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    Roses from the Past
    Roses from the Past
    Roses from the Past
    Ebook59 pages1 hour

    Roses from the Past

    By Silvia Álvarez

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    About this ebook

    SHE IS THE FIRST GIRL BORN INTO THE RAMSIE FAMILY AFTER A LONG TIME OF ONLY MALE DESCENDANTS. NOW A MALEVOLENT SPECTER HAUNTS HER AND SHE HAS NO IDEA THE SHE IS THE REASON THAT HE IS BACK.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse
    Release dateMay 8, 2013
    ISBN9781481731065
    Roses from the Past
    Author

    Silvia Álvarez

    Silvia Álvarez is an award-winning illustrator born in the tropical coastal city of La Ceiba, Honduras, by a Honduran father and a Spanish mother. At the age of seven she moved to Spain now living in Seville where she graduated in Fine Arts. She was awarded Gold Medal at the International Latino Book Awards for her artwork in Daisy (Cuento de Luz, 2017).

    Read more from Silvia álvarez

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    Reviews for Roses from the Past

    4/5

    4,059 ratings115 reviews

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    • 4/5
      If you read this novel looking for the eerie murder mystery you remember from the film adaptation, you’ll find it—plus much more. Eco weaves this mysterious tale of monastic serial murder around the philosophical and theological schism that tore the Catholic church apart in the 14th century. Consequently, lengthy passages of the novel are devoted to religious debates concerning the poverty of Christ and whether the Franciscan devotion to it is appropriate, considering the Pope’s fondness for material possessions, wealth, and glamour in general. If you’re not already familiar with this historical context (and I wasn’t), you’ll need to invest considerable time and energy researching the state of the Catholic church in the middle of the 14th century.The good news is that it’ll be time and energy well invested, for the truth behind the murders in the monastery has much to do with the nature of religious knowledge and the problematic connection between truth and faith, as well as the determination of who holds the privilege to decide how and with whom various forms of knowledge are shared. Ultimately, the power struggle in the monastery—a microcosm of the power struggle within the church itself—lies at the bottom of the mystery, which is eventually solved by the Franciscan monk, William of Baskerville (a clever nod to the locale of one of Sherlock Holmes’ most well-known cases).If you don’t mind navigating through the web of intellectual rhetoric and history (and if you’re reading an Eco novel, what else would you expect?), you’ll be rewarded with a compelling tale of misbehaving monks.
    • 5/5
      9/10

