Rating: 
Summary: One of the best books I have read for a while
Review: This was an excellent book that was very difficult to put down when started. A fascinating read with lots of twists and turns of a classic chase, but also so much information about so many aspects of religion. Fascinating. And I am not a religious nut. I would not normally pick up a book for that reason, but this book taught me something about religion while being incredibly easy to read, and couched in an excellent chase.BUY IT - end of discussion
Rating: 
Summary: Honestly, Brown is a hack
Review: I was reading this book expecting it to the live up to the hype. It started how good, but the more I read the more familiar it seemed to things I have read or seen before. Then it began regurgitating verbatim the bizarre theories of Jesus revisionists (like claiming he was married etc) and that vast conspiracies exist surround this. I suppose the gullible reader will believe these things. The problem with these historical revisionists is that their theories are based on vaguearities, giant leaps of faith, hearsay and other ad hoc theorizing. Even in the "bible" of this Jesus-Revised movement, "Holy Blood, Holy Grail", they admit : "Our hypothetical scenario...was also preposterous...much too sketchy...rested on far too flimsy a foundation...could not be supported...too many holes...too many inconsistencies and anomalies, too many loose ends." They continue and say, "We could not - and still cannot - prove the accuracy of our conclusion." So I wonder about the reviews for this book. "Finest mysteries?" "Fascinating detail?" "Pure Genius?" "Intelligent?" "Remarkable research?" Yeah right. All Brown did was cobble together some stuff he read in pseudohsitorical books he read one weekend. Are we supposed to be impressed by references to artwork and architecture? "Hey give this book to your dumb friends because they didn't learn this in public schools." The reviewers prove they aren't any smarter and went to the same schools when they endorse a book do full of pseudohistory. If you want some balance, read about the real Jesus in Habermas' "The Historical Jesus" or Strobel's "The Case for Christ." And Brown, while trying not offend anyone, still makes the outlandish claims that science and faith are incompatible and that faith is blind and not based on reason. He obviously didn't research that part very well. Sorry, but in a year or two everyone will have forgotten about this book. It has no enduring value other than being the pulp fiction of the moment.
Rating: 
Summary: Mostly interesting material poorly written.
Review: After a short honeymoon with this book where I was smitten by the unrelenting presentation of interesting facts and information in a midly entertaining fashion, I became increasingly irritated. Within 5 chapters I could predict the structure and conclusion of every subsequent chapter. The shameless manipulation of narrative to allow for more of the author's ideas to be disseminated became more and more transparent. While not as badly written or as execrable as the Celestine Prophecies of some years ago, Da Vinci shares the same basic problem which is that underneath it all, it is a mediocre book with a host of interesting ideas. On top of that is the problem that some of the ideas are whoppingly spurious. See other critics for some glaring examples. The list is too long for a short commentary. On the other hand I read it in one day and it was an effortless read. And that seems to be the current qualification for greatness these days.
Rating:
Summary: Everyone should read it
Review: This book was extraordinary. There. All my thoughts in four words. I recommend that it is, along with the current book "West Point" by Norman Thomas Remick, one of the most extraordinary books ever written. Everyone should read it.
Rating:
Summary: A Mystery All the Way to the End!
Review: This is a great book. I was lucky enough to find the UNABRIDGED version of the Audio CD. I won't go into details about the book. What I will tell you is that it's written very well. The characters are all realistic and so is the story. Dan Brown has done his research and it completely comes through in the books. Though some of the theories in the books are his own, I couldn't help but wonder what was fiction and what is real. I listen to a lot of audio books because of my commute to work. It you haven't tried it, try it, it helps the long drives. It came to a point where after arriving at my destination, I would often sit in my car for an extra 10-15 minutes just to get to a part that I could pause the book for. On the version I have, the book is broken down into many sections, so it's easy to go back to where you were, even if you take the CD out. You won't have to "SEEK" to find your place. The reader: Paul Michael, brought the whole book to life. He has a great voice for reading, and changes his voice according to each different character, of which there were many. However, listening to each character, all of them stand out from the way he uses his voice, even the female characters are done great. The pace is also great, fast enough to keep you going, but slow enough to be able to take it all in. If you are looking for the unabridged version of the book, simply do a search for "The Da Vinci Code Unabridged." Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: things my monsignor never taught me
Review: this was a real shocker, a real eye opener for this girl from st paul's catholic school in butler pennsylvania --
sort of answered some questions that sister paula mary never wanted to answer when i was in first grade. mr brown, my hat is off to you - finally someone has given me the answer i've been waiting for, the "mystery" is no mystery after all!
Rating:
Summary: Pathetic
Review: This novel reminds me of a cheap, low production TV mini-series. Distill out the historical data and references and print them in a pamphlet of probably 10 pages. The rest of the book: characters, story line, writing style, use of vocabulary is absolutely pathetic. It's written at the level of an 8th grader. Well, if Mr. Brown is writing for the masses, than at least he has this point right on; seeing how the average reading ability in the U.S rivals that of an 8th grader. Overall, don't waste your time.
Rating:
Summary: Disgraceful
Review: I am a fan of DALE BROWN (Dan's brother) so I thought I would give the Da Vinci Code a try. The book is intriguing at first, but poorly written and filled with half-truths and out-right lies. Mostly based on Anti-Catholic myth and pagan symbology, there is ZERO evidence to support the claims made in the book If you are an ANTI-CATHOLIC, you will love the book. The simple facts are that the Holy Roman Catholic Church is THE FINAL word on Christ. The Church has the historians and scholars that can read the original scriptures written in Ancient Greek, no other church does! That is a FACT JACK! Dan Brown is no Dale Brown. Dale should knock the heck out of his little brother, who obviously envies Dale's success.
Rating:
Summary: Cartoonish
Review: One dimensional caricatures. Dopey dialogue. Silly premise. Might make a good Warner Brothers feature length cartoon.
Rating:
Summary: Foucault's Pendulum for Dummies
Review: I was not impressed at all with The Da Vinci Code. It simply boiled down to a classic chase yarn with a well-researched MacGuffin. Mr. Brown's exposition was clumsy, and his action was contrived. Chapters concerning Bishops and Policemen seem only present as an excuse to end the previous chapter on an obvious and awkward cliff-hanger. Aside from one or two clever ideas, Mr. Brown simply has created brain-teasers for his characters to solve, and we must wait for his characters to solve them. Most of the interesting concepts and histories in the book seem to have come from other books, which Mr. Brown has condensed, simplified, and regurgitated. For example, the unwieldy and unnecessary exposition regarding the Golden Ratio goes into just enough detail to where we understand only that Mr. Brown understands it, but not enough detail (specific examples? the fact that it's an irrational number? where does it show up in the UN building or in Mozart's music?) to where the information is actually useful. "Donald in Mathmagic Land" does a much better job explaining the Golden Ratio than Mr. Brown. It is as though he underestimates the intelligence of the average reader. I realize that the characters are under a lot of pressure, and cannot spend hours telling the entire history of the politics of Christianity to each other, but why could Mr. Brown have not had a separate, isolated chapter with enough detail to where I feel like I've actually learned something? A bibliographical appendix would be most welcome.
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