Rating: 
Summary: Christian Mumbo Jumbo!!
Review: Sorry folks, I know this is supposed to be a great book and I'll admit it did keep me interested but all through the book I kept thinking is this story totally fabricated or is this really based on some factual data somewhere. Ok, so now I finished the book and in hindsight, from all the hype, I was expecting something a little more interesting. It's not a bad mystery, suspense novel, if you don't take it serious but it's not a great one either. Le Setting: Paris France Le Main Characters
Robert Langdon - Symbolologist
Sophie Neveu - French Police Cryptologist and granddaughter of Sauniere
Silas - An albino monk of the order Opus Dei
Captain Bezu Fache - Chief police investigator
The Teacher - an unknown conspirator
Jacques Sauniere - Louvre Curator and Grand Master of the Priory and murder victim.
Bishop Aringarosa - founder and leader of Opus Dei
Leigh Teabing - expert on the Priory and it's functions Le Plot The Da Vinci Code is a novel based upon The Priory of Sion, a secret society, whose previous members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others. The Priory is entrusted with the preservation of mysterious archives from the life and death of Christ including the protection of his direct descendants. Silas now possesses the knowledge and telephones the Teacher with the location of the Keystone, the legendary device from which the location can be derived of the long sought holy treasure, The Holy Grail*. * lest you be confused, The holy Grail, in this story, is a euphemism for the above mentioned archives and more, that were discovered by the Knights Templar under Solomons Temple during the First Crusade. The Priory is the modern day extension of the Knights Templar. More confused? Sorry! Silas is confident of his information, for it was obtained from each of the heads of the Priory, including the Grand Master himself, before he separately shot each of them. But Silas has been deceived! So begins this convoluted tale of suspense and intrigue that has obvious religious connotations. la Story Robert Langdon, a renown Symbolologist, is woken in the middle of the night and driven by a Police sergeant the the Louvre at the request of Captain Bezu Fache, ostensibly to aid in the murder investigation of the museum's Curator, Jacques Sauniere, whose nude corpse has been symbolically laid out and marked. It seems that Sauniere was scheduled to meet Langdon earlier that night but didn't show. This and some other items have Fache convinced that Langdon is their man. Police Cryptologist Sophie Neveu and the granddaughter of the victim, thinks otherwise and she barges in on the investigation, surreptitiously informs Langdon of his plight and enables him to escape. Before he and Sophia escape though, Sophia who believes her grandfather left a secret dying message for her, locate a mysterious key behind a painting from which they eventually locate the real Keystone and from there, while fleeing from the police, follow a path as laid out to discover the true location of the Holy Grail. Therein commences an extraordinary race through Paris, London, and beyond. Conclusion The author, Dan Brown, has a pleasant easy reading style somewhat like other great suspense novelists such as Tom Clancy or Stephen Coonts. As I mentioned the reading went smoothly and this was an overall enjoyable read. I do think there were a lot of issues, however, that lacked closure. My problem with the book stems from overall believability. I felt in at least a couple places the author purposely misled the readers in order to draw them away from possible connections and had a tendency to stretch so called facts to further the story. An example is Brown's placement of Mary Magdlene is Da Vinci's Last Supper painting. Existing through hundreds of years of intense scrutiny, nobody had noticed this until Leigh Teabing pointed this out to Sophie.
This is something Clive Cussler might come up with. I realize that the author was taking artistic license and it portends a extraordinary postulate but it would be more believable if reality was stretched to but not beyond reality. The Da Vinci Code is a unique novel that should appeal to conspiracy buffs and religion phobes (me excepted). An ingenious postulation but with too little to back it up. Final Rating: 3.5 Stars, rounded up because.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh Dan, do you really take Da Vinci?
Review: As a matter of fact I was attempted to the book because of the press hurray, and, actually thrilling at the beginning the book ends much lame. Maybe the author should have read something more profoundly than the usual popular bogus. Especially the claims about Leonardo are twisted and they are also misleading the general reader, as a matter of fact, unfortunately we have a lot of self-proclaimed Da Vinci experts here in Turkey right now because of it. About the religious claims: In a society where the Christian faith and practice is not well known, this book made some interesting effect and now everyone awaits the much hyped Gibson's movie. What a coincidence :-) I'll have to read Eco again; as a "real scholar" he writes better "fiction" than this.
