# The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

6 Hacker News commenters recommended The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Readers recommend it as a phenomenal historical novel, richer than the 1986 film, which they say leaves out its philosophical and historical depth.

## Why people recommend it

- Richer than the 1986 film (2 comments): "The Name of the Rose by Eco is essential. Don't be fooled if you've only seen the movie, which was not good. The book itself is phenomenal." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49408196)) "The movie is great, but it focuses on the crime plot and unfortunately leaves most of the historical/philosophical/linguistic meat out" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48397669))
- Historical novel of medieval times (2 comments): "You might be interested in The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, a historical novel about such a lost work." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48396184)) "Amazing portrayal of that time." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904370))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian](https://hackerapproved.com/p/aubrey-maturin-series.md): 18 recommend
- [The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas](https://hackerapproved.com/p/three-musketeers.md): 12 recommend
- [The MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut](https://hackerapproved.com/p/maniac.md): 12 recommend
- [I, Claudius by Robert Graves](https://hackerapproved.com/p/i-claudius.md): 11 recommend
- [Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian](https://hackerapproved.com/p/master-and-commander.md): 7 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0330284789?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780330284783) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco", https://hackerapproved.com/p/name-of-the-rose/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).