Like his earlier novels, Eco's most recent work evokes the past in accurate and exhaustive detail, and its historical insights provide numerous topics for conversation. The philosophical and scientific problems which the characters find so compelling still matter, and Eco's framing of the questions could lead to unusually productive discussions. The important fictional and historical figures in the book are intriguing singly and in the combinations Eco arranges. Finally the ambiguities of the last pages should provoke spirited debates.

1. What really caused Roberto's eye problems? What really cured them?

2. Why does Eco fill the Daphne with plants and animals? What significance do they have for Roberto? Do they have different meanings for us from those that they have for the characters?

3. What does Roberto learn from his experiences during the siege of Casale?

What exactly is it about war that disturbs him?

4. What do you make...