Rating: 
Summary: Worst Book Ever
Review: I can't believe I even wasted my time with this book. To be fair, the writing was serviceable and the plot was "unusual". The sheer absurdity of the plot and ignorance of Western history, however, was impossible to get through. I suppose that's half the fun for those who enjoyed the book, but there are an alarming number of people who seem to believe the veracity of the author's "research". What Mr. Brown really does is "cite" a bunch of ridiculous cult anti-histories that prefer paranoia and cover-ups to verifiable historical fact. Two examples:
1. The description of Gothic cathedrals as having "a...long hollow nave as a secret tribute to a woman's womb", serving as a tribute to the "goddess". The reality is verifiable through any book on the history of architecture. The cathedral is actually a logical progression from Roman public buildings, which included naves, and had nothing to do with the worship of a "goddess", emperor worship being the official and chief Roman religion.
2. Brown claims that the tetragrammaton YHWH derives from "Jehovah, an androgynous physical union between the mascualine Jah and the pe-Hebraic name for Eve, Havah", as a means of supporting his notion that Jews secretly worshipped a feminine counterpart to the male deity through prostitutes in the Temple. In reality, Jehovah was a 16th Century creation, the name of God as found by combining the vowels of the Hebrew word for God (Adonai).
As a work of fiction The Da Vinci Code is passable entertainment. The sheer effort required to ignore the numerous re-inventions of history and suspend disbelief in the face of such implausable conspiracies, however, make reading it a chore for anyone who is even moderately educated about any of the issues it touches on.
Rating: 
Summary: Awesome
Review: I am usually not a big mystery fan, but this book had me hooked. from the enticing beginning at the Louvre, to the jaw-dropping ending, this book was a page turner. I found it's references to Da vinci very correct, and it's characters well developed. Overall, a must read for any mystery fan, and a great pleasure read for everyone else.
Rating:
Summary: Love it.
Review: This book has codes, conspiracies, secret organizations, murder, adventure, and plot twists a plenty. What's not to love! But it doesn't end with the book. After you've finished the book, go to danbrown.com and continue the adventure. Use the knowledge you've gained in the book to take the Challenge. Go to the Da Vinci code page to start it. Also learn some of the things Dan has uncovered in his studies. See photos of some of the locations. Dan Brown's site is a nice value added feature to the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Over-rated
Review: This book is a very average mystery decorated with some religious history, commentary and theory. As a religious studies student, I found that the religious references confused and far-fetched. I did however find some of the book interesting, but the characters and plot were predictable and forgettable. At times this book is fun, but it's primarily bland and silly.
Rating: 
Summary: AN EXCITING READ WITH SOME FLAWS
Review: From the opening pages of The Da Vinci Code, author Dan Brown grabs the reader's attention, and then holds it throughout the book. Suspense and unanswered questions, often posed at the end of the short chapters, make it an exciting page-turner. The story is based on the premise that the Holy Grail is more than just the cup from which Jesus drank at The Last Supper. It holds secrets which the Catholic church, the predominant church of that day, does not want revealed. Historians and others would like it otherwise. The two factions are in a virtual battle to capture the code leading to the Holy Grail. As one would expect, there is murder, villainy, and treachery along the way - all necessary features of a good mystery. But Dan Brown offers something more, something to pique the intellect of his readers, including descriptions of architectural design, particularly the Louvre, Da Vinci's mathematical genius, and an abundance of esoteric facts about the Christian religion. Christian faithfuls need not fear that reading this book may lead to doubt or corruption. The author salvages Christian beliefs, in the end, and in my opinion, he surely regenerates faith through these words:
"Every faith in the world is based on fabrication. That is the definition of faith...every religion describes God through metaphor, allegory and exaggeration...
"The bible represented fundamental guideposts for millions of people on the planet much the same way the Koran, Torch, and Pali Canon offer guidance to peole of other religions...
