Rating: 
Summary: Several important historical inaccuracies in this book!
Review: I recently finished reading THE DA VINCI CODE. I must say, it is a very riveting novel. As a Catholic, however, I noticed that the book did have a decidedly anti-Catholic slant. By this I do not mean that Dan Brown bashed Catholics. I mean that some important things that were said about the Church were, perhaps, not as well-researched as they could have been. THE DA VINCI CODE is, of course, a work of fiction. And, as such, it was enjoyable. Many people will learn quite a bit from this novel. Unfortunately, many people unfamiliar with authentic Catholicism may get a very negative impression of the Church since they might assume that all of the historical references are accurate and meticulously verified. After reading this book, I have come to conclude that this is simply not the case. Which is unfortunate because the book is a runaway bestseller and many will assume that its references to the Church are all accurate. Brown's novel seems to have many historical inaccuracies. One example of this is found on page 233 of the book. A character named Sir Leigh Teabing, who is a Grail authority, is discussing the history of the Grail. He is speaking with two other characters in the story -- Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu. Teabing tells them that the belief in the divinity of Jesus was something that the Council of Nicaea, in effect, made up in 325 AD. Leigh Teabing says to Sophie Neveu, "My dear, until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet...a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal." Sophie Neveu then asks, "Not the Son of God?" Teabing then responds, "Right. Jesus' establishment as 'the Son of God' was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea." The fact is that up until the Council of Nicaea, there were a variety of opinions as to the nature of Jesus Christ. The idea of Jesus being human and divine was very difficult for people to fathom back then. And it is still difficult to comprehend today. Some pre-Nicene Christians believed that Jesus was God, but not really a true human being. One of the big reasons that Gnosticism was ruled a heresy by the Nicene Council was ostensibly because they believed Jesus to be divine but not human. Conversely, another group known as Arians were also branded as heretics ostensibly because they believed Jesus to be a human but not God. All Christians, however, believed Jesus to be the Son of God in whatever way they may have understood this at the time. To imply, as I think Dan Brown does, that the Council of Nicaea proposed this new concept of Jesus' divinity in 325 AD is a misleading oversimplification at best. The assertion in this book that Christians did not view Jesus as the divine Son of God until the Council of Nicaea is factually incorrect. Yes, there were diverse opinions about Jesus' nature in the early church. And some Christians did not understand Jesus to be God per se. But, the majority of the Christians did not view Jesus as simply a mortal prophet. And Mary Magdalene certainly viewed Jesus as divine. We see this in both the New Testament and the Nag Hammadi Library. What Dan Brown's character goes on to say about the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Library can also be very misleading. He says the following: ***Fortunately for historians, some of the gospels that Constantine attempted to eradicate managed to survive. The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the 1950s (sic) hidden in a cave near Qumran in the Judean desert. And, of course, the Coptic Scrolls (sic) in 1945 at Nag Hammadi. In addition to telling the true Grail story, these documents speak of Christ's ministry in very human terms.
(THE DA VINCI CODE, page 234).*** The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947 (not the 1950s). They do not mention Jesus Christ at all. And they were hidden in those caves c. 70 AD, some 250 years before the Council of Nicaea for reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with the as yet unborn Emperor Constantine at all. The Nag Hammadi texts are incorrectly called "scrolls" in this book. They were, in fact, codices. And they do not mention anything about Jesus and Mary Magdalene having children, being married, or having a sexual relationship at all. Mary Magdalene is referred to as the disciple whom Jesus loved and as the "companion" of Jesus. And, granted, some have translated the Coptic word as "consort" rather than "companion." But I think its a leap to say that these documents tell "the true Grail story" based on this. Furthermore, since the Nag Hammadi texts were probably compiled by Gnostics, in them a great emphasis is placed on the divine Risen Jesus who is alive and revealing his divine glory to a select group of people, particularly Mary Magdalene. I would hardly call the image of Jesus in the Nag Hammadi texts as that of a mortal prophet. Normally, nitpicking about the accuracy of statements of fact in a novel would be a bit much. After all, an author is entitled to a certain amount of creative license. However, I comment on these historical innaccuracies in light of Dan Brown's own statement on the first page preceding his Prologue. Under the heading "Facts" he writes: "All description of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate." Clearly, some of them, as pointed out here, are not. On the whole, however, the book was very interesting. I think many people will learn alot of interesting things about the Quest for the Grail, the Templars, Leonardo da Vinci, the secret societies...etc. I was disappointed with the way the book seems to paint the Catholic Church in a negative light with broad brushstrokes. Dan Brown should have made more of an effort to be more historically accurate. I, for one, am not an authority on the Grail history. And I think I learned a lot about it by reading this novel. But, after seeing the way the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Nag Hammadi Library, and the Council of Nicaea were discussed in this book, I now feel the need to double check all of the purported facts outlined in this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Suspenseful & Intelligent--But a COP-OUT ENDING!!!
