Rating: 
Summary: Alluring, fascinating and great at cocktail parties!
Review: Not being typically inclined to read murder mysteries, I was hesitant to read this book and ultimately lured in by its surrounding controversy and the 46 weeks it's been on the bestseller list. I must say, overall, I was pleasantly surprised and intrigued by the originality and suspense of the novel. I enjoyed the short cliffhanger chapters because they left a sense of suspense at every turn and seamlessly invited the reader to further become immersed in all aspects of the plot. I did feel that sometimes the turn of events in the story were predictable and (dare I say) cliché, but the fascinating symbolism and cryptic messages more than made up for any minor flaws in plot. The character development of both Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu had depth and sincerity, though the love interest sub-plot between the two was trite and unbearably inevitable. I did enjoy the subtle development and insight into Bezu Fache, who not only serves as the catalyst for the action, but also arouses suspicion
leaving the reader with an uneasy sense of distrust and ambiguity toward the character. He is a modern day Javert from Les Miserables, which is all the more fascinating to think about considering Victor Hugo is mentioned as, at one time, being a predominant member of The Priory of Sion. As for the controversy, it seemed to me that the book made efforts to acknowledge the true and profound meaning of faith while bluntly acknowledging, as any historian will agree to, that the history we learn in school may be slightly askew from the truth. Look at how Columbus Day has turned from a celebration of discovery to an awkward day for elementary school teachers and a great weekend to buy a car! In short, the novel is nothing to get your rosary beads in a knot over and I say that not in a heathenish way, but instead as an educated and devout Christian myself, unscathed by adversity and already aware of my "goddess" status.
Rating: 
Summary: Believe the Hype!
Review: Rarely does a book come out with so much attention and is able to live up to it. Dan Brown lives up to the hype. This book is amazing. I can't wait to read his other books.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating, thrilling, a must read!!
Review: I am amazed at how many people feel they need to write an essay when the review books. I absolutely loved this book! It is exciting and suspenseful. Yes it does stretch the imagination to buy into the description of the Holy Grail but so what? I am a strong Catholic and I think Dan did a great job of expanding my mind.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent - Intelligent, refreshing & unpredictable.
Review: This was just a great book. I have seen it on the BestSeller list since the dawning of time so for my latest trip, I made this my book of choice. I began it Thursday evening and had it finished by Sunday. I just could not put it down. The theories were so refreshing and new, every page brought a new surprise, the story flowed so well. My only disappointment was that I finished the book and no longer can look at it with new eyes, and read the story for the first time. Just a great, great book. There was only one aspect that I predicted correctly. Everything else was a surprise (and an education). Don't miss out on this book!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: A good read if you lower your expectations
Review: The book and its topic are fascinating cocktail party talk - but I don't think the book lives up to the hype. I read this in one afternoon - it was engaging and enjoyable, but not great literature or (yes, a bad pun) the bible truth. I know it is fiction, but I thought the author took some liberties with the geography of Paris, as well as the actual history of the Priory and Templar Knights, which I found distracting. I enjoy reading books set in places I am familiar with and inaccurancies take away from that. It's just not that hard to get from the Louvre to the American Embassy. I'd recommend it, but with a few caveats.
Rating:
Summary: A good book, but it dosen't live up to all of the hype
Review: Review by Richard Gray
http://www.rich-gray.com Robert Langdon, a famous Harvard Symbologist, gets woken by the police late one night while in Paris to give a lecture. He finds that the elderly curator of Louvre has been murdered, his body stripped naked, laid spread eagle, with a pentacle carved into his body and a coded message written beside him. Robert also finds that he is the primary suspect for the murder, and that the French police chief, Fache, may need to convict Langdon to save his own job.
Helped by police code-breaker, and the granddaughter of the Louvre curator, Sophie Neveu, Langdon flees the crime scene in hope of either making it to the US embassy to avoid being convicted of a murder he didn't commit, or solve the strange code left by the body in hopes of proving his innocence.