      Just really delightful.
    • 5/5
      Delightful and dense and beautiful to read. I found this thoroughly enjoyable and hope to come back to it in 10 years for a second read.
    • 5/5
      This is a magnificent book. I took the time to read it, because it is a book that needs to be read slowly. Set in the 14th century, or 15th, it is spread over seven days. A series of deaths shock the Abby, and Brother William, and the novice monk, Adso, set out to investigate.During the course of the seven days, there are conversations on religion, on the afterlife, on Christianity, on witchcraft, the Anti-Christ. The discussions are deep, and need to be read carefully. Many, while set in medieval times, apply to us today. Especially, the last - the Anti-Christ can come from within the realms of the holyThe writing is deep, almost lyrical. While the book seems to move slowly, it draws you in until the end. This is indeed quite a magnificent read.
    • 4/5
      Mysteries are generally not my thing, but I actually really enjoyed this book for the most part. The central mystery was exciting and involving, and the way everything was tied up with literature was enjoyable for me as a book nerd. I will admit that as a non-Christian the periodic lengthy theological events kinda lost me, but not to the point that it interfered with my overall enjoyment of the book too much. I read (and write) a lot of historical fiction, but usually not stuff that's set this far in the past, and Eco did an impressively good job with really making the reader feel fully immersed in that medieval world.
    • 4/5
      Oh what a tangled web we weave!Like all great books this is about a lot of things.Like all great art this book has many layers.A philosophical, historical whodunit that's more than a philosophical, historical whodunit.In the first paragraph we know everything we need to know:"In the beginning was the Word..."This book is about books..."This [the Word] was in the beginning with God, and it was the duty of thedevoted monk to repeat daily with chant-like humility the only unchangeablefact whose incontrovertible truth could be asserted. But videmus nunc perspeculum et in aenigmate [1] and the truth, before we are face to face with it,manifests itself trace by trace (oh, how illegibly) in the error that is theworld, so that we must spell out its veracious symbols, even there where theyappear to us obscurely and almost weaved through by a will intent on harm."[my humble translation. if you want something more official go look on amazon ;-)]...it's about the importance of books, about the relation of books to reality,about reality in relation to books, about reality, about the importance ofreality (among other things).But wait, that's not really the beginning.That was just the prologue. First, there's a note by the author and a pagedeclaring, "A manuscript, naturally". Here Eco tells us that he found (or wasgiven?) this manuscript, which was a neo-gothic French translation of a17th-century Latin edition of a work written in Latin in the 14th century by aGerman monk. Naturally, this book is Eco's Italian translation from the French.So right away we know: the book itself is an interwoven web of stories andsnippets, found and re-found, read and re-read, heard reheard and overheard...layers upon layers, stories upon stories...And so we have a book about the search for truth, or at least a truth (whodunit?), about a book so important -- so dangerous -- that someone would be willing to kill for it (that's how important words are, that's how important stories are).But the truth is not necessarily arrived at by rational means, or by "veracious symbols".We can get there "by mistake", by putting together the pieces of a different puzzle...[1] roughly, 'we see through a glass darkly.'
    • 3/5
      I really wanted to love this book. The monastery/library setting was superbly detailed and Eco is one of the few who can pull off the balance of philosophy and symbolism necessary to carry the reader along. However, the pace slows considerably and there are too many annoyingly predictable "twists and turns" that would be more suitable for a cheap mystery novel. Simply put, there isn't enough story to this labyrinth and, at best, this is a book of well written moments with scholastic fluff in between. Eco's postscript to this book is over-thought and overestimates the book's importance. Until he can craft a plot, he has not earned the right to fling untranslated Latin at me.
    • 5/5
      Philosophical work, political work, semitoics work, and also a little bit of a murder mistery. An amazing novel that it is enjoyable on so many levels.
    • 5/5
      This is one of the rare mystery novels out there that manages to be more than just a "whodunit." Mysteries, which come with the ready-made plot arc of crime/investigation/solution, often fail to give the reader much more than that, dressed up with a few different characters or a different setting. In Eco's book we get not only a decently plotted murder mystery , but also a close look at life in a medieval European abbey, plus an examination of the nature of books, of knowledge, of language, and ultimately of humanity. If that sounds like a lot, well, the book weighs in at about five hundred pages, so there's plenty of room for it.The actual mystery is not anything to write home about, nor does it suffice by itself to keep the reader turning the pages. What makes this book a masterpiece is the way it steeps you in the fascinating world of the medieval monks, and places you inside the heads of people who look at the world so very differently than we do today - but still, by and large, are very much like us. I'm not sure about the accuracy of the details of the larger historical plot, but they fit in with what I do know about the period, and I think Eco generally has a pretty good record on that score.I thoroughly enjoyed picking up on the subtle (and occasionally unsubtle) references to Sherlock Holmes that Eco makes in describing William of Baskerville's character and behavior. William is a little bit of an anachronism but not overtly; his beliefs and way of thinking are rather modern, but Eco provides sufficient evidence that he arrived at that mindset from available medieval literature and experiences, so we buy it and move on.If you have no interest in history or theology, and aren't interested in a relatively slow-paced immersion in the historical world and mindset of medieval Catholic monks, you might find this novel too slow or too boring for your tastes. It's definitely not a quick beach-read mystery. On the other hand, if you like historical fiction, this is a gem of that genre; if you want a book that will entertain you while making you think, and which you can't finish in one sitting, this one's for you. Ultimately, the final revelation is less about the identity of the criminal, but the nature of crime, and I'm going to be pondering the theological/philosophical implications of the ending for a few days at least. I fully expect this book to stand up to a re-read in a year or so.
    • 4/5
