Foucault's Pendulum
Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Ecoby Umberto Eco
Shares rank 40 of 122 novels by recommenders
Recommended as a novel that handles its themes in compelling ways, with one commenter calling it a genius book; one reader gave up early on it.
Recommended as a novel that handles its themes in compelling ways, with one commenter calling it a genius book; one reader gave up early on it.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 83%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Better novel with compelling themes
“I think Foucault's Pendulum is a significantly better novel that uses the basic themes in more compelling ways.”
Comment from 17 Jan 2026 in “Scott Alexander: The Dilbert Afterlife” Praised as genius by a reader
“That was the genius bit of the book, IMVHO.”
Comment from 22 Aug 2026 in “The Creation of Abulafia” Admired alongside Ursula Le Guin
“Umberto Eco and Ursula Le Guin I agree on.”
Comment from 23 Aug 2026 in “To become a better writer, read as much as you can”
Other novels people recommend
The four most recommended other novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 39 | 9 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 28 | 8 | 78% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace | 26 | 5 | 84% | 9 | 10 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald | 24 | 9 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Foucault's Pendulumby Umberto EcoThis page | 5 | 1 | 83% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
4 of the 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“either way I gave up early”
“Umberto Eco and Ursula Le Guin I agree on.”
“That was the genius bit of the book, IMVHO.”
“I think Foucault's Pendulum is a significantly better novel that uses the basic themes in more compelling ways.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.