At the risk of spoiling anything (though if you've read any of the controversy around this book this part is probably already spoiled) Langdon finds that in order to prove his innocence he must find The Holy Grail which is protected by a secrete society called The Priory of Sion. The 'Holy Grail' isn't actually a cup that held Christ's blood, it is actually the bones of Mary Magdalene, the woman who Jesus is supposed to have married, and documents that show Jesus and Mary had children and that Jesus was not divine, simply a great prophet.
As you can probably tell from the last paragraph, this book has ruffled the feathers of many Christians out there, particularly Catholics. Langdon puts forth an alternative version of history that is more or less well researched and will probably seem more appealing to those who are not upset by the idea of Jesus having a wife, or that Jesus is not necessarily divine.
However, this is not to say that all of the claims that Brown makes, or seems to support in this book, are on steady ground. Much of this book is built around proving that Da Vinci believed this version of history by examining his artwork. Some of these 'symbologist' proofs are very interesting, and others are stretching it. There is also the looming, annoying flaw in his logic that just because Da Vinci believed a certain version of history, does not make that version of history correct, regardless of wether or not he was the head of the Priory of Sion.
All of the controversy aside, this is an enjoyable read, though I don't think that, as a novel, it deserves all of the attention that it's getting. Brown is a very skilled writer as far as crafting his sentences and paragraphs, but the plot is a bit formulaic and even verges on unintentional silliness. The ultra short chapters, the constant running and narrow escapes, and how the main characters literally take turns solving the little puzzles makes things a bit tiresome. The plot structure reminded me of the Doctor Who episodes I used to watch as a kid, only instead of time lords, Cyber men and Darleks, you have art symbologists, Opus Dei, and the Priory of Sion.
The book is best read just one short chapter a day (some chapters are short enough to be put on a daily calendar) and if you try to read much more than that the repetitive plot structure might start to get on your nerves. There were points in the story where, if I read too much of it at once, I'd say to myself, "For non-divine Christ sakes, not another puzzle. Just find the blasted thing!"
People who thoroughly enjoy riddles, cross word puzzles, and constant narrow escapes will probably give this book 4 or 5 out of five stars. If you don't fall into that category then this is a solid 3 stars. Also people who don't read very often, or who prefer short, sweet chapters will probably find this book a safe bet. It's a good book, but it just doesn't live up to all of the hype. If the alternative version of history is what draws you to it, then you might be better served by picking up a copy of "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" which seems to be one of Brown's predominant historical sources.
Richard Gray
http://www.rich-gray.com
Rating:
Summary: Downhill Excitement...
Review: I started reading this novel after numerous recommendations, and to be honest, this novel was not as great as I had expected it to be. Brown has successfully captured my interest in this religious thriller by connecting history with a fictional yet entertaining plot, but the more I read, the more disappointed I was in this novel. The Da Vinci Code begins with the violent murder of the Louvre museum curator who is also the head of one of the world¡¦s secret societies whose existence dates back to the death of Christ. In the very last moments before his death, he managed to leave puzzles and clues around the crime scene. His daughter who specializes in cryptography works with Robert Langdon, a famous US symbologist, as they set off on an adventure to discover the truth. Brown then leads the reader onto an expedition of the past ¡V briefly describing the connections between many historical sites, events, and art. However, the accuracy of the information given is still debatable. One thing I found interesting was the idea that Jesus had a wife ¡V Mary Magdelaine. Being a Buddhist myself, I have never studied the history of Christianity and nor have I read about these examinations. But even so, it was still not enough to raise my rating for this novel. The characters are very poorly developed, and this was realized as the excitement of the mystery was weakened after Brown revealed the rest of the plot. The later half of the novel was far less exciting than the first, and it is even more noticeable as the two parts are compared and contrasted. Overall, this is a fairly easy novel and all you have to do is just read and follow along the story. If you want to read an interesting novel of an easier reading level, the Da Vinci Code just might be the one.