      In this order, I saw the movie, listened to an abridged audiobook, and read the book. Out of the three I would recommend the abridged audiobook, because it cuts out all the erudite passages and gives you the mystery story, which is extremely interesting. And yet... the historical details are fascinating too. As other reviewers have remarked, it's two books in one. I would recommend both the book and the author to readers who like a good mystery but want a little more substance than the average historical thriller. And, for a change, the movie did a fairly good job of communicating the essence of the book.
    • 5/5
      Upon arriving at the abbey, Brother William and his apprentice Adso are greeted with a lack of co operation and a number of warnings and mysteries. The first death has happened before they arrived. Brother Adelmo is found at the bottom of the tower, from which he has fallen (or did he jumped? Or was pushed?). In their investigation they find that everyone seems to know something, but no one is willing to talk and they start running out of time as the bodies continue to accumulate and the Inquisitors are on their way.Eco has written a very dark but well designed mystery. Early on into the books I made up my own list of suspects, based on the many clues hinted at throughout the book. Despite my determination to figure out who was the cause of all the murders, the book kept me guessing until the end. As it turns out the culprit wasn't even on my suspect list!You are led through the mystery by Brother Williams young apprentice, Adso. A young novice Adso is both naive and intelligent. He is well versed in matters of theology (as are most characters in this novel- and they love to debate them!) but inexperienced when it comes to life. This makes him very human and relatable and in addition a reliable narrator. You trust what he is telling you and never question whether he is leaving anything out. He is telling you the story exactly as he saw it.Eco is a very descriptive writer and it is easy to lose yourself in the setting of a monastery in1327. Alternatively, however, there is a great deal of time spent on the politics of the time. At this time, when the fear of the Inquisition was felt all over, politics meant theology. Eco writes in detail about some intense theological debates, such as the poverty of Jesus. As a former student of religious studies I could follow some of these debates but even I didn't understand some of the references and arguments some times. These debates should not discourage anyone from reading the book, as it is easy enough to just the jist of them and continue of with the story.Overall an excellent read and a great mystery. Destined to be a classic.
    • 1/5
      I fail to understand as to how this book could be classified as literature. To me, it appears little better than Dan Brown. One can read the first 80 pages and last 80 and not miss much.
    • 5/5
      Breath-taking. If you liked "The Shadow of the Wind" or even "Ghostwalk," "The Name of the Rose" is a risk well worth taking. I say a risk because it's an extremely dense and somewhat challenging book set in medieval Italy during the Inquisition, and it should not be read in short snatches. Not that you're likely to have any desire to put it down at all once you start it. The surface murder mystery and accompanying religious and political intrigue are enough to keep you reading if you're a mystery fan. It's just gravy on an already satisfying chop that, more or less behind the scenes, the Inquisition rages on and the Protestant Reformation is already being fomented across Europe. The history and philosophy alone are fascinating.
    • 5/5
      I've read three books by this author before, and would rank two of them among my favourite novels, perhaps along with this one, I have not yet decided. This being his most well know title, I was perhaps unreasonably expecting it to be his best; I don't think it is, though it comes close. The plot is pretty good, and anyone interested in medieval life and books should be fascinated, or at least moderately interested, while fans of (murder) mysteries have plenty here to enjoy too; I cannot think of a better example of how these genres should be done than here. Readers not accustomed to Eco's style may find it a bit hard going, though fans of his who have read Foucault's pendulum should find it comparatively easy. As with his other stories there is a focus on theology, philosophy, and general scholarly things, which may not be to everyone's taste, but which many like me enjoy. It would be easy to become confused with some of this if you were not already familiar with it, especially where some of the dialogue is composed of a mixture of languages, (I'm sure he did this one or two of his other stories too), which is unintelligible those who do not know at least a bit of the languages, which can include French, German, Spanish, and Latin, if I remember correctly, though most of the non-English bits are in Latin, potential readers should not be put off by this as the book as a whole is quite intelligible if none of these languages are known. For all this though, it can be a page turner at times, and in places is quite exciting, even if some passages proceed at a slower pace. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to those interested in the genre, but I think that the Island of The Day Before would perhaps feel more accessible to those not too interested in the subject matter of this book, who wanted to try a novel by Eco.
    • 3/5
      As a murder mystery, it fulfills its function perfectly: it makes us search through for clues, drops red herrings constantly, delays significantly enough to display fully our epistemophilia, 'strip-teases' the answer, and proffers enough allusions to make us feel remarkably intelligent at its conclusion. However, where it stretches beyond the confines of genre, seeking too much to enter the realms of sexuality or religious history, it fails to maintain interest of tone or reader. It relegates itself to a mediocrity between genres.
    • 4/5
      This is one of my favorite books. The setting of an old monastery filled with old scriptoriums and libraries provides such a sense of escapism for me in terms of reading. The plot revolves around a murder mystery that is solved with a clever sense of awareness by the semiotician main character. Will suggest to others.
    • 5/5
      gives you the creeps - fantastic and spell binding
    • 4/5
      A powerful evocation of the scholastic milieu.
    • 4/5
      Exellent, but I never felt the need to read it again.
    • 3/5
      Wow! That was a real slog of a book. I listened to the audiobook which is 21 hours long, although that's probably quicker than I could have read it myself (I'm a slow reader, and I'd have given more thought to the latin if it were printed in front of me). The story is entertaining enough, but it is very long winded in the telling. One reads it more for the rich symbolism and religious language from 14th Century Catholicism. At the same time the philosophy behind the book is very clearly postmodernist, which places it firmly in the latter part of the 20th Century; this makes a curious mix. I am glad I persevered however it is not something I intend to reread and I will probably steer clear of the authors other works too.
