The Da Vinci Code

Rating:
Summary: Da vinci in a hole new perspectvie
Review: The Da Vinci code is about a man and a women who set out on a quest for the holy grail. yes believe it the holy grail. but there arre those who dont what the grail to surface. those being the holy catholic church and the notorias group of Opes Dei. Landgon and Nuvier are on a quest for the greatest of treasure. this book features many twists and turns such as some truths and some lies that you are lead to believe.
It all begins when Sophie Nuvier's grandfather whom she hasn't sponken to in ten years was brutally murdered by Selis an Opes Dei member in search of the keystone, wich is the key needed to unlock the grail. Sophie dicovers that her grandfather has been murdered and a message left by her grandfather told her to find Robert Langdon, a sybloigest. With Sophie being a cryptologist together they join there knowlege to solve the most complicated of mystery of all time.
along the way the meet up with Fache, who is the head of the D.C.P.G wich is the london police. Salis, is also hunting Robert and Sophie as they struggle to find the grail. Mean while while looking for the grail and running from salis Sophie learns more than she imgined about her all to normal and boring life and secrets about her grandfather that she was never supposed to know.
Do Sophie and Robert taste the sweet friuts of there laong and dangerous labor, and does Sophie discover all to much about her past, and does Langdon trust to many people? To find out about this captivating qwest for enlightenment and understanding read the addicting novle you won't be able to put it down from cover to cover.
a Review by Jared lowdermilk
and 8th grade student

Rating:
Summary: YES!
Review: I thought this book was excellent. I was entertained every step of the way. Just fabulous.

Rating:
Summary: Read For Thrill Only, Undeserving of Best of 2003 Accolades
Review: I was reluctant to read this only because I am not a fan of the "thriller-type" novels. However, I caved after hearing numerous word of mouth recommendations and seeing it appear on several newspaper's "Best of 2003" lists. Given that, I was expecting more substance than it had. Read the book if you like thrilling page-turners and/or are a history buff (like me), but don't expect anything more. The characters annoyed me! And for a novel with feminist overtones, the main female lead was an idiot and a prude! For a 32 year old "woman of the world" who was supposedly highly educated, she sure needed to be condescended to a lot by the other male leads (including one chapter in which the male lead comes achingly close to explaining to her the birds and the bees). I groaned when the supposed justification for why she didn't speak with her grandfather (and only living family member) for 10 years was finally revealed. And she had never been in Westminster Abbey even though she lived in London? All of this grated on me, although I found the historical/theological story quite fascinating, so much so that I'm tempted to pick up some of the books referenced by the author.

Rating:
Summary: Average
Review: Dan Brown had some interesting historical insight on the brotherhoods and of Da Vinci's life. However, the story is very predictable, especially after all the attention it has received. If you like this type of story, you should read Katherine Neville's books "The Eight" & "Magic Circle". She does a much better job in concocting a story line that keeps you on your toes.

Rating:
Summary: More fun to read the reviews....
Review: I've been listening to an audio version, luckily it was free (borrowed), because spending money on the hardcover would be a huge waste. But, reading the customer reviews has been very entertaining.

What is really amusing is that the reviews seem to run 4 to 1 in favor of the book. Lots of reviewers are claming "The best book I ever read!" or, "You must read this fantastic book!" and then providing long, admiring opinions. Many of these people actually are impressed by the writing style and skill of the author, but what really gets them is the "historical fact" that sends them to the internet for hours of research. The audience that's impressed seems to be composed of non-readers who might have trouble getting through a John Grisham novel, but are just thrilled to have a new conspiracy theory to explore.

The anti-book crowd is also somewhat split. The minority view seems to hold that the book is blasphemous and "wrong" because it disrespects Christianity and the "true" history of the church and Jesus. So, according to these folks, don't read the book because somehow this blasphemy is contagious and if it gets out, well, who knows what could happen. Most of the anti-book crowd, thankfully, seems to recognize it as just poor literature.

