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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2015
My first exposure to Umberto Eco as an author, and a memorable story and world that simply cannot be forgotten once you have opened yourself to the world he creates here in Foucault's Pendulum.
Not the kind of epic tale that only begins here while teasing another 12 episodes to come, this is a fully-realized suspenseful thriller with everything from ancient history to not-yet-existing technology with everything from philosophy to ethics integrated so well that they only thing standing in the way of full enjoyment by many may well be the combination of two unfortunate issues: 1) the lack of foreign language fluency of most in the U.S., and 2) the lack of English language fluency of most in the U.S.
I'm not fluent in Italian, which is apparently the original language of the book; according to the support documentation, this is a translation. Those familiar with this will readily recognize some of the awkward phrasing as that of a complex sentence brought into English in a way that attempts to retain the order of presentation and direct meaning. Many of the words used are the obviously 'correct' word to ensure the meaning of the original, but may well be outside of the typical vocabulary of the teenage level reader. I've heard it does well in German, which I may try next, but I'm afraid I've not the time left in this life to become fluent in Italian.
Take the time to absorb this book. (Even in English!)
You will find it well worth the effort, the thought, the time, and the investment, as it takes a place over on your shelf of Favorites that you know you'll be back to read again someday soon.
Not the kind of epic tale that only begins here while teasing another 12 episodes to come, this is a fully-realized suspenseful thriller with everything from ancient history to not-yet-existing technology with everything from philosophy to ethics integrated so well that they only thing standing in the way of full enjoyment by many may well be the combination of two unfortunate issues: 1) the lack of foreign language fluency of most in the U.S., and 2) the lack of English language fluency of most in the U.S.
I'm not fluent in Italian, which is apparently the original language of the book; according to the support documentation, this is a translation. Those familiar with this will readily recognize some of the awkward phrasing as that of a complex sentence brought into English in a way that attempts to retain the order of presentation and direct meaning. Many of the words used are the obviously 'correct' word to ensure the meaning of the original, but may well be outside of the typical vocabulary of the teenage level reader. I've heard it does well in German, which I may try next, but I'm afraid I've not the time left in this life to become fluent in Italian.
Take the time to absorb this book. (Even in English!)
You will find it well worth the effort, the thought, the time, and the investment, as it takes a place over on your shelf of Favorites that you know you'll be back to read again someday soon.
