Baudolino

by Umberto Eco | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0099422395 Global Overview for this book
Registered by archai of Derby, not specified not specified on 6/1/2006
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4 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by archai from Derby, not specified not specified on Thursday, June 1, 2006
An extraordinary epic, brilliantly-imagined, new novel from a world-class writer and author of The Name of the Rose. Discover the Middle Ages with Baudolino - a wondrous, dazzling, beguiling tale of history, myth and invention. It is 1204, and Constantinople is being sacked and burned by the knights of the fourth Crusade. Amid the carnage and confusion Baudolino saves a Byzantine historian and high court official from certain death at the hands of the crusading warriors, and proceeds to tell his own fantastical story.

It is April 1204, and Constantinople, the splendid capital of the Byzantine Empire, is being sacked and burned by the knights of the Fourth Crusade. Amid the carnage and confusion, one Baudolino saves a Byzantine historian and high court official from certain death at the hands of the crusading warriors, and proceeds to tell his own fantastical story. Born a simple peasant in northern Italy, Baudolino has two major gifts; a talent for learning foreign languages and a skill in telling lies. One day, when still a boy, he met a foreign commander in the woods, charming him with his quick wit and lively mind. The commander - who proves to be the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa - adopts Baudolino and sends him to the university in Paris, where he makes a number of fearless, adventurous friends. Spurred on by myths and their own reveries, this merry band sets out in search of Prester John, a legendary priest-king who was said to rule over a vast kingdom in the East - a phantasmagorical land of strange creatures with eyes on their shoulders and mouths on their stomachs, of eunuchs, unicorns, and lovely maidens.

Released 17 yrs ago (7/20/2006 UTC) at RABCK in -- Controlled Release, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- United Kingdom

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

On its way to geishabird as an RABCK because it is on their wish list

Journal Entry 3 by geishabird from Toronto, Ontario Canada on Thursday, July 27, 2006
What a nice surprise! Thank you so much for sending this to me. You are very kind. :)

Journal Entry 4 by geishabird from Toronto, Ontario Canada on Friday, March 21, 2008
I was about 200 pages into this book when I realized that it had me at a disadvantage. It took me that long to discover that this book, like The Name of the Rose, draws much of its narrative structure not only from historical sources but from myths and legends that I just wasn't familiar with. While I do have a passing acquaintance with Prester John, the Crusades and some of the more well-known events and stories, I had not realized that characters such as Kyot, Boron, The Poet, Niketas and even Baudolino's father are actually based on characters (whether real or disputed) from medieval literature and history. I'm afraid that as a result a lot of the novel's cleverness was lost on me until I did a little independent research. I know that some people dislike having to "work" to enjoy a book but I'm not one of those; I enjoy learning something new, especially if it allows me to be in on the joke. So, by the time I finally finished reading Baudolino, I felt that I was in a better position to appreciate what Eco was trying to do. And as a result I found it to be a fun read. Thank you for sharing it.

This article in Wikipedia helped me navigate the book better; I'll include the link here for any future readers who may find it useful.

Baudolino

Journal Entry 5 by wingAceofHeartswing from Mississauga, Ontario Canada on Tuesday, April 8, 2008
received in the mail today. I won this book in the Literature in Translation swap

Journal Entry 6 by HoserLauren at Mississauga, Ontario Canada on Saturday, June 14, 2014
My mom, AceofHearts, passed away from breast cancer on September 17, 2013. Aside from being one of the best people I know, she was an avid reader and took immense pleasure in Bookcrossing, her book club, and reading many great books. Unfortunately she didn't get around to reading this book.

We had similar tastes in books and would share them whenever we read something we enjoyed. This book sounds interesting so I'm going to keep it to read.

Journal Entry 7 by HoserLauren at -- Controlled Release in Mississauga, Ontario Canada on Saturday, July 16, 2022

Released 1 yr ago (7/17/2022 UTC) at -- Controlled Release in Mississauga, Ontario Canada

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

I've been doing some bookshelf cleaning and I've had this book for too long, time to share! I'll be giving these to someone to help populate a little free library in Mississauga. To the finder of this book: I hope you enjoy reading this book. Please keep it or set it free when you're done. If the book is of no interest to you, please release it into the wild for someone else to find and enjoy. I hope you will make a journal entry so its journey can be tracked and to let me know the book has been found. You can remain anonymous if you wish, but if you join BookCrossing, you are in for a great experience.

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