Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining...like a movie, but NOT quality literature
Review: Dan Brown lacks all of those qualities that set the greatest authors of novels (both contemporary and classical) apart from writers in general. However, he may just contain those qualties that are conspicuous in the writers of prime time television shows, and action movies. The novel does entertain, and also contains some interesting historical facts, but the writing style, or lack of it, is what leaves me with a negative impression. I did give it three stars because I think Brown created exactly what he wanted in this novel. What we are left with is a very marketable book, with few memorable qualities... similar to much of our pop culture. But if you can understand what I mean when I say that Scarface was a better movie and Coetzee's "Disgrace" was better book, you might also understand why the DaVinci code is really not worth the time.
Rating:
Summary: This book was over sold
Review: Had it not been for all the hype I might have expected less and not been disappointed by this book. Nelson DeMille calls Dan Brown "one of the smartest writers in the country". Maybe so but if so, I don't see that demonstrated in this book. The book is loaded to the gills with what I assume are historical facts but so what? Thhe characters are unreal. They are so ingenious that the reader can't keep up with their thinking at one point and morons at other points.For example, the symbolism of Sauniere's death message (the Vitruvian Man) becomes clear to the reader long before it does to the expert, Langdon. Another: The brilliant detective Fache doesn't know that in order to know what number Langdon dialed from his phone all he has to do is look in his "recently dialed calls" file? (pg 117). Another: (pg 299) when the three are trying to figure out what language the message in the cryptex was written by Leonardo in, the reader finds his brain screaming at their stuppidiity. It's freakin' mirror writing in English! Everyone knows this is the writing Leonardo used. There are more examples of poor character development. But, maybe it's a four start boook that was oversold. What's left is three stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Made to be a Movie
Review: I was expecting an intriguing look at the history of the Catholic Church and it's representation in art. What I found was a "Tom Clancy" novel with predictable characters. If you are looking for a page-turning murder mystery, that will make a popular movie - this is it. If you are looking for something deeper and thought provoking you will need to look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful
Review: A friend refered this book to me and I'm so glad that I decided to read it! It's very captivating and will keep you reading for hours at a time. The story has a great plot and a suspense fills these pages from beginning to end. Myself being a history lover, I have no doubt that the abundance of historical references kept me on my toes throughout this book. Even though I'm a Roman Catholic I found this book a very good read despite the fact that a chunck of it went against my religion. I would recommend this book to anyone who is willing to accept other religious points of view.
Rating: 
Summary: Sir Walter Scott he ain't
Review: "Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive" Sir Walter Scott.Perhaps if this silly novel had been a little more intricately woven it may have succeeded, but instead it is a poorly written and not-very-well disquised vehicle for Dan Brown to push some stale and often ridiculous conspiracy theories concerning the origins of the Catholic Church and the divinity of Christ. I am at a loss to understand why it is enjoying such success.
Although its "suppression of the sacred feminine" assertions appears to have struck a cord with some feminists, it strikes me as pandering and aggressively chavinistic. In other words, it feels like a book written to appeal to women's book groups. Some 3-4 star reviewers here are simply blowing it off as not-to-take-seriously harmless fun. ....okay, I guess so, but without the controversy this book is juvenile, serial mystery novel stuff and I left Nancy Drew behind in grade school. I suggest that you google "Dismantling the Da Vinci Code" on completion. It will add some interesting information to your book group discussion.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: I reluctantly picked this book up. I just didn't think I'd be interested in the subject matter. My best friend read it and thoroughly enjoyed it. So I bit. WOW! As I was working my way through, I could not tell fact from fiction. Not only am I left with wanting to go to Paris to the museum but I'm looking for a historical biblical course to learn more. In my opinion great book.
Rating:
Summary: Page turner;quick read
Review: Wonderful book. Was recommended to me by umpteen people.
WOrth all the praise.
Rating:
Summary: Come on folks . . .
Review: So this is the publishing event of the year? I never thought I'd agree with Harold Bloom and all those other literary snobs, but this is a sad commentary on the American reader. This book fails on almost every level. First, the writing: simply horrible - honestly I can't remember reading such wretched prose. It's written at the eighth grade level. Yes, it moves along quickly, but that's only because each chapter is about 800 words. People have been coming up to me and trying to pass off the information they gleaned from this book as historical fact - folks, it's not true! Brown has done just enough research to pull the wool over your eyes, but if you approach a real scholar of church history, ancient history, or art history they will double over laughing that you bought this tripe. Please, please before you decide this is the best book you've ever read try some non-bestsellers, maybe even a classic, like The World According to Garp by Irving, the Fifth Head of Cerberus by Wolfe, Peace Like a River by Enger or the Blind Assassain by Atwood. Those are great books. This is a thinly sketched outline for the next brainless hollywood blockbuster.
Rating:
Summary: The Hardy Boys at the Louvre
Review: Short chapters (about 100), twists and turns, cliffhangers and one dimensional characters in a plot that winds around a premise so artificially taut that eventually you feel like you have been catapulted back in time to a black and white Hardy Boys movie matinee. Cheap thrills, mystery, intrigue...but none of it comes together in any satisfactory fashion. Save your money.
Rating:
Summary: Uses Fiction to Illuminate Non-Fictional Scenario
Review:
Although I rarely read or review fiction, this book leaped into my consciousness, in part because I just reviewed a book on the Vatican and its use of spies as well as its vulnerability to spies from Italy and Germany, among others, and because I am very interested in the concepts of both institutional corruption vis a vis historical myths, and the alleged infallibility of the pope. More recently, I have taken an interest in religious subversion of national governments and policies, and strongly recommend Stephen Mumford's "The Life & Death of NSSM 200: How the Destruction of Political Will Doomed a U. S. Population Policy", which is still available from Amazon via the used book channels.
The Da Vinci Code is most interesting, not because of its bashing of Opus Dei, but because it addresses what may be the core injustice in Catholicism (I was raised a Jesuit Catholic in Colombia, with roots in Spain): the concealment of the normal sexuality of Jesus, his marriage, and the fact that until the mid-1800's, the Church did not dare to claim that the Pope was infallible, and that all that preceded that claim was based merely on a man's prophecies. Jesus, in other words, can not lay any greater claim to our faith than Mohammed. Most relevant to me, as I consider the need for elevating women to positions of power because they are more intuitive, more integrative, and less confrontational than men, was the book's discussion of the origins of paganism (not satanic at all, but rather worshiping Mother Earth and specifically the human female mothers from whom life obviously emerged) and the manner in which the Catholic Church deliberately set out to slander Mary Magdalene, making her out to be a whore rather than the spouse of Jesus (from whom issue came), and murdering five million women in a witch-hunt and global psychological operations against women that has been mirrored by Islam in many ways, and that must, if we are to survive, be reversed by thoughtful people willing to think for themselves. This book, riveting in every way, suggested to me that we the people need to doubt the integrity and intentions of all our institutions, but especially the Catholic Church; and that we need to reverse the centuries of discrimination against women, restore the matriarchal roots of society, and again begin to respect the natural relationship between ourselves and the Earth that we have defiled precisely because we have allowed men to abuse women, and corporations to assume legal manly personalities abusive of governments and the tax-payer. This is a revolutionary book. If it causes you to question authority and re-think your relationships, you cannot have made a better purchase.
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