reading numerous accounts of how it is an intellectual Da Vinci Code that will thrill the reader and leave him on the edge of his seat. It isn't.

The first 450 pages or so can be skipped. Really. Nothing happens to any of the characters that will play a role later on. A significant portion of these pages are nonsensical entries into a word processor that was likely used for filler. Some of these entries talk of the author's elation at finding the Find and Replace option. Others are short stories of a talentless author - that's the character he plays, a talentless author - that go no where. Either way, they don't relate to the storyline - which doesn't exist.

After you skip those first 450 pages you can really skip the rest of the book. Nothing happens that's worth reading. There are no chases. There are no close calls or anything of the sort.

The book starts off with the main character sneaking into a museum, the next 450 pages or so are of him reflecting on the events that lead to him here - not important - finally, what he's waiting for simply happens. There is no struggle. Those he is observing are not even aware he's in the museum with him. The dead is done and the book ends.

Outside of the nonexistent storyline the book is just plain silly. Anything and everything from literature is used as proof of a secret plan by the Templars.

There are a lot of places and references most Americans won't understand as they're just not familiar to us. Don't waste time on these. Umberto Eco is simply name dropping. I looked up every place or event I wasn't familiar with in the first 300 pages only to learn that none of them are related to the story.

This book just isn't worth reading. At all.

day5 2008-08-30

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Like others, I read this book based on the how much I enjoyed Eco's "The Name of the Rose". Page after page I slogged through, holding out hope that Eco was somehow going to redeem this little piece of quicksand. Only to realize that sometimes, even a great writer, will just let you sink.