The Name of the Rose
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Ecoby Umberto Eco
Ranked 7 of 13 historical novels by recommenders
Readers recommend it as a phenomenal historical novel, richer than the 1986 film, which they say leaves out its philosophical and historical depth.
Readers recommend it as a phenomenal historical novel, richer than the 1986 film, which they say leaves out its philosophical and historical depth.
7 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 86%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, 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
Richer than the 1986 film
“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.”
Comment from 23 Aug 2026 in “To become a better writer, read as much as you can” “The movie is great, but it focuses on the crime plot and unfortunately leaves most of the historical/philosophical/linguistic meat out”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “Under Notre Dame, a 'dig of the century' unearths 1,700 years of history” Historical novel of medieval times
“You might be interested in The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, a historical novel about such a lost work.”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “Under Notre Dame, a 'dig of the century' unearths 1,700 years of history” “Amazing portrayal of that time.”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?”
Other historical novels people recommend
The four most recommended other historical 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aubrey-Maturin seriesby Patrick O'Brian | 18 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Three Musketeersby Alexandre Dumas | 12 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | Approved |
| The MANIACby Benjamín Labatut | 12 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | Approved |
| I, Claudiusby Robert Graves | 11 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | Approved |
| The Name of the Roseby Umberto EcoThis page | 6 | 1 | 86% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
7 of the 8 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Umberto Eco is difficult to read”
“Amazing portrayal of that time.”
“Loved it. The earnest perspective of these monks can be very funny.”
“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.”
“The movie is great, but it focuses on the crime plot and unfortunately leaves most of the historical/philosophical/linguistic meat out”
“You might be interested in The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, a historical novel about such a lost work.”
“constant companions for me on road trips”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.