The Da Vinci Code

Rating:
Summary: Interesting historical mix!
Review: Great infusion of actual history and story telling. I learned a lot from this book, which suprised me. I kept thinking that it was all fluff that the author created, then when I did some research, it was all based on reality. This book does take a decidedly negative position on the catholic church. I wouldn't recommend this book to religious zealots. They will likely spend the whole time getting mad at the authors attacks on Catholicism, rather than looking at his research objectively, and enjoying the story. This is one of the best books I have ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Weird Book
Review: I normally don't read fictional mystery novels but I'm interested in Leonardo da Vinci so I checked this book out.

You have to use your imagination with a book like this. The chances that any of this could really happen as written is about one in 20 billion.

I'm not familiar with these types of books so I don't know if people write books like this just to create controversy and sensationalism, whether they really believe this stuff, or whatever.

I found this book to be informative and I picked up a lot of interesting facts about da Vinci and other things.

An underlying theme throughout the book is the worship of female gods and the suppression and disrespect of females throughout history. However contrary to what's presented here Mary Magdalene is a hero of the bible.

It's the speculation and unsubstantiated statements that for me start to detract from the story about half way through. Many of these ideas such as a possible sexual relationship between Mary Magdalene and Jesus Christ are taken from the so called 'lost gospels' which weren't included in the bible (fortunately).

The bible doesn't say that Jesus Christ was ever married or had children. However this is explained away as follows:

"If Jesus were not married, at least one of the Bible's gospels would have mentioned it and offered some explanation for His unnatural state of bachelorhood."

This is like saying that anything which isn't written in a book can be assumed to be true. In that case all books should just be filled with blank pages.

Leonardo da Vinci adopted a kid and would sometimes make comments about the kid's curly hair. This has been translated by some people as 'da Vinci was a flamboyant homosexual'.

At one point the heroine of the story comes home from college and hears her grandfather with some other people down in a secret dungeon in his house. She goes down there and sees a bunch of people dressed in weird costumes and masks. There in the middle of the room is 'grand-pere'. He was lying naked on an altar. There was a girl there.

The heroine runs away and doesn't talk to grand-pere for years. But years later she feels guilty. "Why didn't I understand ? Why didn't I realize that this was normal behavior and part of grand-pere's religious beliefs ?"

Then the hero uses his decoding techniques to decypher da Vinci's famous painting The Last Supper. You see the person standing next to Jesus wasn't an apostle. It was Mary Magdalene. Peter is over to the left holding a knife wanting to slash Mary's throat out of jealousy.

This is like people who say you need a super computer to figure out the hidden code in the bible.

It is true there is a hand holding a knife in The Last Supper. It's da Vinci's hand and it's near Judas.

There are many other questionable interpretations of legends such as the Christians stole the idea of a miraculous birth from the Egyptian story of Isis and Horus. But both stories are true. Just as God does things the occult gods also do the same things but the results are different. According to Egyptian legend Horus killed his mother Isis I think.

I think this book is worth reading anyway. The way the story fits together required a lot of thought.

I guess if everyone believed the same things the world would be a boring place. Mainly I took off stars because of the heavy emphasis on unsubstantiated sexually related topics.

Ironically there really is a secret da Vinci code. Fear and weakness have almost destroyed it. Will the truth be revealed or will the secret be lost forever ? Only time will tell.

Rating:
Summary: Murder, art, and relgion: This book has it all
Review: In The Da Vinci Code, author Dan Brown combines murder, intrigue, religion, and the art world and comes up with an exciting read. The story opens in the Louvre, where the curator has just been killed. His granddaughter, Sophie, a police agent, and Robert Langdon, a famous American "symbologist" become involved in the case - at first to help solve the crime, and then, as the prime suspects. The crime is connected to two religious organizations; one's mission is to guard the secret truth about the Holy Grail, and the other's job is to keep that information from ever being told. The action moves from Paris to Rome and on to London in a frantic race to not only solve the murder, but possibly to change the course of Christianity forever.

I loved the first one-third of this book! It was so well-written, I had goosebumps and could not put it down. The characters are interesting and the plot (in the beginning) is dynamite. The middle section - which explains the role of the Grail - got bogged down in the details. The author is exceptionally well-versed in the history of the Opus Dei and Priory of Sion societies. (Members of the later have included such illuminati as Da Vinci, Botticelli, and Newton over the centuries.) The problem is, he spends too much time explaining their theories and the action and suspense that characterized the beginning of the book are lost. The final third, where the story moves to London, regains the original excitement and fast pace and it is, overall, a very good story.

Brown knows his art history, and I couldn't help but look up many paintings and artists as he described their significance to the plot. Those who have been to Paris or London will enjoy revisiting those cities here. I learned a lot about art, religion, history, and even word origins from reading The Da Vinci Code. I think it would make an exciting movie. I heartily recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: pseudo-intellectualism run amok
Review: none of the theories in this book would have any credibility if not artificially given some in the voice of a make believe professor from Harvard. Put aside that illusion when you read: Dan Brown will never be a Harvard professor, he is only a kooky and overly excitable author wishing he could be one. Add some overinterpretation and wild speculation (e.g. a REAL secret society exists... and therefore their purpose is to protect the grail and have wild orgies? Anyone who has been exposed to real secret societies knows that they are the most boring organizations in the world) and cookie cutter characters, and you can spin 450 pages worth of incredulous plot twists and escapes from the police who are always one step too late. If you like this mix of fiction and intellectualism, try Umberto Eco, or even Sophie's world: at least they are not intellectually dishonest, and are much better written.

