Rating: 
Summary: The most dangerous type of falsehood
Review: I love a good page turner as much as anybody, and this one is a doozy, but for al the wrong reasons. It's so easy to pick on the Catholic Church, and particularly Opus Dei, but having been on the inside of both, I can tell you that the factual errors are overwhelming, and dangerously misleading.
While it's true that ALL religions are man's attempt to put God in a bottle, and to put that bottle on an altar, and build a temple around that altar creating rubrics and rituals to circumscribe the "faithful" from the "heathens", (and that this leads directly to a "my God's bigger than your God" mentality), there is NO hierarchical conspiracy going back in the mists of time to supress "the divine feminine" in Catholicism. The emphasis on Mary (his mother, not Magdelen) in the last several hundred years in the Catholic Church has given rise to a Protestant backlash that thinks Catholics have gone too far, and that in fact they worship the mother of Jesus. It was in the 1800's that Mary's Assumption into heaven was promulgated by the Church, and that put her on a par with Pentecost. You've come a long way baby...
As for Opus Dei, their penchant for penance is what most Catholic priestly orders ( Jesuits, I know of first hand )did before Vatican II, they just never stopped the practice, and carry it over from their founding. But the cloak and daggar stuff is just ridiculous, and so ultimately, is this book.
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Summary: Catholic Slander
Review: This book slander's the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is known for respecting other religions yet still remains the target for evil propagation such as this. I will never buy a book written by Dan Brown again.
Rating: 
Summary: stormed through it in a day!!
Review: Dan Brown's novel Th DaVinci Code was truely enjoyable to read! I found myself unable to put this book down once I had started it. Although some of the characters are predictable, I didn't feel that this aspect took away from the quality of the story.
I am currently reading the predicessor to this novel, Angels & Demons (also starring Robert Langdon) and am having difficulty putting this one down as well! I do hope that this will turn into a book series about Robert Langdon.
Rating:
Summary: Dull, obvious, plodding
Review: O, Draconian Devil, why on earth did I read this book? I am not a cryptographer or world-famous symbologist, but I figured out the story's infantile puzzles long before the so-called experts. I also figured out why it's a page turner--you can't wait to turn the page to see whether the writing will improve. Really, the whole thing sounds like the Hardy Boys and the Keystone Copts, or Abbott and Costello Meet a Big Dumb Albino.As for the historical accuracy, who cares? The book is achingly dull and predictable. Try Eco or Perez-Reverte if you want to experience a more literary thrill ride. Take Dorothy Parker's sentiments to heart: "This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force."
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Summary: The race is on...
Review: This book took off with and bang and the sprinter's pace continued throughout this marathon race to find the Holy Grail. The book begins in Paris, France with a murder. On the surface, the clues from the murder point to the hero, a Harvard professor, and before he knows what is happening he and the heroine are on the run from the police. The story takes the reader from Paris, to London, to Scotland, and back to Paris in a breakneck pace. The main characters must solve the riddles and codes left for them, while avoiding the authorities and the people behind the murder. I enjoyed this book alot. I had heard and read of a number of the points (Dead Sea Scrolls and DaVinci's artwork) and enjoyed Brown's weaving them into a very exciting story. The codes and clues to solve for the location of the Grail were clever, and added to the suspense of this thriller. The information that Brown gives the reader will cause some to rethink what they've known. At a minimum it should cause the reader to look up more information on the subjects. A very good and enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: Really enjoyed this book. If you find this book interesting, check out 'Holy Blood, Holy Grail'.
Rating: 
Summary: Challenge your beliefs!
Review: I heard about this book and the stir it is causing on my way to work one day. Hype does nothing for me, but when I received a gift certificate for Christmas, I looked into it. What intrigued me most was the setting. France and the Louvre! What could be better? Not a normal reader of mysteries or thrillers, The DaVinci Code was definitely worthwhile. It is very well written and seems thoroughly researched. After reading it I completely understand the stir it is causing among the Catholic/religious set. It has definitely caused some interesting conversations in my group. While you read you have to force yourself to remember that it is a novel -- in other words fiction. The best fiction is always based on facts, right? It really does challenge you to think about your beliefs. Do you believe in the story or the Dogma? Therein lies the rub! Mr. Brown definitely leads you on a dance though France and London. By the time I was half way through the book I was already wondering where I could get my hands on some of his reference materials. I did find the ending somewhat uneventful, but I really enjoyed the ride. What fun! Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: very interesting book
Review: The plot in a (very small) nutshell: A unusual murder in the Lourve drags Robert Langdon into a larger plot than he could have imagined involving a 2000-year-old conspiracy and mystery.
Dan Brown obviously did tons of research for this novel and put a lot of work into it, and it shows. The book is well written and Brown explains the the background information well and in an interesting manner, even to someone such as myself who has little familiarity with the New Testament. There are quite a few holes in the plot and many cliches, but I chose to ignore them as much as possible and just be swept away by the book. I will admit though that when it was revealed who the "Teacher" was, I was thinking, "huh?" and everything kind of came ot a crashing halt for me for a bit. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and all of the background information about the Priory of Scion, Mary Magdalene, etc., and found it to be quite thought-provoking. I highly recommend this book for a few hours of good entertainment.
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Summary: Brown seems to use a formula, but it's a good one
Review: With all the hype about this book, I was looking forward to reading it, however, I got ahold of Brown's Angels and Demons first and read that first. The Da Vinci Code was very good, but I was a bit disappointed that it seemed to follow a formula that I had seen almost exactly in Angels and Demons with regard to the characters and plot development. Despite the formulaic style of the writing that annoyed me somewhat, the book was still very good. As in Angels and Demons, I don't know how much of the information regarding the subject matter is accurate, but it worked well for the purposes of the story, and I think that's most important in fiction. Brown does a good job of withholding and revealing information at the right times so you are always wanting to know more, but you find out enough to not get frustrated. If you've read Angels and Demons, you may find this a little too similar, but it's still good. If you haven't read Angels and Demons, than this will be much better. I will probably read more of Brown's books, but likely not anything with Robert Langdon in it.
Rating:
Summary: A great thriller in the historical fiction genre.
Review: Wow, this book has a range of reviews! I guess that is to be expected given the subject matter of the book. I am starting to think that the topics of religion and politics just should not be discussed amongst friends. I think most people are just too thin-skinned, self-important, immature and closed-minded to discuss either of these topics rationally. I will break it down to simple terms. If you are a fan of books in the 'historical fiction' genre (as I am), then you will love this book. If you are an ultra-conservative, bible-thumping zealot then maybe you should just buy another cook book. Read the reviews, even many of the book's detractors admit it is well researched and that the plot is quite suspenseful. This book appeals to me. I am not particularly pious, but I love much of the Renaissance artwork, perhaps even more so for its, often, very religous themes. So, this book appeals to me in many ways. If you have enjoyed books by Robert Ludlum, Ken Follet or Greg Iles, then I think you will enjoy this book as well.
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