William of Baskervilles is an English monk visiting a rich Italian abbey on a political mission. Adso, the narrator, plays his Dr. Watson as William is asked to investigate a murder in the abbey. The monastery’s pious veneer is peeled back to reveal the dishonest and greedy motives beneath.
Eco’s slogan: “God is in the details.” He uses long lists to describe. Instead of writing “Adelmo’s illustrations portrayed imaginary creatures such as men with tooth-filled mouths in their bellies,” he tells us exactly what was on the page, in a sentence 207 words long.
Themes: loss of ideals, hypocrisy, possessions, poverty, temporality.
1001 books to read before you die (apparently) 
I have this on my TBR list and am looking forward to it although I will need to get into Eco’s frame of mind. I like your ratings system BTW.
If you’re interested, there’s a brand new version of Arukiyomi’s 1001 books spreadsheet. Along with some cool new features, there are lists of both the revised 1001 books and those that were removed.
To get your free copy of the spreadsheet, head over to Arukiyomi.
Happy reading!
Thanks for the link to the new spreadsheet Arukiyomi! Very helpful.
I’m hoping not too many of my books will be kicked out of the revised edition. 🙂
This is one of the best books at establishing setting that I have ever seen. You really feel like you are there.
On the other hand, I think some trimming would have benefited the book. Sure, they lived at a slower pace back then, but there is such a thing as too much authenticity.