This is a book that demands something of its reader and rewards that demand generously.
A novel that takes medieval scholarship seriously on its own terms — Eco does not condescend to the period or modernise it for accessibility. The detective structure is secondary to the intellectual substance, which will frustrate some readers and delight others. I am in the latter category. The monastery as a world is rendered with extraordinary material precision. The Latin passages are unapologetically untranslated.