Review: The ending of this book left me so disappointed and frustrated. What a cop out! The book was brilliant, had me enthralled the whole way through, but to follow a journey to unearth something for 450 pages, sharing the vicarious thrill of each new discovery leading to the location of that something, and then at the very end, to neatly avoid any kind of revelation with a touchy-feely 'Oh, actually, it's better if people DON'T learn the truth--it's better if we DON'T unearth this amazing historical, groundbreaking treasure we've been searching for because people are probably happier not knowing.' HUH??? Talk about the coward's way out--both for the author AND the protagonist. I really could not believe the author did that to the reader...then again, it makes sense if what's on his mind is just cranking out sequels about this character. In other words, if the Da Vinci Code had actually followed through with its groundbreaking discovery, the world and the church would be a different place than it is now, and maybe Dan Brown is not comfortable trying to write sequels in a setting that seems abstract to him. But all I thought at the end of this book was that I had been strung along for NOTHING--and furthermore, I will not put myself through it again with Angels & Demons, which is going right back to the store!
Rating: 
Summary: da Vinci, Brown and the Occult
Review: If you enjoy reading books on the occult, mysticism, astrology and abhor Christianity and Catholicism you will like this novel. Brown starts out with a pretty good mystery and then transforms it into the absurd. Christ fathered a child? The Bible and thousands of written records are totally irrelevant when Brown cites "authoratative sources". My biggest regrets: 1) I not only read this garbage to the end but 2) I actually paid money for this tripe. Even as fiction this premise is hard to swallow.
Rating: 
Summary: A fantastic mix of history, fact and fiction!
Review: One of the few books in years past that I was completely unable to put down. Dan Brown does an admirable job of describing a world of secret societies and sects that relatively few people have heard about or know of their purpose. Taking these true elements, he creates a thriller mystery that is believable and engrossing. So well done that when I finished the book I spent the next two hours researching Da Vinci, the Priory and Opus Dei!
Rating:
Summary: This is a fictional book. Do your own research, if you must
Review: This is the first book by Dan Brown that I have read, and I was really impressed with the research he did on numerous topics to make his book a page turner. I will do my own research on The Priory of Sion, Opus Dei, and the alleged marriage of Christ and Mary Magdalene. I am a catholic and have had my doubts about the religious teachings I received as a child, so reading Dan Brown's opinion does not necessarily sway me from mine. It just makes me want to know more about what the church forbade me to read when I was in elementary school, high school and college.
But, I ask this question: What is truth? "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still"... sorry but I don't remember where I read this missive. Anyway, this book is fiction with a lot of factual information used to provoke the reader's mind to thought.
So what if there are contradictions, and inaccuracies? Dan Brown has written an amazing detective story that is thrilling and instructive at the same time. He has my vote.
Rating:
Summary: Trash history, mediocre writing and a good guessing game
Review: I read all of it because Mr. Brown clearly knows how to tell a suspenseful story. His vocabulary and grammar lead thoughtful readers to conclude that he doesn't write especially well, and some editor might have improved this book's tedious composition. His ill-spun history of early Christianity is ludicrous. If fiction of this sort aspires to be credible in some way beyond the story itself -- and Mr. Brown clearly believes his does -- then we must conclude that this novel is not credible. It's especially galling, in this tale about recovering feminine wisdom, that its principal woman character becomes a cypher for knowledgeable men. Was it beyond the reach of Mr. Brown's imagination for the protagonist to have been a woman? Let's hope that his next book shows more craft, better research and a smidgen of insight into the nature of his own story.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Waste Your Time
Review: Amazon chose to ignore my earlier review, but buyers/readers still need warning. This is a badly crafted, poorly written book. However, if you must read it to see what all the fuss is about, lower you expectations to rock bottom. Then ask yourself, how do these things get on the bestseller lists anyway?
Rating:
Summary: The Da Vinci Code
Review: This book is very cleverly put together, it is unbelievable how well Dan Brown takes the little things that we see and put them together. Anybody and everybody should read this book
Rating:
Summary: Now history is fun
Review: Not only is this a well written suspense/mystery/action packed story, but I learned more about biblical, linguistical and random history reading this book than all my years in college. And I actually liked it! This is a book to jump start your interest in history if it hasn't already been. It's also based around facts that you can (and should) look up for yourself. Interested in Da Vinci? (If you aren't you will be) Interested in the original meanings of loaded words today? Interested in religion in general? Conspiracies? Put down Harry Potter and pick up a rich adult adventure, you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: An unbelievable Experience
Review: I am an avid reader, going through a minimum of 5 books a week, and I would rate this as the top pick of my year so far. The book was well researched, and managed to be enlightening and entertaining at the same time, a difficult task for even the most seasoned writers. Brown tells the simple story of a man framed for murder, and his escape from the French police with the help of the granddaughter of the man he supposedly murdered and assorted friends. What makes this interesting and different from all the other basic frame-up thrillers? The interplay of an ancient legend, the Priory of Sion, and the Holy Grail into the story. Yes, this has been written before, but never in such an intricate display of detail with attention to entertainment value as well. Don't take this with a grain of salt, and don't pass up the book for something you might think is lighter. For those who enjoy thrillers, self-acclaimed history buffs, and the general public, this is an excellent pick, worthy of the time it will take to read.
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