Rating: 
Summary: A Work of Genius
Review: The DA VINCI CODE is as layered as an onion. The imagination that author Dan Brown has revealed through his decision to write this story is beyond ordinary comprehension. The plot he has constructed, revolving around millenia old secrets, combined with the quantity of detail he provides and the depth of his research, is "awesome" in the most literal sense of the word--and "awesome" is exactly the appropriate word to describe this novel. The plot is as layered as an onion, the clues he offers are elusive and tantalizing and, ultimately, all but impenetrable.This is one of the best books (if not the best book) I've ever read. Appropriately, there are many who would remind me that it's the second best book, after the Bible. Well, THE DA VINCI CODE is, in many ways, a further exploration of the Bible. A warning: Don't start this book unless you have the time readily available to finish it. Once you get into the story, you will not be able to put the book down until you read the last page!
Rating: 
Summary: Light weight fare
Review: Never buy a book with the word Code in the title. That is one message that can be derived from a perusal of this book. But perusal is perhaps too strong. The book does not require careful reading to reveal that it is built on rather flimsy intellectual foundations, and that the writing is very awkward. There are some interesting asides pertaining to historic survivals, and to the origin of words, but for the reader who loves the crafting of words, richness of style, this book is a vast disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: This is just plain silly
Review: This has got to be a record number of theories that can packed into one story. I have never read such a disjointed, mishmash of unresearched untruths in my entire life...The Georgia O'Keefe and Disney tie-ins were pretty absurd to say the least. Why do people eat this ...up? I am going to ask for my money back.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting and very well written.
Review: Without a doubt, The Davinci Code is one of the most talked about novels of the year and for good reason; this is an outstanding book, exciting, mentally stimulating and very well done. The plot has symbologist Robert Langdon as a suspect in the murder of a Louvre museum curator. To find the real killer, Langdon must decipher clues that he finds hidden within art and artifacts while evading a secret society that wants him dead. You won't want to put this book down! It is outstanding!
Rating: 
Summary: Almost... but not quite.
Review: I heard about this book on a site that I trust. It sounded intriguing and I had a 13 hour car ride ahead of me. This Dan Brown novel sounded like the perfect way to pass the time. It doesn't take long for the action to start happening. Which I appreciated, but what was left behind was a good description of the characters involved. This was something that plagued me through the book. Mr. Brown brings a very creative concept to life by providing enough information about real life places and objects that kept me wanting to hop online and verify their existence. I loved that aspect of the book. I just never felt as though I really knew anything about the characters. They were mere faceless players walking through their parts. With the exception of the eccentric Sir Teabing, no one really stands out. As with most mysteries or suspense books, I like to be given the chance to figure it out along with the protagonist. Toss me a nugget of information every so often to help me out, but don't force it on me. The morsels TDC gave were either to hard to figure out on your own or force feed so that even the slowest could see it coming. There were numerous flashbacks to information throughout the book. They were haphazardly placed and made it confusing as to the current action going on at times. For as much as I may bash this book, I really did like it. It was a great idea that just didn't play out well. I think if it was ever a movie that it might have been a bit better because of the attention span of movie-goers who crave the action and intrigue. It was an easy read and did just what I hoped it would do. The 13 hour car ride passed by in no time.
Rating: 
Summary: Page Turning Mystery
Review: Mr. Brown's book is a high paced action mystery thriller. It is obviously written for mass market digestion, as he uses effusive foreshadowing that allows the reader to figure out the solutions to the plots and subplots well in advance of Brown revealing them. However, the book is great fun to read. When evaluating detective/mystery books, I always try to compare them to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes books, which really are the only books in this genre that I feel are truly literature in the classic sense. Brown's book does not live up to that literary test, but it does live up to most other tests of what readers would consider a good read. If you enjoy page turning mystery with a theological theme, this is truly a wonderful read.
Rating:
Summary: Accuracy in research!
Review: For several years I researched the Sangreal and the "tale" of Mary Magdalene to come to the same conclusions as within this book. I met with the same resistance from my priest, went through much self growth, and acceptance of the feminine that I've never had before because of this research. Here, in a fictional story, what I perceive to be a truth frames the action. How exciting to look up the paintings all over again, revisit some of my research notes, and play along with the author of this book! A real suspenseful, fast paced surprise ending. Highly recommend!
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Read!
Review: The Da Vinci Code is a non-stop, intellectually thrilling novel. For the first time this summer, I got to read a book that had some substance - some meat. Dan Brown writes a well-researched and well-developed story. It started quickly and held me until the very end. While the story was excellent, the religious background captivated me further - I even went online to learn more about the Priory of Scion, Leonardo da Vinci, and Mary Magdelene. I look forward to more Robert Langdon mysteries. Those who like Dan Brown's characters will also enjoy Nelson DeMille's Plum Island and The Lion's Game.
Rating:
Summary: prepare to suspend your disbelief
Review: Okay, I did keep going to the end of the book, propelled by some sort of of desire to see how the whole set of increasingly dubious events would work themselves out. But I found myself becoming more and more annoyed with the book, and annoyed with the author, who I think greatly disrespects his readers.
The so-called "puzzles" which seem to completely flummox the famous cryptographer are ludicrously simple. It's not much fun to read a "mystery' when the reader is always a few steps ahead of the bumbling protagonists.
There are errors throughout the book which make you wonder if there was an editor - on one page they're going to Lyons, on the next to Lille, isn't Sacre Coeur already north of the Seine? As another reviewer has pointed out anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of biblical Hebrew will feel that the author just randomly threw in linguistic references with no regard as to whether they were correct or not.
I suspect that one reason the book appeals is that it seems to be revealing a great deal of esoteric knowledge, but I felt that I couldn't depend on ANYTHING the author cared to throw into the book, since the things I did know a little about were generally just wrong.
A really satisfying plot might have caused me to overlook the errors, but the plot became increasing more fantasic and improbable as the book progressed. - all in all I was left with a feeling of disappointment and a feeling that I had been manipulated.
Rating:
Summary: Great book....front to back
Review: I usually bore easily when it comes to reading novels, but Dan Brown's "DaVinci Code" kept me intrigued from beginning to end. His attention to detail was amazing. I was in France a few years ago and found his descriptions of the Lourve Museum painstakingly accurate. Each plot twist made me want to finish the book even faster to see how it would end. I hope to see Brown write more novels involving the symbologist Robert Langdon. I just bought Brown's earlier novel "Angels and Demons", hoping his earlier works are on par with "The DaVinci Code". It was an excellent book....Highly recommended
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