I belong to this latter set of critics. It seems to me that the author constructed a half-baked plot and a couple of weak characters, in an entirely implausible situation, solely in order to communicate his "theories" about DaVinci, the Sacred Feminine, the Grail, and all the other jumbled historical tidbits that add up to the aforementioned conspiracy. Then he wrote the book as fast as he could, knowing that he'd have a best-seller. How could he not? As I've noted, most of the reviewers on this site love it. It's a perfect book for people who prefer television and absolutely eat up conspiracy theories.

I'm still listening, because it's assigned for my book club. But I find myself wishing I could hurry up and get it over with.

Rating:
Summary: More than an incredible story... it is Revolutionary
Review: Dan Brown brilliantly uses a fictional plot to reveal a historical theory that if true would be nothing short of revolutionary. The only other book I can compare this to is Galileo Galilei's "Dialogue concerning the two chief world-systems" in which Galileo used a fictional argument to challenge the strongly held belief that the earth was the center of the universe. Dan Browns research is intrinsically laid out with historical details and connections that are hard to argue. It is true that his theory has been borrowed from others, though this only adds to its credibility as both a historical document and a masterpiece of fiction. I can only assume that Dan Brown chose a fictitious format because what he reveals is so sensitive that a strictly non-fiction format would be nothing short of suicide. What is astounding is that not only is the theory he lays out so profound and life altering, but that he manages to reveal this information in a truly enthralling murder mystery. The research and thought that it reveals is truely inspiring. As far as the religious controversy, all I can say is the following...

"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear."
-Thomas Jefferson

"Religion consists in a set of things which the average man thinks he believes and wishes he was certain of."
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

"Nothing can be more contrary to religion and the clergy than reason and common sense."- Voltaire

I say, read this book with an open mind and then judge for yourself with reason whether the story is truth or fiction. Question the motives of those who disapprove of the message it provides.

Rating:
Summary: Forget the controversy - nothing new here, folks
Review: The book starts out promising but quickly turns into a flat "thriller" complete with preposterous plot twists and cookie-cutter narrative.

The female lead is there only to provide an audience for Langdon's many lectures on symbology, while Langdon himself seems to exist only to lecture on the story's religious premise and to treat the female character like a helpless damsel. Did I mention she works for the French version of the FBI?

The book's premise is interesting - the true nature of the Holy Grail - but is far better suited to a history book than a thriller that feels like a rejected movie screenplay.

The overly simplistic clues are especially frustrating. One of Brown's more "clever" puzzles is this one: an orb of "rosy flesh and seeded womb" associated with a certain author of the laws of physics. Oh, and it's a five-letter word. It takes a Harvard professor several chapters to figure this one out? Puh-leeze. Where's the suspense in something the reader knows pages and pages ahead of what the author reveals?

The anticlimactic ending is a complete letdown, since the story never deviated from my step-by-step predictions. (...)

Rating:
Summary: Questions your line of faith
Review: I have been a devout Catholic my entire life. I was raised Catholic and have been involved in the Church. When I purchased The Da Vinci Code, I really did not understand what the entire premise was. I am a avid reader and the book looked very interesting.
After I read the book, it made total sense to me about the way the Catholic Church has viewed women. I still believe that Christ is the Son of God, but I also believe that he was a man. I am totally energized by this book to find out more about what has been left out in the last 2000 years. Pick up this book and read it with an open mind. Women especially should pick this up and again feel empowered by there special ability to bear children. The Church has done many great things, but it has supressed women and we have been made to feel dirty when it came to anything sexual.
This is a fantastic book. I could not put it down and have given this book to other Catholics for Christmas. I know there are people who will say this is hypocritical, but I know there is something missing from the Church. It is evident in attendance and the number of priests we do not have.
READ READ this book, it may change your life and the way you feel about being a woman!!!
Dan Brown has picked a great time to come out with this novel. I researched the Opus Dei, and became a believer in what he has written.

