Cover of The Name of the Rose

Mystery · Historical

The Name of the Rose

Bestseller: about 50 million copies (estimate)

In 1327, a Franciscan friar and his young assistant visit a wealthy Italian abbey to prepare for a theological meeting, and find themselves investigating a series of deaths tied to a forbidden library.

First published
1980
Pace
slow
Length
long
Format
Standalone

Read this if you want a dense, bookish medieval mystery that is as much about ideas as about the murders.

Skip this if you want a quick read, since it contains long stretches of theology and untranslated Latin.

The feel

Content warnings

  • Violence
  • Death
  • Religious extremism
  • Torture
  • Sexual content

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