Rating:
Summary: The Da Vinci Code
Review: This time, symbologist Robert Langdon runs around Paris--not Vatican City (see Angels & Demons)--following a trail of brain-teasers to find a longlost treasure. This time it's the Holy Grail. I really feel this book lacks the riveting suspense of its angelic and demonic predecessor. Gone are the superb deathtraps and frightening life-or-death situations that I recall from Langdon's first foray into doping out riddles while unknown conspirators try to kill him; here I felt more like we were game-playing, and occasionally the good guys should look over their shoulders. I'm reminded of my experience watching Die Hard With A Vengeance, when we were supposed to get all excited while Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson did quick-math and fiddled about with jugs of water. I felt actual excitement when the bullets started flying, rather than when the heroes worked on brain-teasers that the writer picked out of the puzzles n' fun section of the weekend newspaper. But that is the price we pay when an action yarn turns too much into gun-to-the-head crossword-puzzle Hour. Dan Brown likes to display knowledge, and so I sucked up a lot of facts out of the thin, decorative, much-trampled carpeting that is The Da Vinci Code. I thank him very much for the eye-opening lessons on the true history of the Holy Grail which the Monty Python gang should have been looking for, but weren't. And, admittedly, Brown is a slick enough thriller writer that The Da Vinci Code earns four stars for zoom-zoom alone. But he did this already--yes, that's right, in A&D. All these puzzles and cryptograms leading to "the embarrassingly obvious" over and over again made me decide that this book regressed back to Digital Fortress, where the plot is simple and the solutions to the codes, etc., are simple. It's just the getting-there that's complex. Angels & Demons rises above, by daring to go over the top, with so many plot twists, and so many larger than life action scenes, that The Da Vinci Code, even with all its IQ Tests, can't compete. Surprise villains unmasked, yes. False conspiracies hiding true conspiracies, hiding the ultimate answer to what's really been going on all along--sure, fine. But Angels & Demons is a lot more fun, because it is more suspenseful. Put your thinking cap on for The Da Vinci Code--or don't; just sit back and let Dan Brown do brain-teasers for you--but watch as all the brain-games drown out the tension. Four stars for slickness, puzzles, and history lessons.
Rating: 
Summary: A thrilling ride on a run away train!
Review: The DaVinci Code was one of the most entertaining and intriguing books I have ever read, and I read a lot! After reading this book I went back to the book store to purchase every other book that Dan Brown has written. I liked them all; DaVinci Code being my favorite. I cannot wait for his next book to be published. As a work of fiction that includes some historical fact, I found it to be so compelling and stimulating that I may read it again just for the thrill of it.
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Summary: Reply to Minerva and those who sympathize with her...
Review: My only reason for writing this "review" is to make known my disgust, as a black woman, the views and comments made by a "reviewer" named Minerva.
Minerva, don't you even dare to preface your bigotted outlook by claiming you are not a racist. Darling, you are a typical middle class white woman who holds women of color in contempt and jealousy.
Us black women don't have time to worry about such flighty notions such as "patriarchy" (that is the way to correctly spell it sweety). Black women in this country, unlike most comfortable middle class white women, are naturally strong -in mind, body and spirit- and have no need for crutches like "goddesses" and all such fairy tales. We struggle with very real, very dangerous aspects of life everyday 24/7. We don't have the time to whine about some novel. We black women are trying to make a better life for ourselves and our children, sadly often alone without our men to assist us. How dare you even question our strength when unlike most white women we keep our jobs, our families, our lives going day-to-day without the security and comfort of a man! You white women can indulge yourselves in specious and frivolous causes while waiting for that paycheck from your white husbands! Most of you have nothing better to worry about!