Rating:
Summary: An insult to intelligent people everywhere
Review: Give me a break. This is two books in one: The first book is a theoretical research manual on the history of the "EVIL CATHOLIC CHURCH," with alternate theories on the life of Jesus, the second book is an over-done, completely unbelievable police-chase through the streets of Paris, in which the two main characters (both one dimensional and exhaustively boring even during the "Climactic" scenes) are on a quest to uncover the true meaning of the Holy Grail, and how it relates to the murder of the Louvre's curator. I started skimming entire paragraphs by the time I was halfway through this book and didn't miss a thing. This book would've been ten times better if it were just a research novel, and after finishing it I have now wondered what has happened to great literature. The chapters in this book are less than three pages (on average), and just trying to get through them caused me phsyical pain. I am embarrased for Dan Brown, all the effort went into research; none of it went into crafting believable characters or creating dynamic and fresh prose. It's a typicall, modern day bestseller with tons of action that manages to never produce a single sense of urgency. The Paris Police Cheif, Bzeu Fache (No, I'm not kidding, that's his name), is typified by his angry take no prisoners attitude, and just for good measure, there's an albino religious nut thrown into the fruitcake mix of The Davinci Code, who cuts into his skin to purge himself with pain. I felt like I should've done the same by the time I was done this horrid book. It's shameful maketing explotation that uses the popularity of Catholic bashing to sell a gazillion copies. The next time Dan Brown writes a novel I'm going to use the pages to wipe my pooh.

Rating:
Summary: The Book I've been waiting for
Review: I was really excited to get my hands on this book. I hadnt been too sure about what it was about, but with all the hype became really interested. I've been glued to it book for the past 2 days..and find it extremely fascinating. Knowing that so much recent controversy lies behind "the church" nowadays, this book really fuels the fire of having readers open their mind to what other things the church would try and cover up to keep themselves looking good...
It makes me want to learn more about the other little things noted in the book "priory of sion", "da vinci" etc. I felt like a new door opened after reading this book and do not doubt there could much FACT could lie behind this "Fiction".
I understand how the book could rile people up and cause more controversy and really appreciate that...I think thsi a anotehr great way that peoples minds are opened to alternative history and what other things may have really happened...not to mention it's fun to see the corrupt church break a scared sweat...yet again!
I find this all sooo fascinating....

Rating:
Summary: Exciting thought provoking page turner...
Review: I found this book an excellent weave of fiction and fact (stress on the fiction). Dan Brown takes some known facts and many grey areas with room for interpretation to weave a tale of intrigue while touching on some of the more controversial topics. The book should be read as a story....nothing more!

I found the ending a bit contrived but overall this book was a great way to open my eyes to the more factual books/research on this topic that are not as exciting on the first pass for the ignorant ones like me.

Rating:
Summary: Oh, Please...
Review: The popularity of Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code just proves that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Beyond the fascinating concept relentlessly driven home throughout the book and the fun, treasure hunt atmosphere, the characterization was awful--it was hard to care about the main characters at all, there was really no plot, and the obvious good (Priory of Sion) vs. evil (Catholic Church) was so overdone that it is hard to justify the book's popularity without attributing it to the basic premise of the story. Read this book well armed with facts before you read.
Many are accepting fiction as fact based on the characters' scholarly retelling of a myth that originated with the Freemason Society in the 17th century (see The Templars, by Piers Paul Read; 2000, 303-306)
There is absolutely no mention of Jesus or Mary Magdalene in the Dead Sea Scrolls (see The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls by Gaza Vermes; 1997, 21-22) as Brown's protagonist insists; and, if Leonardo DaVinci was a grand master in a secret grail society trying to preserve a message for future generations via "The Last Supper," why would he use painting materials that ended up deteriorating even in his lifetime? (see Authors and Artists for Young Adults, vol. 40, Gale Group, 2001)
Read this book to enjoy the treasure hunt, but don't accept it as truth.

Rating:
Summary: Educated People Like This Book?
Review: If one regards this as fiction, I would rate this over-long book as "fair." I cannot believe that so many people are intrigued by it. Yes, I read the whole thing and I followed through with some research. There is nothing new in this book; it's all been covered before without any proof that this is authentic. I belong to a very high level book club with a lot of liberal, educated women (like myself) and most of them thought it was a fascinating read. I think it was a very well crafted (but poorly written) book, and can't believe that so many people regard it as a true book that reveals this dastardly deed that the "church" has hidden for centuries. You mean none of the reformers from Henry VIII to Luther to Calvin wouldn't have known about this secret and would have revealed itif it were true. Not exactly trash, but not worth this hype. The author did create a commercial success and I know very few people who haven't read it. My name was 45th on the waiting list at the local library, so I bought it. What a waste of money. I am trading it in at the local Book Swap Shop, where I am sure it will be welcomed and sell rapidly. At least I will be able to receive another (hopefully better) book in its stead.

Rating:
Summary: Incredible & made me research after reading
Review: This is a fictional book, but is based on many facts. I was grabbed by this book and stayed up until 3 AM reading it until I finished it (which I normally don't do). Excellent reading. However, I would not recommend this book to my Aunt who is while, not a highly practicing catholic, believes in the New Testament. This would shake her views on her life and faith and I wouldn't like to see that (her life has enough turmoil in it already!). On the other hand, my father and I are not practicing catholics and we both found this book riveting.