Rating: 
Summary: Should have waited to buy a 50-cent copy in a used-book sale
Review: Others in this space have already appropriately criticized Mr. Brown's sloppy "scholarship" / "research." But then, I didn't buy this book for scholarship. I did, however, expect to be entertained, not exasperated.I would say Mr. Brown's characterization is cartoonish, but that would serve only to insult great cartoon writers like Mort Walker and Charles Schulz. There isn't any sort of depth or development here. Yes, the plot unfolds over a mere two days, but a "master" (says Vince Flynn on the jacket) would have been able to give us more sharply defined characters. One has to do some of one's own Hollywood casting to put flesh on this screenplay. Moreover, Mr. Brown treats his readers like simpletons as he walks them by the hand through the solution of certain puzzles. This also has the effect of stretching credulity to its elastic limit. For example, are we seriously to believe that a Harvard symbologist (Langdon) and an expert on the Holy Grail (Teabing) are stumped by a clue that is written backwards? Langdon says "My first guess is Semitic" -- you've got to be joking, Mr. Brown! Langdon, knowing of Sauniere's admiration for da Vinci and presumably knowing of da Vinci's use of mirror-image script, would have tried a backward reading first. Sophie Neveu, the DCPJ cryptographer, solves the puzzle only because she recognizes her grandfather Sauniere's writing. There are more such episodes, but there is not enough room here to review them. I won't even give this book away. Into the trash it goes. I've learned my lesson: this author's work is not worth the time or the money.
Rating: 
Summary: Exciting read
Review: The Da Vinci Code was recommended to me by many friends, and I did not regret it when I finally found it, after having hunted for it for months, only to be told that it, once again, was sold out in one day.
The Da Vinci Code was my first read by Dan Brown, and I am looking forward to pick up his other books. The story starts with the murder of Jacques Sauniére, curator at Louvre Museum in Paris. At the same time, historian Robert Langdon from Harvard, is giving a speech in Paris about symbols. It soon becomes clear, that Robert Langdon's visit to Paris was far from coincidental, as is the case with his involment in the Louvre murder. He does not know in the beginning, but the story shows that he, via his field of study in symbology and history, is very much involved indeed. It quickly becomes priority no. one to find the murderer. Jacques Sauniére's granddaughter enters the scene, and from then there is no looking back. The book is very exciting and well written.
Dan Brown uses a lot of well known pieces of art, movies, books, scripts etc. to create a "unbelievably believeable" story, and it is hard not to become interested in many of the themes this book brings up. I recommend this book to anybody interested in a good story, history, religion, thrillers, symbols and magic.
Rating: 
Summary: A Thriller in Format, Not in Story
Review: Successful novels aren't always carried by the sum of their components, and this novel is an example of how one component alone can sometimes propel a book to bestsellerdom. In this case the component is the subject matter itself: Jesus Christ's bloodline and the suppression of documents that suggest a woman should be heading up the Church in Rome. Other components I found weak. Main characters, for this reader, remained paper-thin. The French police captain and his second-in-command revealed a hackneyed relationship. The story attempted to duplicate the frenetic pace of some movie thrillers, but its effort fell short because its energy to accomplish this was consumed by format rather than story: more than 100 chapters, plus a pro- and epilogue, and too many of them unfolded in an escaping vehicle. Additionally, because much of the story has its action in France, its appears author and editor thought it necessary to pepper the text with countless French lines. A little of this goes a long way for readers who do not speak French. Although I finished the story, early-on something began to nag at me and it remained to the very end. This is a generous time of year and so I've awarded it 3 stars.
Rating:
Summary: One of the BEST fiction books ever!