As for "getting hair and nails done"...Honey, you white women monopolized over 200 years in this country of enjoying the pedestal your White Man placed you upon. Nobody can ever hope to outdo you white women in the vanity stakes! You were prettifying yourselves when my female ancestors were working in your fields, your kitchens and taking care of your children and servicing your men all the while pampering your every whim. Too bad the whole world no longer beats a beaten path to the emaciated, pale feet of the white women anymore. It's so sad for you. Now perhaps you'll learn true feminine strength. One that cannot afford the luxury fantasies of man-hating, baby-killing, lesbian playing and goddess worshipping.
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Summary: "Outside, the wind howled through the trees."
Review: Come on, people. "Stupid" doesn't necessarily equate "Fun". Aside from the fact that the credibility of this book has been consistently trashed by scholars, the writing is poor to the point that it would be laughed out of a high school English class. I'm wondering if there should be a required "What was the last book you read?" question, for amazon reviewers. I have a hunch the majority of these five star ratings would also include a lot of Danielle Steele and Stephen King.
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Summary: Funny how reviews are as expected
Review: I'm in the process of reading this book (at page 300 now). It is a breathtaking BOOK. I am writing BOOK in capitals, because that is what it is...
It is funny to see how a book like this triggers as much reactions as it does. Did you notice the 5 stars and 1 stars? There is no in between... It IS a book that is breathtaking, full of speed, and - if you are really UNBIASED with respect to christianic faith (I am atheist...) opens up NEW perspectives. Quite possibly, we will never find out the truth of the historicy Jesus Christ. But, as is rightfully stated in this book: the bible itself was written by men... So...any story could be the truth... Have you ever noticed that any arguments that reason against religious reasoning refer to the holy books of the religion itself?
That is in contrast to the famous Goedel paradigm: no truth can ever be established from within (this is a free form expression...). Oh, just read the book as it is: a thrilling experience...
Rating:
Summary: See for Yourself
Review: What makes Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" more than just another fictional mystery novel? It has the rare quality of being creative, educational, and interesting, all at the same time. That has also made it controversial. I can certainly recommend Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" to anyone, and, if you enjoy books that are creatively controversial, educationally controversial, and interesting like "The Da Vinci Code", I recommend that you be one of the first to read the book, "West Point: Thomas Jefferson ..." by Norman Thomas Remick.
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Summary: Fairy tale
Review: A masterfully written suspense mystery with thrilling details. If I like a book, I usually try to find out more about the author, the story background etc. I first felt very much inspired and sought more information about Western history in various historical encyclopedias and looked up authors like Baldauf, Hardouin, Edwin Johnson, Wilhelm Kammeyer and others. The book stirred my imagination and I felt very enthusiastic about it... until I found a book by a Russian mathematician Fomenko who, in his book "History: Fiction or Science" claims that the history we are taught in school and that is considered as basic knowledge is... false! I first got a hick-up, but got finally persuaded by his conclusions. Now, applied to the "Da Vinci Code", the latter looks terribly, TERRIBLY like a fairy tale. However, I DO recommend it because it is an excellently concocted thriller.
Rating:
Summary: A Lovely Candy Book
Review: I hope page-turner books like the Da Vinci Code don't induce intellectual diabetes. This is a fun book to read. It will not change your life or personality. Take a bowl of popcorn with you when you're reading it. And just enjoy it! Who needs movies, really? Dan Brown's first book, "Digital Fortress", is not a readable book. I'm not sure if this is because I am in the software industry and could see how bogus the whole story is. If I were an art history student I might have felt the same way for the Da Vinci Code, but hey, ignorance is bliss, right? If you are not an art history student, you will enjoy the adventures of Robert Langdon. You will enjoy the way Brown talks about Paris and its Museums. You will want to actually go and visit Paris if you haven't already done so. You will learn about the Catholic church and, well, art history. Oh, yeah, there is also mystery to solve. What makes Dan Brown good is the same reason that makes Micheal Crichton good: They can teach (or at least give you some sense that you learned something new) while being entertaining. I wish there were more authors like them in all subjects. Enjoy!
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