Rating:
Summary: Pure and Absolute Genius!!!
Review: While Robert Langdon, a Harvard symbologist about to publish a novel, is in Paris on business, one of the greatest enigmas in history is dangling on a piece of string right in front of his face but is just out of reach. When the renowned curator of the Louvre, Jacques Sauniere, is murdered, he leaves a special note for Langdon on the floor next to his strangely positioned body that leads Langdon and his new friend Sophie Neveu, a gifted French cryptologist who happens to be Sauniere's granddaughter, on the quest to uncover a secret that has the power to completely change the world. Langdon and Neveu are led on a wild search through Paris and beyond that is made up of riddles and puzzles that only the smartest of men can figure out. But between Langdon and Neveu, the clues are deciphered and they quickly begin to uncover the greatest secret of all time. The problem? Langdon is the prime suspect in Sauniere's murder. And when Langdon discovers that Sauniere was involved in an ancient secret society that is guarding the greatest secret of all time, a whole new twist is put on everything. Unless Langdon and Neveu decode the clues that Sauniere has left around Paris for them to find, this great ancient truth will be lost forever.
I had a strong penchant for nearly every single part of this spectacular story. What enthralled me a great deal was the fascinating codes and clues that were scattered throughout each chapter of the novel. Although I could not decipher any of these extremely difficult codes, they were so interesting that they, among other things, made it so that I could not put down the book and kept me on my toes looking for hints; when Langdon and Neveu figured out some of these codes, I learmed many extremely interesting facts about how the codes were broken. I also thoroughly enjoyed the historical secrets that were planted in the pages. Each provocative secret made me question everything that I had ever learned about religion and kept me so intrigued that I, again, could not put down the book. The way that these secrets were connected to history absorbed me and made me question the truthfulness of the Christian religion. These secrets, however provoking they were, made this book one of the most interesting that I have ever read. Another thing that really made it so that I could not put down the book was the enigma involved; each page left me yearning to discover more. Dan Brown's novel made me so curious that I could not stand it. Between the secret of the Holy Grail, the many mysteries of Jacques Sauniere, and the other enigmas, I was completely enthralled. There were very few things that I did not enjoy immensely about this novel. One was that at certain points, Brown tried to make the book so unpredictable that it became predictable. Another thing was that sometimes Brown bombards the reader with so much esoteric, heavy information that it becomes abstruse. However, by the end of the book everything gets cleared up and leaves the reader feeling educated and incredibly intrigued and fascinated. The final thing that I did not enjoy was that I was so interested in the book that I literally could not put it down and spent hours every day reading the novel to the point where reading took over my life but I had a great time reading it, none the less. Other than these few complaints, which are extremely minor, I enjoyed "The Da Vinci Code" remarkably and thought that it was a perfect, must-read. This novel was pure and absolute genius.
I highly recommend "The Da Vinci Code" to anybody who enjoys history, mystery, thrills, puzzles, riddles, conspiracies, or just enjoys an amazing, extremely interesting story. Just as a precaution, I advise that you read this novel when you have time to be completely absorbed in a book that, quite literally, does not allow you to put it down. But, no matter where or when you read it, no matter what speed you read it at, you will absolutely, positively love Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code".

Rating:
Summary: Possibly the greatest book ever writen!
Review: The Da Vinci Code was phenomenal! There is nothing not to like! The perfect blend of suspense, action, history, conspiracy and theology, The Da Vinci Code has it all. Once you have read the first paragraph of The Da Vinci Code, you will not be able to put it down. The Da Vinci Code is not just any mystery book, but is the mystery book. Dan Brown goes where few will, and challenges the church with unbelievable research. Brown is the king of enigma. The more I read, the more I had to read.

When the elderly Jacques Saunière (curator at Le Louvre) is murdered he leaves behind a number of anagrams, puzzles and codes. Robert Langdon, a Harvard symbologist, and Sophie Nuevue, a cryptologist and the granddaughter of Jacques Saunière, are paired together to solve the crime. The two go from fugitives to heroes as they go on an action packed quest for the Holy Grail.
The Da Vinci Code is a great read for anyone who is into suspense, or anyone who isn't. I would recommend this book for anyone who is up for the long nights of "just one more chapter". If there were any flaws in this book, I failed to see them because I was too busy reading. I give The Da Vinci Code a ten out of ten!