Rating: 
Summary: Great Mystery Thriller
Review: When I saw the back cover blurb by one of my favorite authors, Nelson DeMille, I had hoped I was in for a good read. I wasn't let down, this read kept me up late turning page after page, waiting for conclusions to problems and answers to secrets. It takes a huge amount of skill, research and patience to make a book of this scope come together, to be concluded well and not leave stings untied. This is indeed a mystery/thriller that is highly recommended and I must mention I had my doubts when I saw that it was selling so well. The controversial portions of this book are good reading too, and shouldn't be taken necessarily as fact, or even supposed fact, this isn't a scholarly thesis, it's a work of fiction. Before the book starts, Brown notes that "All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate." This is good to know and makes the reading honest, however it is important to note he doesn't make the claim that all hypothesis and conclusions are fact, that would have been presumptuous on his part and he doesn't go that far. It is also fair to say that the fictional characters actually believe what they say they believe, and this can only be controversial if we suppose that some of the fictional statements are meant to be put forward as fact, especially conclusions that suppose the New Testament is itself mostly fictional. To what degree Brown believes or doesn't believe some of the conclusions reached by the characters about the nature of Christ and what secrets the Church has hidden over the years does not detract from the brilliance of this work, and I wouldn't recommend passing this over merely because of some of the controversy, however, be forewarned, some of the statements and conclusions drawn by the characters are indeed inflammatory and quite possibly offensive to some. I am not offended reading challenges to my belief's and I love mysteries, history, hidden meanings, and especially I love women so I found this work highly enjoyable and again recommend it highly to any that love well written mysteries especially those that have an historical backdrop.
Rating: 
Summary: ONLY pick up this book if...
Review: Your reaction to this book will completey depend on your expectations. If you consider yourself someone who reads purely for "escape," has no literally expectations, and can let a controversial subject such as the foundation of Chrisitainity slide off your back, you will enjpy this book. It is fast-paced, and more interesting than your average thriller. However, if you are reading this because the title piqued your interest and you enjoy thoughful, literally fiction or non-fiction on religion (i.e. Eco, Friedman, C. Ginzburg, Willis) you will be utterly disappointed. This text lacks sound research and is anything but literally. Brown's poor use of dialogue will bore you, his lack of depth will leave you shiveringly cold, and his simplisitc didactism, references, and conclusions will infuriate you (I was often reminded of Pirsig's doctrinaire), especially when weighed against such a serious subject. The bottom line of this book is: "take it for what it is worth." However, in the final analysis, I find Brown's writing for such a controversial subject irrrepsonsible and its conclusive, matter-of-fact air disturbing. I may sound elitist, but I worry about this becoming the "Love Story" of religious understanding.
Rating:
Summary: C'était très magnifique!!!
Review: Anyone interested in a good book that will keep you reading from cover to cover must buy Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. Remember when you were a kid and books had pictures? With The Da Vinci Code, the pictures are written in text. Not too much description, but just enough to keep you reading. Just try and guess the ending!
Rating:
Summary: Simply a masterpiece
Review: If you enjoy reading novel thrillers, fiction, reading at all then there is no reason why you shouldn't love this book. This is very simply one of the best things I have read, I feel honored that I got a chance to read this book. Can't wait for the sequel. I would give it a higher rating but there is only five stars, incredible book. This is my first book by Dan Brown, and most certainly he made a fan out of me.
Rating:
Summary: Must Read
Review: This book was recommended when it first appeared on the market and is a must read. Truly keeps your interest.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book was amazing!!! I finished it in 2 days. You won't want to put it down. It's an excellent book to read for book groups. You'll find so many things to discuss!! I highly recommend it!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Da Vinci ( THe Man From Vincent) (A Clue!)
Review: A love story of one mans' search for the "Bambino" he never knew! an old photo of a 5 year old child with the bittersweet smile of MONA LISA?? (A BIG CLUE?) The family secrets that seperate them and the artisans, scholars and storytellers (can you say "SAINT") that try to re-unite them.
Rating: 
Summary: Amateur hour
Review: I couldn't make it past chapter three.This has to be the worst written book i've ever read.The dialogue is especially awful.Dan Brown has absolutely no idea how people really talk.How this book got to be such a big seller is beyond me.Go read some Alan Furst or Robert Wilson instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Fact filled and interesting, but dry writing style
Review: Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" is a must-read; anyone interested in mythology, history, and art, as well as thriller novels will not be disappointed. But I'm not going to rant about how wonderful it was, since you can read what others have written around this to get that---just bear in mind the writing isn't anything original, as far as format and style goes-it's very predictable and cookie-cutter.
Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointing Thriller
Review: This book was recommended to me so often that I finally caved, and read it. The premise -- the murder of the curator of the Louvre leads his granddaughter and a famed symbologist on the trail for the Holy Grail -- is the mere framework for the book's goal of exploring one of the oldest, and one of the best loved, conspiracy theories. Where, and what, is the Chalice of Jesus? The bulk of the book is straightforward expository on a theory of the Grail loosely draped on the chase of our heroes by an albino assassin and the French police. Mr. Brown does not supply a bibliography, but provides historical references that are so confidently presented that they sound true, but of course the reader has to take the material at face value. There are some real boners (e.g., the world's foremost symbologist has never visited the church that is touted as the site of the most intense collection of symbology in Christendom). Some of the logic is tortured. It would take a more thorough reading and some research to determine if some of the gaps in the chronicle are simply leaving out what is inconvenient, or if the history is complete.
Mr. Brown can turn pages with simple sentences, but experienced readers of thrillers and mysteries will be disappointed with his control of character and plot. One character dashes about the continent with a satchel of bearer bonds -- for no purpose. Ferocious policemen turn into reasonable pussycats. A mastermind is fooled by his closest associate. Chapters end with a gasp, and a moment of danger. The author does the job of turning pages, but the mechanism to get it done is displayed with creaking visibility. This is not the book for readers who love writing.
It isn't even much of a conspiracy. The conspiracy is described more as history than an immediate crisis. The thrills of maintaining a conspiracy aren't here. Even the value of maintaining the secrets is untimately made to not to matter very much.
The single most interesting thing about The da Vinci Code is the underlying assertion of the nature of the Grail and the revision of the historical underpinning of Christianity and the Catholic Church. I imagined what would happen if the secrets so zealously guarded were revealed today. I doubt the Catholic Church would topple. I doubt the nature of Christianity would change. The believers would believe and point to the secrets as the True Text. The non-believers of the theory would scoff, and stay with their religion, and simply disregard the relevations. Some few, who require their faith to be built on facts rather than philosophy would be shaken. Lots more books would be sold. Mr. Brown fails to convince this reader of the urgency of his premise. At the end, even he seems to say that it all doesn't matter very much to the future of the world.
Read it anyway. It won't take long, other people are going to want to talk about it, and if you are unfamiliar with some of the Christian conspiracy theories, this is a quick jump start. And who knows, it may be true.
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