Review: The only reason why I read this book is because my mother and father got it as a Christmas gift for me. Of course, I'd seen this book a trillion times, in the bookstore, but never even thought about reading it because I mostly read non-fiction genre. However, I basically finished this book in one reading - during my returning flight from New York to California. I couldn't believe that I actually was going to pass up reading this book! I phoned my mother as soon as I got into California, to thank her for giving me that book! Basically the book is a suspense novel about the inner-workings of the Secret Societies and the role of such organization(s) as they pertain to a murder which transpired in the Louvre museum. Once you start reading this book, you cannot possibly put it down! Granted, there are portions that are quite deep insofar as the level of research involved - especially in regards to the Secret Societies and Art History - however, it is an incredibly fascinating storyline! You do not need to have background understanding of the Secret Societies or Art History, though it would be quite helpful, because the author has eloquently written in a manner which is quite accessible to the "rookie" as well as the "veteran." Although this book is supposedly in the fiction category, one can't help but wonder how much of the operations of the Secret Societies is actually non-fiction! You be the judge!
Rating:
Summary: Not up to the hype. It's only a page turner...
Review: ...because Brown ends chapters in the middle, without rhyme or reason. It's a chick book. No...a guilt-ridden Catholic girl chick book. Brown knows his stuff. The factoids are very interesting, but he front-loads the book with them. It's entertaining and full of rich detail for the first half. But, if you haven't figured out the plot's direction by then, you haven't been paying attention. A good book for the beach for those with lowered expectations who have been drinking. Can't wait for the movie (sic).
Rating:
Summary: If you dont mind missing sleep and meals then read this book
Review: If you dont mind missing sleep and meals then read this book because you wont be able to put it down! Very exciting a little confusing at first but it is a very good book and i would recemend it to everyone who likes a good read!
Rating: 
Summary: yes no let me know
Review: the rage will be short live surviving only in church book clubs and oprah fans. a page turner all admitt, however, the premise of controversial religious topic is the real suspect to blame for gluing your finger to the page. the writting was mediocre not to ripe the book apart but i was just as enthused by picking up a goosebumps book. only suggestion- read it for yourself the opinions seem to vary drastically
Rating:
Summary: Not a masterpiece
Review: THE DA VINCI CODE is disappointing. The problem is not that the book isn't fast paced and suspenseful - it is to both. But that's all it is. There are plenty of "hooks" and plot twists, but they occur on a page-to-page level. Once the story is established as a quest for the Holy Grail, the arc of the plot becomes highly predictable. That the story is about the search for the actual Holy Grail, and the biggest conspiracy in the history of western civilization, is another problem. The scope is as big as it seems. The suspension of disbelief becomes shaky less than halfway through the book and never recovers (side diatribes about the theological implications of THE LITTLE MERMAID don't help matters). As if that weren't bad enough, after we come to realize the story really is about the search for the Grail, even after its "true nature" is revealed, even after it is actually located... we don't get to see it. Had the book ended with some doubt about whether the Grail - and the massive conspiracy about it -- was real, hiding it would have worked. But by the end of the book there is no doubt about its authenticity. We are told somewhere in the middle of the story what type of thing the Grail really is (it isn't a cup), but we don't learn much more about it once its location is discovered. The whole thing has the unpleasant smell of the new-age self-help book, THE CELESTINE PROPHESY. Well, it wasn't quite that bad - but precisely because it wasn't that bad, it was even more disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Revisionist History
Review: It never ceases to amaze me how easily the uneducated masses will believe the enemies of the Church. Blasphemy!
Rating: 
Summary: The Da Vinci Code
Review: After having read numerous reviews of the book, both positive and negative, I have come to the conclusion that most readers are simply missing the point. This is a work of fiction. It is meant to entertain. Maybe the ending could have been more satisfying, maybe the characters could have been fleshed out a bit more, and just maybe the characters could have been insomniacs and didn't need sleep. No matter. Dan Brown succeeded in creating a story that grabbed the attention of reades worldwide, and whether you enjoyed it or not, you purchased it. Literature is like anything else...very subjective depending on whom is reading it and for what purpose. Therefore, it is quite offensive to me that so many "pseudo-intellectuals" feel they have wasted their time with this novel and seem to believe that any intelligent person would abhor this novel. Again, a work of fiction is meant to entertain the masses, and if readers are interested in a fast-paced novel with some inetersting information, they should read it. It's entertainment and nothing more.
| 
