Rating: 
Summary: An Entertaining, Enlightening Thriller
Review: This book is simply magnificent. The plot is very fast-paced, but it is also evenly distributed and never lags. Brown has put together a fascinating look at religion, art, and modern intrigue, blending the three seamlessly. While the plot is somewhat predictable, this book is meant to simply be enjoyed and to revel in the details. The facts are astounding and will actually make you question the fine line between Brown's research and his imagination. You'll be doing frantic online searches to view the art discussed in the book and look for the details that Brown points out. Also, if you have been to Europe or would simply like to go, this book poses an extra delight by taking place in many of France and England's most famous attractions. Simply stated, this book will be impossible to put down and must be bought and savored.
Rating:
Summary: For puzzle, numbers, and mystery lovers
Review: This is the best book I have read in a long time! I loved the way Brown intertwines a great mystery thriller with puzzles and history. From page 1, this is a page-turner. I had to keep forcing myself to put it down to get anything else done. I recommend this to people who love puzzles, number, history, and mysteries. Don't be scared off by the religious themes - the possibilities explored in this book are fantastic and well worth the journey.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: I could not put this book down. I noticed that some Christians were offended by some of the ideas, but, speaking for myself only, as a Christian woman, I thought the book was amazing. The detail and research in this book make you want to go and read more about DaVinci, The Last Supper, Winchester Cathederal, the Louvre...almost every major landmark mentioned in this book. I didn't agree with all the conclusions, but you don't have to agree to be engrossed in this novel. I'm going out tomorrow and buy all of Dan Brown's novels, and I can't wait to stick my nose in them. This by far the best book I've read in years.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Premise . . . Writing Gets a "B"
Review: Let me start with a disclaimer, I'm fascinated by stories that involve the Vatican and the power of the Catholic church. As a Catholic in the United States, I'm intrigued by the vast monetary and property holdings that the church possesses worldwide, as well as the loyalty that the church has inspired. As an institution, you know that the Catholic church has the power to survive many scandals and crises.So, if the premise of the Da Vinci code is the search for information so powerful that it has the power to reduce the mighty Vatican strucutre to rubble, I'm hooked. Mr. Brown does a nice job of framing a thriller with monks and bishops serving as the "bad guys," even though they're trying to preserve a religion. My only problem with this book is the "gotcha" factor. I won't give away any of the secrets, but I was annoyed by the fact that every puzzle and mystery in the book was solved by the prime characters within a few pages in some form of dazzling revelation. If the mysteries remained buried for almost two millenium, you'd think it would take more than 36 hours for the main characters to get to the bottom of them. Mr. Brown gets an "A" for his idea and a "B-" for the execution.
Rating:
Summary: A fun quick read
Review: This isn't an especially well-written book but it's very interesting and very provocative. The idea that there are competing strains/versions of Christianity and that the official church (the Vatican) has acted to destroy or at least suppress the truth is an old one but Dan Brown uses this idea to great effect.
The characters are interesting and the plot moves very quickly---this is a real page-turner. Brown constantly leaves you guessing and you are never sure who is on the side of the hero and heroine and who is opposed to them. I loved the interaction between Langdon (the hero---a Harvard professor) and Sophie Neveu (the heroine---a Parisian cop and cryptologist). The action in the book occurs over abt a day or two and Sophie and Langdon's relationship is true to this. Many thrillers have the hero and heroine fall madly in love within a 24 hour period as they are being chased by bad guys---this is pretty unrealistic! Brown doesn't fall into this trap. His characters have only just met and they maintain a professional and very real relationship throughout the book (no sex on the run). My only complaint (and it's very minor) is that Brown doesn't include a "Historical Footnotes" page. I wanted to know what was true and what was not true in the book! Buy this---and reserve a day to read it. It goes very quickly and you won't regret it!
