Foucault's Pendulum - Umberto Eco

First published in English in 1989, Foucault's Pendulum is one of many works by this great Italian novelist, philosopher, historian and literary critic. A professor of semiotics at Bologna University, you could guess just from the man's credentials that he's incredibly intelligent, but it isn't until you read his books that you realise just how far Eco's intelligence goes. The narrator of this novel is a gentleman named Casaubon, who is, at the start of the story, a university student studying philology, but who, after taking a medieval history class, decides to write his thesis on the trial ... more

Information this is what makes up the apex of this book, take for example the little known fact that if you take the height of the pyramid of Cheops is equal to the square root of the sum of the areas of all its sides, and indeed if you obtain the precise height of the pyramidion and multiply it by the height of the whole pyramid itself, multiply the total by ten to the fifth, then we obtain the circumference of the earth. Now I've never actually bothered to work this out, but if its true....! Well all I can say is you are faced with these similar factual comments through out the entirety of ... more

Nothing would have ever made me read this book if a friend had not presented it to me with a knowing smile and a slight nod of his head. The title alone was startling and the quotes on the back cover troubled me even more, ‘a Shakespearean alternation of paroxysm and intimacy’ and ‘intricate’. My approach to the book was one of trepidation, but I persevered and part of me was glad. I understood less than ten percent of the plot content, but thoroughly enjoyed 100% of the book. You find that every page is packed full of genuine historical events, people and places, which brings a sinister truth ... more

With the popularity of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, Emberto Eco's magnificent acclaimed work found a whole new market. Sadly, a lot of that market were coming off the back of Dan Brown's adolescent dribble and weren't too taken by it. I personally came to reading it after finding out Stanley Kubrick had attempted to greenlight a film adaption of the novel but sadly Eco objected. First of note to this book, it's long, so long and bursting with information, it feels almost like an expedition to read it. The plot revolves around similar themes as the Da Vinci Code which is certainly an interesting ... more