Baudolino by Umberto Eco, William Weaver Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Baudolino
Book Review: A nother great big lie from Umberto Eco
Summary: 4 Stars
'Baudolino' is the story of one man's story. Baudolino is a traveller from Italy who winds up in Constantinople as it is being sacked by Christian pilgrims from the west. He meet Niketas, a local historian, and starts to recount his life story, an improbable tale that takes him from the swamps of northern Italy to the court of the Emperor Frederick, to Paris, the orient and finally Constantinople itself. On his journey Baudolino seems to play a part in almost every major event in twelfth century Europe, including Frederick's wars in Italy, the finding and losing of the holy grail, the forging of the shroud of Turin, the writing of Dante's 'Divine Comedy', the creation of the myth of Prester John, the discovery of John the Baptist's head and the death of the Emperor. Everything we learn about Baudolino we learn from his conversation with Niketas, and the only thing we can be sure of is that Baudolino is a liar. 'Baudolino' is a wonderfully clever book, as is everything of Eco's that I've read. The story contains layers of falsehood that leave the reader, and all the characters involved, struggling to work out the true story, if there is one at all. This is a theme that has cropped up in 'The Name of the Rose' and 'Foucault's Pendulum', but here it is the focus of the whole book. Firstly, Baudolino is constantly referred to as a liar by other characters (and himself) establishing his lack of trustworthyness. Then some of the lies become reality, such as the myth of Prester John's kingdom, which Baudolino spends years searching for, despite the fact that he made most of it up in Paris. This journey is studded with fantastical encounters with mythical creatures, clearly made up by Baudolino. Then there is the possibility that the whole thing is a lie, told to Niketas by Baudolino, and none of it need have occurred at all. And finally we have the grand liar himself, Umberto Eco, winking at us from the final pages. It is an exploration of the interaction between myth, storytelling, the modern novel and how lies become the truth, and is constructed in a very clever, scholarly and thought provoking way.
Although I am a big fan of Eco, none of his books have quite succeeded in blending history, philosophy and a good story as well as his debut 'The Name of the Rose'. This is no exception, and the story meanders somewhat aimlessly across a medieval european landscape, serving more as a device to introduce ideas and scenarios than as the point of the book itself. I think that a lot of readers will find this frustrating, as there is no real storyline to follow, and no real narrative crescendo at the end. As usual, Eco doesn't make many concessions to any lack of knowledge on the reader's part, meaning that some awareness of medieval philosophy and religion is probably very helpful for understanding what is going on. If this puts you off at all, then I think that you should leave this book well alone. As far as I am concerned, it is another top drawer effort from one of the masters of cerebral (if not accessible) literature.
Book Review: A little too simple
Summary: 3 Stars
Not Umberto Eco, of course, but me. I normally pride myself on being something of an intellectual but I found it very difficult to get to grips with this book. The more straightforward historical fiction at the start and end of the book was enjoyable but the long digression (was it a digression?) of Baudolino's search for Prester John was to be endured rather than enjoyed. I have suffered for Messr. Eco in the past and I would suggest that if you like to simply enjoy your reading instead of constantly searching for deeper meaning then this may not be for you. If however, you like a challenge...Book Review: Two words: too long.
Summary: 3 Stars
As my English teacher taught us, all books should have a beginning, a middle and an end. This book has an interesting beginning, which lays out the plot and builds up to the four or five middles through which one must trudge to the welcome conclusion which ties up the strands of the many middles.A great work of fantasy, but the fantastic becomes workaday with prolonged exposure. A shorter work would have been stronger and more satisfying.
If you are looking for good Umberto Eco, then read The name of the Rose. If you are looking for outrageous fantasy, then read Candide.
Book Review: My last Eco novel?
Summary: 2 Stars
This is my third Eco novel. I remain thrilled to the tips of my neurones with The Name of the Rose, but found Foucault's Pendulum utterly impenetrable (and couldn't finish it).I was prepared to give this one a go because of the favourable comparisons which had been drawn between it and The Name of the Rose. And I'll admit, I actually finished it.
I found the introduction to the plot entertaining and informative: what better backdrop than the burning city of Constantinople? And Baudolino strikes the reader immediately as a character of great charisma: clearly a rogue with some interesting stories to tell.
Sadly, this starts to fall by the wayside as the story begins to lose momentum. Eco starts to digress about all sorts of obscure subjects as we go along. I appreciate some of these are satirical, some humorous, and some interesting, but I found this an irritating habit, and some of his digressions were, to my mind, wasteful.
The main plot begins to gradually fray, as Baudolino recounts increasingly far-fetched episodes: to what end, I was unable to discern. Likewise, minor events early in the book seem to develop their own mysterious yet huge significance later: I wasn't able to understand why Baudolino attached such significance to the Holy Grail, when earlier in the book we already know that it is his own father's wooden serving bowl.
Baudolino meets all sorts of characters as we go through, but they seem featureless and uninspiring, even the fanciful ones (although Frederick and Beatrice both rise a little out of the page).
There is a denoument, but the effort required to reach it (and the number of narrative threads one must keep in mind to appreciate it) overturns the satisfaction of the closure.
Had I been Master Niketas, I would have sent Baudolino packing long since with a large footprint on his backside.
I don't really feel the need to read anything else by Eco. Perhaps bigger brains than mine can derive intellectual delight from reading his little erudite whims cast onto paper. I do think, however, that accessibility and clarity are favourable characteristics of any novel, and Eco has real trouble with these.
Book Review: A furious whirlwind of a novel
Summary: 3 Stars
An admirable, erudite and beautiful tangle of medieval myths, woven together with Eco's compelling postmodernism, by which he collapses the boundaries of his truth. In telling the tale, Baudolino himself arrives at the same questioning of the veracity of everything he has lived for as the reader has experienced throughout.Although the reader cannot but enjoy the marvellous catalogue of adventures in this novel, he could be forgiven for failing to ever feel gripped by 'Baudolino', which lacks the intrigue of plot and depends too heavily on Eco's entertaining storytelling to become genuinely irresistible.