Rating: 
Summary: Good, if you aren't familiar with theme
Review: Had I read this book before Holy Blood Holy Grail, I might have enjoyed it more. The basic premise is that Jesus had descendents, and that knowledge is protected by the Templars and their descendents. The author has crafted a mystery crime novel with this premise at its heart. As other reviewers have pointed out there are weaknesses here or there. One I spotted was the incorrect use of GPS within a building. Only under rare circumstances which I am sure don't exist within the Louvre in Paris would GPS function within a building. In all novels one must suspend some disbelief, though there are too many of the circumstances within this book to feel really comfortable. Overall, I beleive those unfamiliar with the 'alternative' Holy Grail histories will find this book fascinating, unpredictable, and enjoyable. Those familiar will be impatient and frustrated with the inconsistencies, occaissonal weak prose, and unnecessarily complex plot; they already kind of know where this book will end up, and there are few surprises.
Rating:
Summary: The Long, Slow Descent
Review: Everything you every knew is wrong...or so says Dan Brown. This novel received such incredible hype that I was almost certain to be let down. You can approach such a book in two ways: Forget reality and have a fun read or try to appreciate the research and idea even if the storyline strays from time to time. The opening was absolutely one of the best I have come read. For a time you are thinking the "Thomas Crown Affair" in terms of sophisticated presentation. It soon devolves, though, into a Robert Ludlum conspiracy with mad priests, a prototype French detective, unassuming hero, brave heroine, evil religious institutions, ancient mysteries, etc. You've seen it all before. Brown devotes much energy in regurgitating the whole Jesus- Mary "affair" [what a double entendre] and the improbable notion that their lineage still exists in none other than (gasp!!) the damsel who rescued our unassuming hero. Of course, she had no idea. We learn that "real" religion was once about the "goddess" but then those crafty males discredited her personhood and gained control of religious institutions. Male-domination owes far more to physical prowess than nefarious schemes to diss Isis/Athena/Eve or in this case, Mary Magdalene. A recurring problem is the attempt to integrate the action with discussions of pseudo-historical import. What you get is a mad race then a pause for a casual conversation on behind-the-scenes machinations at the Council of Nicene or being held at gunpoint while discussing cryptography in ancient Rome or reviewing the the apparent not-so-secret lives of such luminaries as Da Vinci, Newton, and modern day French presidents. The ending was as bizarre and awful as the beginning was grand. This is a book I wanted to like. It had intellectual and artistic appeal, semi-original material and an unlikely hero. This could have been a shocking, moving book but of course, in the end, nothing is really changed. For a good religious mystery get "Gospel"
Rating:
Summary: Great Subject but predictable Plot
Review: I loved Angels and Demons- and I really enjoyed the subject matter in Da Vinci Code but if I could guess what was coming with the plot line it was obvious. I never try to figure out mysteries I enjoy letting them unfold in the read. I had this one figured out way too early for my enjoyment. Still a good book- hard to put down but not nearly as fantastic as previous works. I learned a lot and will probably purchase a number of nonfiction works in this subject area. I had to go on line and look up the art works that were described in the text and found that some of the pieces are easily mistaken (Madonna on the rocks and Virgin on the Rocks ) Some were even misnamed at a university site (astron.berkeley.edu/~kalas/disksite/ pages/madonna.html) should be Virgin on the rocks not Madonna- since this is the revised toned down image. Well worth the effort- wait for paperback
Rating:
Summary: The Da Vinci Code
Review: Excellent read. Suspenseful book I found extremely difficult to put away. This is the first book I have ever considered reading twice - the first time to find out the story and the second for the details! Dan Brown has woven his fictional characters wonderfully into the real life Grail controversy and brought up this 'conspiracy theory for a new generation! This book made me painfully aware of how much history I do not know, but it made me want to learn more!
Rating:
Summary: The Da Vinci Code
Review: I made the mistake of starting this book one evening. Luckily, it was a Friday night, because, once started, you can not put this one down. The characters are believable and three dimensional, the writing is fast and crisp, and the plot leaves your heart racing. The head of the Louvre is murdered in an inaccessible part of the museum, but that is not the mystery. He has also taken off his clothes, arranged his body so that it would be found in a certain position, and has written a message in his own blood. Then the plot gets interesting!
| 
