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Foucault's Pendulum (Paperback)

by Umberto Eco (Author) "That was when I saw the Pendulum ..." (more)

3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (291 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Paperback: 656 pages
Publisher: Picador; New edition edition (Nov 9 1990)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0330314971
ISBN-13: 978-0330314978
Product Dimensions: 19 x 12.7 x 4.6 cm
Shipping Weight: 454 g

Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (291 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #439,167 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

If a copy (often unread) of The Name of the Rose on the coffee table was a badge of intellectual superiority in 1983, Eco's second novel--also an intellectual blockbuster--should prove more accessible. This complex psychological thriller chronicles the development of a literary joke that plunges its perpetrators into deadly peril. The narrator, Casaubon, an expert on the medieval Knights Templars, and two editors working in a branch of a vanity press publishing house in Milan, are told about a purported coded message revealing a secret plan set in motion by the Knights Templars centuries ago when the society was forced underground. As a lark, the three decide to invent a history of the occult tying a variety of phenomena to the mysterious machinations of the Order. Feeding their inspirations into a computer, they become obsessed with their story, dreaming up links between the Templars and just about every occult manifestation throughout history, and predicting that culmination of the Templars' scheme to take over the world is close at hand. The plan becomes real to them--and eventually to the mysterious They, who want the information the trio has "discovered." Dense, packed with meaning, often startlingly provocative, the novel is a mixture of metaphysical meditation, detective story, computer handbook, introduction to physics and philosophy, historical survey, mathematical puzzle, compendium of religious and cultural mythology, guide to the Torah (Hebrew, rather than Latin contributes to the puzzle here, but is restricted mainly to chapter headings), reference manual to the occult, the hermetic mysteries, the Rosicrucians, the Jesuits, the Freemasons-- ad infinitum . The narrative eventually becomes heavy with the accumulated weight of data and supposition, and overwrought with implication, and its climax may leave readers underwhelmed. Until that point, however, this is an intriguing cerebral exercise in which Eco slyly suggests that intellectual arrogance can come to no good end.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Student of philology in 1970s Milan, Casaubon is completing a thesis on the Templars, a monastic knighthood disbanded in the 1300s for questionable practices. At Pilades Bar, he meets up with Jacopo Belbo, an editor of obscure texts at Garamond Press. Together with Belbo's colleague Diotallevi, they scrutinize the fantastic theories of a prospective author, Colonel Ardenti, who claims that for seven centuries the Templars have been carrying out a complex scheme of revenge. When Ardenti disappears mysteriously, the three begin using their detailed knowledge of the occult sciences to construct a Plan for the Templars[...] In his compulsively readable new novel, Eco plays with "the notion that everything might be mysteriously related to everything else," suggesting that we ourselves create the connections that make up reality. As in his best-selling The Name of the Rose, he relies on abstruse reasoning without losing the reader, for he knows how to use "the polyphony of ideas" as much for effect as for content. Indeed, with its investigation of the ever-popular occult, this highly entertaining novel should be every bit as successful as its predecessor. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/89. -- Barbara Hoffert, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews

291 Reviews

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4 star:		(59)
3 star:		(29)
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3.9 out of 5 stars (291 customer reviews)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reacquaints you with long lost parts of your brain!, Jul 5 2004

By	"amypoly" (San Luis Obispo, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Foucault's Pendulum (Mass Market Paperback)

I was digging through Amazon's online version of a bookstore's "bargain bin" looking for something new to read. I came across Foucault's Pendulum and it sounded interesting enough. It starts out, the first 10 or 20 pages, quite convoluted and confusing. I remarked to my husband that perhaps this book was a bit "too cerebral" for me. But, I perservered and I am so glad I did!

Yes, those that say the book starts slow- it truly does. But then, it opens up to this magnificent and complex universe of religious history, conspiracy theories, murder, mystery and suspense and keeps you wanting to read more.

The vocabulary is intense and pretty advanced and there were, in fact, several words that I was unfamiliar with entirely- particularly those that were in LATIN (what was that about?) But, after sitting down with this book for a while, you feel that you have just worked out your brain. It's invigorating! I found myself having resurected a long-lost vocabulary that I almost forgot I even had!

To sum it up- great book. Very intriguing, complicated, and, sorry for the cliche, "page turning" story. But, as an added bonus, it is extrordinarily thought-provoking and brain exercising! Highly recommend it to those of you that don't want your brain to turn into oatmeal in the lazy summer months.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Minnie Mouse is Mickey's fiancee., Jul 29 2007

By	Craobh Rua "Craobh Rua" (N. Ireland) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Foucault's Pendulum (Mass Market Paperback)

Umberto Eco is internationally renowned as an author, a philosopher, a literary critic and a historian. He is also a professor of Semiotics at the University of Bologna and lives in Milan. "The Name of the Rose", his debut novel, was first published in Italy in 1980 and became a bestseller throughout the world. It was also adapted for the big screen in 1986, a version that starred Sean Connery and Christian Slater. "Foucault's Pendulum" was first published in 1988.

