Rating: 
Summary: Best book I've read in a very long time
Review: This book is a masterpiece. It's that simple. I am completely stunned by both the research and the ability to catapult the reader through strings of clues, riddles, mystery, and suspense. If you are looking for a book that will captivate all of your attention for a fabulous 454 pages, read this. Many compliments to Mr. Brown on his fabulous accomplishment.
enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Already a Favorite!!
Review: I don't think I could possibly say enough good things about this book. The combination of 2 of my favorite subjects (art history and cryptology) in an extremely well written, intelligent novel made this an instant favorite. Not only will it keep you interested (I read it in just 6 hours because I refused to put it down) but you can learn so much from it. You will literally feel smarter when you put the book down after finishing than you did when you first picked it up. That in itself makes it a must read!
There will of course be a (very) few, such as the anonymous reviewer that posted a few days ago, that are afraid and intimidated by the presentation of the FACTUAL history of their religion. But those few are people who find little enjoyment in fun and intellectual activities.
That said, I would whole-heartedly encourage all book lovers to snap this book up ASAP and dig in. But I'm warning you - you won't come up for air until the very last paragraph has been read!
Rating:
Summary: Buy two ... read with a friend!
Review: I had the great opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of The Da Vinci Code, and I loved it! The only problem was that nobody else I knew had read it yet when I finished ... about a month before its release date. Oh the horror! I had to act fast (like the characters in the book) and find other people who would read the book and talk to me about it. Luckily, I work in a bookstore, so that wasn't too hard. But everyone in the store has such different interests ... would they like it as much as I did? YES! I have not found anyone who didn't love this book, and race through it like their life depended on it (and not the food, sleep, or other commitments they were missing in the day or so it took them to read it from cover to cover).
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Summary: A superb thriller!
Review: Symbologist Robert Langdon is in Paris on business when he receives a startling phone call...one that will change his life.Renowned curator of the Louvre Jacques Sauniere is found murdered, and worse is the shocking clue found at the murder scene. Robert Langdon is not sure why he has been summoned to the scene of the crime, considering he never met the dead man, but upon arrival it becomes clear...Sauniere has left a bizarre message mentioning Langdon's name. As the investigators question Langdon, a gifted cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, enters to help sort through the clues and the riddles, but within minutes she is explaining to Langdon a shocking tale of conspiracy. Langdon and Sophie are now on the run trying to uncover a mystery that links Jacques Sauniere to the Priory of Sion, a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and DaVinci, among others. The race for answers will take Langdon and Sophie through the cathedrals and castles of Europe until they discover the shocking code hidden in the works of Da Vinci, a discovery that will unearth a secret that has been concealed for centuries. 'The Da Vinci Code' is THE must read thriller of the year. This novel cooks with layer upon layer of secrets, rich detail, a creepy secret society, devil worship, and a meticulously plotted mystery. The cover of 'The Da Vinci Code' should come with a warning...Caution beginning this novel will result in the loss of sleep. From page one you are thrust into an intrigue filled thriller that does not let up for a second, it's as smart as it is suspenseful, and readers will be hard pressed to not finish it in one sitting. Dan Brown has crafted one of the most intelligent and original thrillers in years. Fans of smart, fast-paced thrillers should dive into this one. There is no doubt that 'The Da Vinci Code' will sky rocket up the bestseller charts and make Dan Brown a household name. A MUST read! Nick Gonnella
Rating:
Summary: A Suspenseful masterpiece
Review: Bravo! Dan Brown has written a break out novel that deserves every word of praise that is being heaped upon it.
This is an exrtaordinary page turner.
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Summary: This book is horrible
Review: This book is blashpeme. The author writes lies about Jesus Christ the Son of God and Savior of all mankind. I would not recommend this book. Instead read the Bible to know the truth about Jesus.
Rating:
Summary: A Stunning Thriller That Will Provoke Much Debate
Review: The search for the Holy Grail is one of the most intriguing enigmas of history, art and fiction. Speculation as to its location, its meaning, even its existence have fueled the imaginations of artists, writers, rulers and clerics for centuries. Dan Brown's THE DA VINCI CODE is a stunning new thriller that presents a new slant on the meaning of the very nature of this vessel, which was purported to hold the blood of Christ. Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is in Paris on business when he receives an urgent midnight call at his hotel from the Paris Judicial Police. The man he had planned to meet with the next day, a curator of the Louvre, has been found murdered in the Grand Gallery of the world's most famous art museum. Langdon has been summoned apparently because of his connection to the victim and his knowledge of ancient symbols. He is rushed to the scene to find Jacques Sauniere's body lying spread eagled and naked with a pentagram painted on his torso. He is told that Sauniere apparently painted the symbol on his own chest and arranged his body in the bizarre position before he died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Langdon's expertise in symbology and his acquaintance with the curator are called upon to help decipher the motive and help police find the killer. Police detective Sophie Neveu from the Paris police cryptology division arrives on the scene; she and Langdon embark on a dangerous and frantic search for the murderer. They soon discover that Sauniere's message was not a clue to the identity of his killer, which is what the police believe, but instead holds a much deeper and significant message to mankind. The connections to the murderer reach into the very depths of some of the highest authorities of Europe. Langdon and Neveu are ensnared in the ever-tightening mesh of this deadly triangle of power, as Langdon seeks to clear himself of suspicion of his colleague's murder. The desperate battle between The Priory of Scion, Opus Dei and the Vatican in the search for the Holy Grail airs one of the most fascinating theories on the Holy of Holies published in a very long time. Dan Brown's extensive research on secret societies and symbology (he wrote ANGELS AND DEMONS, a bestseller about secret Italian religious societies) adds intellectual depth to this page-turning thriller. His surprising revelations on Da Vinci's penchant for hiding codes in his paintings will lead the reader to search out renowned artistic icons as The Mona Lisa, The Madonna of the Rocks and The Last Supper. The Last Supper holds the most astonishing coded secrets of all and, after reading THE DA VINCI CODE, you will never see this famous painting in quite the same way again. Brown has given us a controversial subject wrapped in thriller clothing that will provoke debate in the circles of religious and secret societies --- and among readers. Curl up on the couch and dive into a title filled with speculation, action and intrigue. --- Reviewed by Roz Shea