"Religious allegory has become a part of the fabric of reality. And living that reality helps millions of people cope and be better people." Again, The Da Vinci Code is an intellectually interesting story as well as a thrilling, suspenseful mystery. But are there flaws? Yes. Brown obviously underestimates his reader's sleuthing abilities if not their intelligence. It was hardly believable to me that an expert symbologist did not realize immediately that he was looking at mirror writing, not some strange language! It took this reader but an instant to recognize it. You need know little about Da Vinci to know about that. Also, Brown presumes that the reader does not know the identity of the culprit until he, the writer, explicitly says so. He gives enough hints. He should have identified the guilty one at the appropriate moment, then created suspense within the two unknowing, unsuspecting characters. Brown reveals the name of the culprit about 50 pages after this reader knew it. Brown states that the PHI formula is ALWAYS true in nature and in the human body. My tape measure tells me otherwise. Far better for him to have added that PHI is (perhaps) true in PERFECT forms of nature. One may quibble over this and other "facts" stated by Brown. But one may argue, also, about Da Vinci's formulas and other scientists' theories, as well as the ideas of philosophers and theologists. Overall, The Da Vinci Code is, as a thriller and mystery, an exciting read and gives one much to think about.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun Fiction
Review: This was a fun, quick and easy book to read. The mystery story line was captivating and enjoyable. The recognizable settings (Paris, London) and references (Da Vinci, the Bible, the Holy Grail) draw the reader into the plot. However, that easy familiarity might lead one to conclude that the author's assertions about religion, art, history, and literature are both true and accurate. To the contrary, they are not, but are based largely on spurious documents and academically discredited writings. So, enjoy the story, but remember this is fiction, despite the pre-Prologue's blanket claim of "fact" and accuracy. Avoid embarrassing yourself by taking the author's "research" at face value!
Rating:
Summary: A page turner
Review: Although this is definitely a page turner, I found the end disappointing. It's as if suddenly an alarm went off and someone yelled time is up, you have 5 minutes to finish, and the author had to scramble to tie up all the loose ends. Some are hanging by a thread. Credibility is a bit thin at the end. I also found the very long detailed explanations of the religious symbolism to be excessive. It was still a good read but could have been a least a few hundred pages shorter.
Rating:
Summary: Anti-Catholic Bigotry
Review: This book is just another turgid attempt to foist anti-Catholic bigotry on the unsuspecting. It makes blatent errors about Catholicism that could have been solved just by looking in the catechism. I don't know any members of Opus Dei who are assassins. It smacks of how the Jesuits were portrayed in the 19th century. Amazing how anti-Catholic ignorance transcends time. No other religion gets treated this way or there would be cries of foul. Even non-Catholics will be offended by this book. Don't give the bigots your money. Buy something worthwile to read instead.
Rating:
Summary: The Book Everyone Wants To Read
Review: I was in a bookstore while on vacation a few weeks ago. The young bookseller became very excited when a woman went to the cash register to purchase a book. The book was The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. This young man, an aspiring writer himself, loved this book and hoped that he would one day write as clever and masterful a tale as he believed Dan Brown did. I was next in line and he asked me if I had read it. I told him I had started it, and he wondered how I could put it down. I told him there is a very good reason why I could not finish it. The people I love the most, namely my family members and friends are always taking it from me so the can read it. He told me he understood because the book is addictive. The woman purchasing the book could hardly wait to get home and read. It seems as if The Da Vinci Code has caught the interest of many people, and after reading the book, it is easy to see why. Dan Brown tells a masterful tale about a modern day search for the Holy Grail. This is not an ordinary Grail myth story, however. It involves murder, police investigations, and takes the reader into a variety of organizations including the upper echelon of the Roman Catholic Church, Interpol, a secret Swiss bank, Opus Dei, and the Freemasons. A wide variety of well developed characters are found in the story, and throughout the book it is often difficult to tell who is good and who is evil-the story moves so quickly that one can seem to be good and turn out evil, and others go from evil to good. In the hands of a less skilled author, this could be a distraction, but Brown is able to use this technique to keep the story moving. Unlike some suspense novels, which often contain one dimensional characters, the reader really begins to care about this novel's characters and sees them as complex people. The book is well researched. Brown seems to know many of the current religious debates, particularly regarding Gnostic writings of the early Church and the controversy surrounding these writings. A person such as Robert Langdon, the main character and a Harvard professor would be in the heat of such a debate since some of the theories in the book are from the research of Harvard scholars. Some readers could find some of Brown's pages heretical, others may wonder if what he has to say is true. Remember, the genre of the book is fiction, and if Brown's theories make you think, it only means he is a gifted writer, not that Christianity is hiding something. If anything, the book views both faith and belief in a positive manner. If you are purchasing this book, read it fast, or better yet, order as second copy just in case your friends and loved ones decide to borrow it and you will have to wait to discover the secrets of this wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: Waste of Money!!!!
Review: This book was a waste of an acre of trees! This book was fragmented, and a waste of reading. By the time you figure out why people are being killed you want to throw the book out! I returned the book after reading it twice, all the way to the end! The storyline stinks and if you want an EXCELLENT read, by something by Stephen King or Michael Crichton, even Anne Rice! Do NOT WASTE your money on this book!
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