3.5
The Island of the Day Before
ByPublisher Description
In the year 1643, a violent storm in the South Pacific leaves Roberto della Griva shipwrecked—on a ship. Swept from the
, he has managed to pull himself aboard the
, anchored in the bay of a beautiful island. The ship is fully provisioned, he discovers, but the crew is missing.
As Roberto explores the different cabinets in the hold, he looks back on various episodes from his life: Ferrante, his imaginary evil brother; the siege of Casale, that meaningless chess move in the Thirty Years' War in which he lost his father and his illusions; and the lessons given him on Reasons of State, fencing, the writing of love letters, and blasphemy.
In this "intellectually stimulating and dramatically intriguing" novel, Umberto Eco conjures a young dreamer searching for love and meaning; and an old Jesuit who, with his clocks and maps, has plumbed the secrets of longitudes, the four moons of Jupiter, and the Flood (
).
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Island of the Day Before Reviews
3.5
lechugayeah
Created about 1 month agoShare
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Sahsenem Meric
Created 3 months agoShare
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Tablefries
Created 4 months agoShare
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“It was mid, probably would’ve been better if I actually focused on reading it but toward the end I was ready to be done. Also was attempting to read while abroad in Italy which probably didn’t help my case. I’m not history/english major enough to appreciate the book and all its references and imagery.”
Adeline
Created 4 months agoShare
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“What a time to finish this book. 01:34. For me it is today, but in reality, it is tomorrow already...
I am speechless. I can't believe I found a way out of this maze. In this book, you will try to find the loose end of a string, and then realize that there are a lot of other "loose ends."
It is unimaginable how many books Eco must have read to use them as guides or "illusionary facts" in this one. I feel like his mind encompasses the entire Library of Babel.
Truly... I have never read anything like this. I felt like Eco was playing with my mind — laughing, and changing the signs on the road every chapter, but still showing me a bit of light at the end.
I can't think of just one specific thing this book is about. I believe it is about illusion, misinformation, hope, science, history, love, loss, humanity, loneliness, and curiosity.
And the way he writes?
Unfathomable. Astonishing. Wondrous. Detailed. Witty.
After reading Eco's book, it's hard for me to call others writers, too.
Ha... the standard is too high for me now.
If you think you can push through this dense confusion, I think you should read it.
But brace yourself — you'll need a lot of energy and dedication.
This book really should be one of the most famous books there is.”
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