Rating: 
Summary: Lightning Bolt Quickly Loses its Sizzle
Review: One official book description says: "THE DA VINCI CODE heralds the arrival of a new breed of lightening-paced, intelligent thriller...utterly unpredictable right up to its stunning conclusion." I disagree. I'm no sleuth but long before events unmasked "the bad guy," I had figured out who the mastermind was. I would rate the book 2½ stars out of 5 because it is a page turner. I read it pretty much in 2 sittings, staying up late to finish it. Being a page turner however, was not enough. After I had expended the energy required to turn 400 pages, I was left with a feeling of dissatisfaction. An aside: I noticed that my local bookstore in Upper Westside Manhattan is promoting The Name of the Rose on the same display table as The Da Vinci Code; the sublimnal message: If you liked The Name of the Rose you'll love The Da Vinci Code. Or, The Da Vinci Code is comparable to Eco's brilliant thriller. The latter suggestion does not hold water. Dan Brown's writing cannot hold a candle to Umberto Eco's, and unfortunately, nor can his plot line. Brown's book held great promise in the opening chapter and at times I enjoyed the writing. What I found sadly lacking was depth. Lots of facts thrown in-so many, in fact, I found their presence irritatingly pedantic. I felt as if a school professor was trying to sweeten the taste of rote fact learning, using his story line like a juicy fruit in which to hide the dry pill of factual research. Under the guise of revealing secret societies and their rituals, what I felt I was really looking at was Mr. Brown's ability to research to death-which I suppose is appropriate for a murder mystery-the etymology of words, phrases, rituals, pagan and Christian rites, symbolic meaning (albeit the surface meanings) hidden in art, film, writing, etc. In a nutshell: Mr. Brown attempts to boil the ocean in revealing the potency of the Divine Feminine but fails to reach the boiling point-or, to use a metaphor that is perhaps more fitting for his book: an orgasmic climax. Marion Zimmer Bradley did a superior job in The Mists of Avalon revealing the Divine Feminine and its connections with the Grail. What makes the book problematic, in spite of its grand themes and at times interesting plot? This question haunted me after I finished reading it. First, the characters lacked depth because they lack sufficient history. We have glimpses of their backgrounds but nothing that's satisfyingly "fleshed out." The reason J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter appeals to adults as well as children is because readers sense each character has a complete history, even if it isn't presented in the books. Second, the structure of the book peeters out. Mr. Brown starts by giving the antagonists and protagonists equal weight; one chapter for the ps, one chapter for the as. Obviously if this were to continue throughout the book, its predictability would become tedious for the reader, or smart readers would skip every other chapter if they just wanted to get to the heart of the matter. But Mr. Brown sells out on his characters-all of them-to create a page turner of plot alone. We get caught up, or served, with only Langdon and Neveu; the other characters are left far behind by about half way through the book. The kind of structure this book attempts and fails to deliver was mastered by Philip Pullman's The Amber Spy Glass, in his "Golden Compass" ("Northern Lights" for U.K.) series. I am mainly disappointed The Da Vinci Code became so predictable. I'll give Angels and Demons a try: perhaps Mr. Brown's earlier writing has that quality of originality of thought that makes the work of writers like Rowling, Pullman, Eco, et al, stand head and shoulders above The Da Vinci Code and its author's foray into the world of symbolism, ritual and Truth.
Rating:
Summary: You'll never look at Da Vinci the same again!
Review: I have never read a work of fiction based on so many fascinating truths. The Da Vinci Code is absolutely the best thriller I've read in years. I can't wait for the next installment!
Rating:
Summary: Open the Box¿Then
Review: Like dolls that nest inside one another Dan Brown's newest book, "The Da'Vinci Code", is, a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, as Sir Winston Spencer Churchill once wrote. And Like Sir Winston there is a Knight in this book as well, Sir Leigh Teebing. Sir Leigh and our protagonists are faced with constant puzzles, one of the most fascinating of which is the cryptex, or more sinister, nesting cryptexes invented by none other than Da'Vinci himself. This book is a thriller, mystery and even a healthy measure of counter-factual history, how might the World have been different if only a certain what if had occurred? The variables examined are done with skill, a very clever pen, and most importantly with respect for the subject matter. Religion is as volatile an issue as there is; to successfully use it in a work of fiction is a tribute to the author as a writer and individual. The brilliance of this tale is that you don't know, that as you open the first doll, that a variety of smaller ones wait within. Dan Brown sets a box in front of you. Open the box and you may find another cube or perhaps a pyramid, and inside that a sphere. And every layer you work your way through requires a different method from our protagonists to move forward. Open an object correctly and the quest continues, puzzle out your solution in a flawed manner....and who knows? The author also firmly plants the book in reality with a real organization he mentions at the book's start and that you can visit on the web. The nature of the group lends credence to extremes in points of view, makes what could be fantastic possible. The great news is that when you have finished the book the fun has only begun. The author has placed a quest for readers on the web, and I have spent a few hours puzzling through it and can state without condition it is wonderful fun. This is the fourth book from this author and I feel it is his best. His previous work, "Angels and Demons", was number one with me, and now perhaps is 1A. This book is a fantastic ride, and will get you hooked on this man's work if you are not already one of his readers.
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