The story is told by Casaubon, as he looks back over the previous fifteen years of his life. A graduate of the University of Milan, he's something of a specialist on the Knights Templar - having researched their trial for his thesis. It was in the late sixties, while still a student, that Casaubon first met Jacopo Belbo at Pilade's Bar. Belbo was an editor with Garamond Press deals largely with reference books and university textbooks. (There is another side to Garamond - Manutius, a vanity press where the authors pay for the priviledge of seeing their books in print). However, Belbo also has to deal with the occasional submission on the Templars - which is unfortunate, as he believes that if "someone brings up the Templars he's almost always a lunatic". As a relative 'expert', it's almost inevitable that Casaubon starts spending a little more time with Belbo at the publishing house...

At Garamond, Belbo works most closely with Diotavelli - a cabalist who insists he's an albino Jew. However, of the two, Belbo is by far the more developed character. Although quite witty at times, he's a rather pessimistic character, with a very low opinion of himself. He sees himself as a coward, seems doomed to be unlucky in love and is frustrated at being an editor instead of an author. He's also the proud owner of a recently acquired computer, which he christens Abulafia - into which, in time, Belbo pours his innermost thoughts.

From the book's outset, it's clear the three are in trouble : Diotavelli is in hospital, apparently gravely ill, while "They" are pursuing Belbo. Convinced that "the Plan" is real, Jacopo is in Paris and seems to believe the Templars are after him. Unfortunately, when his phone call to Casaubon is interrupted, it would appear it would appear the Templars (like the Mounties) always get their man. The Plan had been little more than a game for the three friends, something they had developed after having read too many of the conspiracy-inspired manuscripts landing on their desks at work. Although they didn't realise it at the time, it was a manuscript submitted by Colonel Ardenti that was to become the launchpad for their Plan. The manuscript is, naturally, written about the Templars and the Grail and incorporates - he claims - some recently rediscovered information.

While "Foucault's Pendulum" isn't exactly a short read, it is an absorbing, interesting and enjoyable one. There's plenty happening - Templar history, the Rosy Cross and Rosicrucians, a stint in Brazil, numerology (thirty-six and one hundred and twenty seem to be quite popular), 'the' Sophia and a man called Aglie - someone who seems to enjoy masquerading as the (apparently immortal) Comte de Saint-Germain. There's even a touch of sexy pinball, courtesy of Lorenza Pellegrini. An outstanding book, and absolutely recommended.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tough but rewarding, May 25 2004

By	Riverrun Pasteve (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Foucault's Pendulum (Mass Market Paperback)

I discovered this book because my French teacher gave it to me as a challenge in high school, years back (I guess sleeping during class was a bad idea). So, I read it in French and the translation is slightly superior than the English version in my mind. Craaaaazy. The book IS difficult and anyone who says otherwise is either Eco himself or someone who, as one of the character would say, should take the cork out of his ass and let the wind out. Sorry.

The plot is very simple: three editors start making connections between all the secret societies ever heard of, famous conspiracy theories, mainstream and less mainstream religions, Pandora boxes of metaphysic fun... You get the idea. But don't expect the plot to evolve much in action. As a matter of fact, don't even expect a novel. Try picturing three Mulder's from the X-Files on crack for hundreds of pages. The book is a trip, a stream of words and ideas. Dare I compare it to Joyce's Finnegans Wake? Nah, but it's one of those things where you shouldn't stop at every word you can't understand (lots of those in the book, lots and lots of it).

The knowledge is interesting and certainly worth digging further, but you can also enjoy it as what it is. Much, much better than the Da Vinci code...

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Swinging back and forth over liking this book
"Foucault's Pendulum" is packed full of esoterica, alchemy, Kabala, the occult, secret societies, conspiracy theories, alternative histories, the supposed "other side" of several... Read more

Published 2 months ago by D Glover

4.0 out of 5 stars challenging but worthwhile
This book is an intellectual thriller drawing on conspiracy theories involving the Templars and other similar organizations, but is definitely not in the "Dan Brown" vein. Read more

Published 3 months ago by I. Mitchell

1.0 out of 5 stars Ugh!
I've only read the first chapter, but boy does this writer like convoluted, artificial, pedantic prose. Read more

Published 12 months ago by Meagol

1.0 out of 5 stars Worst book I never finished
As the title of my review states this was the worst book I never finished. I read a great deal and though not a scholar, I am not stupid either. Read more

Published on Feb 5 2007 by Darth Reader