    • 4/5
      Medieval monks arguing the finer points of papal intrigue, some murders at the abbey, and a phantasmal library - wonderfully done, and translated at that.
    • 5/5
      It has been said that The Name of the Rose was one of the most purchased, most displayed, and least read bestsellers. This notion expressed a belief that at least more people wanted to be perceived as sophisticated enough to read the book than wanted to make the effort of reading it.On one level, The Name of the Rose is a decent whodunit set in an isolated northern Italian medieval monastery. William of Baskerville is our Sherlock and Adso, his young assistant, is the unlearned neutral narrator (His neutrality is seemingly due to lack of sufficient understanding to put a sophisticated gloss on his reporting - but he is writing the story decades later.). Upon their arrival, the abbot asks William to investigate the death of one of the monks. As he does so, the bodies pile up, a number of potential suspects and motivations are suggested and then rejected as the suspects themselves become victims. (In that regard, William echoes TV detectives who come to solve one murder, fail to stop several more, but then compensate by solving them all. See, for example, Midsomer Murders - The Early Cases Collection).Mixed in with the mystery, however, are discursions in semiotics, hermeneutics, biblical analysis, religious debate, literary theory, and medieval history. And what would a medieval mystery be without the inquisition?The Name of the Rose is a ludicrously difficult book to read if one insists upon understanding everything that one is reading. The book has spawned at least two book-length scholarly analyses as well as a book dedicated to supplying Latin-to-English translations for the dozens (hundreds?) of Latin phrases as well an explanation of the philosophical and literary theories that Eco introduces. (The product description to The Key to The Name of the Rose: Including Translations of All Non-English Passages (Ann Arbor Paperbacks) promises: "an approachable, informative guide to the book and its setting--the middle ages. The Key includes an introduction to the book, the middle ages, Umberto Eco, and philosophical and literary theories; a useful chronology; and reference notes to historical people and events.").The book has also generated many conflicting interpretations and evaluations of its merit. Eco himself felt compelled to write a Postscript several years after the book's publication. The postscript is helpful in figuring out what Eco was `really' up to. Eco describes a novel as "a machine for generating interpretations." The book's popular success so surprised Eco that he ponders "why the book was being read by people who surely could not like such `cultivated' books." (He concluded that the unsophisticated Adso made readers feel it was OK to not fully comprehend the book.). The Postscript is now included in many versions of the book and I recommend it. The Everyman version does not appear to have the postscript, but this older version does: The Name of the Rose.Eco clearly enjoys parading his learning - and there is little doubt he is an extraordinarily learned man. What is one to make of his casual use of the most obscure words? (I sometimes suspected he was making up words.) Is he trying to make most us feel stupid? Or is he writing for a very select audience? Or is he urging us to extend our grasp? He explains in the Postscript that wanted readers to become fully immersed in the medieval world, but once past that initiation to become his "prey, or rather the prey of the text". An author who views his readers as prey is just a little weird.Eco expended great effort studying medieval history and transcripts and the effort shows in most respects, but it was disconcerting to learn that he felt justified in having William spout "disguised quotations" from Wittgenstein (who lived some 450 years after the events of this book) because such things were what William *should* have said. Such intentionally misleading writing violates an implied pact between author and reader. However, I do not wish to make too much of what I perceive as a transgression. The book should be read, pondered, and re-read - or it should be chucked in the trash can in frustration over the umpteenth foreign language or otherwise impenetrable word, phrase, sentence, paragraph, or page. Both reactions are understandable. I suggest reading it first.
    • 4/5
      I read this too long ago for much in the way of detail here. I just love Eco.
    • 1/5
      One of the worst books i ever read. i can't understand why i didn't drop it after i had struggled through the first few pages, but it was just probably me not knowing how to cut my losses.
    • 5/5
      One of my favorite novels of all time. It alternately literate, thrilling, and sensual. Despite being vividly set in the Middle Ages, it also speaks to our turbulent times with debates about religion and science.
    • 3/5
      I am not sure what I think or feel about this book. It took me a long time to read, compared with most books. I found it tedious and wordy, but still enjoyable.The fact that there are many phrases in latin, and other european languages, made it difficult to read, due to my monolingualism.I am the sort of person who reads a book for enjoyment, not to pick it to pieces and analyse to find "deeper meanings." Therefore I probably missed most of the semiotics Eco intended.
    • 2/5
      I struggle to see quite why this book is so popular. Is it a case of the Emperor's New Clothes - are people assuming that just because the novel is hard-going, it must be a "good book"?I'm interested in the Church and the Middle Ages, and have a guilty fondness for Latin, yet I still found this book one of the worst I have ever read. It's full of impenetrable digressions and endless lists; one could quite happily halve the book's considerable length without anybody complaining. Eco needs to learn the virtues of brevity.Nor does the plot hold water. All that fuss, over Aristotle's Poetics...! The explanation within the narrative seems almost apologetic, as if Eco himself realizes it doesn't quite make sense.Really, rather than read this dross pick up C. J. Sansom's Dissolution. Its premise is near-identical, but the book is an order of magnitude better.
    • 3/5
      The greatest thriller of all times. Please, don't lose your time with "Da Vincis Codes" and these stuff, read this book and you won't regret it.
    • 5/5
      I don't think any book with so many disparate elements (murder mystery, history lesson, spiritual introspection) has been so powerfully unified. Successful on every level.
    • 5/5
      Sherlock Holmes meets the Library of Babel-- in a 14th Century Italian monastery. Also, an exploration of doubt, belief, signs, meaning, ambiguity, human fallibility, and lots of other pretty important postmodern-type-stuff. This book sets up many of the problems regarding language, meaning, logic, and the nature of reality that Foucault's Pendulum sets out to solve.

    Book preview

    Roses from the Past - Silvia Álvarez

    © 2013 by Silvia Alvarez. All rights reserved.

    No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

    Published by AuthorHouse     03/25/2013

    ISBN: 978-1-4817-3107-2 (sc)

    ISBN: 978-1-4817-3106-5 (e)

    Library of Congress Control Number: 2013905058

    Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

    Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

    Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

    Contents

    Prologue

    Chapter I     Monday October 25, 1995

    Chapter II    Tuesday October 26

    Chapter III   Wednesday October 27

    Chapter IV   Thursday October 28

    Chapter V     Late afternoon October 28th

    Chapter VI    Friday October 29th

    Chapter VII   Saturday October 30th

    Chapter VIII  Sunday October 31st

    About the Author

    This book is dedicated to my mother Silvia Haydee Alvarez (1939 to 2011), my brothers Gus Sr. and Jorge Sr. and my sister Tere also to my sisters-in-law Maria and Suzy.

    But specially to my nieces and nephews; Samantha, Angela, Genevieve, Gustavo Jr., Jorge Jr. and Luie.

    Roses white as snow,

    That bleed, the blood of life

    Tell me of the tragedy,

    The trouble and the strife.

    Tell of the fight

    That cost a man his life,

    Tell of the end,

    That gave the other a wife.

    Roses red as rubies,

    That burn in flames of blue

    Tell me of the past,

    Of a love that once was true.

    Tell me why they married,

    Why they loved and why they fled,

    Tell me now their story,

    And if, they’re still wed.

    Prologue

    The wind outside of the little cottage howled and the rain beat upon the tightly closed shutters like a million tiny fists.

    Inside, lying on the big double bed, cradling her two hour old twin sons, was Lady Dumas de Ramsie.

    You look radiant my love, James said to his wife as he gently kissed her forehead.

    I’m exhausted. James, please put the boys in their cribs and bring me some water, she said with a smile.

    Your wish is my command, James replied with an extravagant bow.

    He put the twins to bed and left the room to go and get the glass of water that his wife had asked for.

    Without thinking Mairely removed the Santa Rosalina’s medallion from around her neck and placed it on the night stand beside the bed.

    The yellow orange flame of the candle that sat on the night stand flickered as a gust of wind flung the shutters open and a shadowy figure begins to materialize beside Mairely’s bed.

    This night I shall make you mine, said a heavy Italian accented voice.

    Mairely’s eyes opened wide in horror and her heart began to beat so fast that she could actually feel it against her chest.

    James walked in with the glass of water just as the ghost leaned over to place a kiss on Mairely’s forehead.

    Be gone spawn of Satan! James cries as he picked up the medallion and shoved it into the specters face.

    The specter growled at him and disappeared with the wind.

    Are you all right my love? James asked as he sat down next to his wife.

    I’m just tired, that’s all, she took a deep breath and sighed, James, promise me that you’ll take good care of the boys if anything should happen to me, she said in a small tired sounding voice.

    I promise, but I know that nothing bad will happen to you, he said as he fixed the covers around her.

    "Also pray that a female is never born to those who follow, for the day that one is born, he, will go looking for her," she

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