Rating:
Summary: The DaVinci Code
Review: Dan Brown, a writer of many great thrillers has recently published The DaVinci Code. At first, when I saw The DaVinci Code and read its summary, I thought I would be ready for it because after all, Angels and Demons, which is another book by Dan Brown, is extremely gruesome. However, even reading Angels and Demons did not prepare myself for this. Although The DaVinci Code is not as gory as Angels and Demons, the psychological views it gives on Christianity is still rather shocking.
In The DaVinci Code, there were many things that I learned about which I had never heard before. For example, Dan Brown talks about the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei, which are real ancient societies with different, but strong beliefs. Reading The DaVinci Code has taught me more about history and ancient ¡§gangs¡¨. Not only is it an extremely intriguing book, it is also a great learning experience. The DaVinci Code is also a great book on the debate in Christianity. The ¡§evidence¡¨ that Dan Brown says against Christianity is so strong that at times, I found myself believing what Dan Brown was saying. In addition, Brown also brings a new light to the rarely discussed side of Christianity, which is rather interesting because as a reader, we can read about Brown¡¦s opinions on Christianity. However, for devout Christians, The DaVinci Code may be a bit derogative to the Christian religion. As a result, even though this book by Brown is enlightening, it may not be appropriate for everyone to read.
Out of all the latest books I¡¦ve read, I must admit that Dan Brown¡¦s The DaVinci Code is the most interesting and illuminating book. Not only does its reader learn about history of the world and of Christianity, it is also a fascinating suspense novel which keeps its readers on the tips of their toes all the way throughout the book. In conclusion, I believe that Brown¡¦s The DaVinci Code is without a doubt a book worth reading and not only does its readers gain knowledge through the book, they also gain new insight on different beliefs.
Rating:
Summary: Good plot but a great leack of accuracy
Review: This is a funny novel, with mistery, imagination, a good rithm, etc. But if you pretend having written a very well documented book... you cannot start with a earthquake in ...Andorra!!! That's unbeliveable!!! If all the suposed facts are as much accurate as this...
Well, good fiction, but that's all!
Rating:
Summary: A great, great read!
Review: .
Review:
Dan Brown does a phenomenal job in capturing the conspiracy theories of the Priori de Sion (see Holy Blood, Holy Grail) in a gripping whodunit! Literally, you will not be able to put the book down because of its design, and its wonderfully enjoyable writing. I found myself always trying to read 'just one more chapter', and finished the book in a few nights. Each chapter is short, fast paced, ends in a situation of suspense, are often based around curious riddles, and the overall conspiracy topic and its details are very interesting! (Even though Baigent's 'Messianic Legacy' shows the Priori documents/claims listed in Holy Blood, Holy Grail are fraudulent! But, that's an entirely different story.) Brown's mystery interestingly details the friction and conspiracy of mainstream Christianity (e.g. the Catholic Church) juxtaposed against the conspiracy of age old paganism. This mystery takes us through some exotic locals like the Lourve, with its historical works of art and their interpretations; Rosilyn Chapel in Scotland, a Swiss Depository (a very foreign concept in the US), London and Parisian Cathedrals, and many other interesting places. It also takes us to many other curious points of history and time, giving us needed perspective on who we are today, and how our societies got to this point. Story:
A beloved Louvre Museum curator is violently murdered in the museum and is found with self imposed enigmatic clues to his death and murderer. His secret grand daughter, a Parisian cryptographer, and an American academic symbolist search against time and danger to decode his messages which include riddles and anagrams of the works of Da Vinci, Hugo, Cocteau, Newton, Pope and the secret Prioi de Sion. Negative:
Brown has designed the book to somewhat conclude that the above conspiracies are based on the 'fact' of the truth of paganism, over the 'fiction' of Christianity, rather than the opposite. If there is so much truth and historical basis for the paganistic interpretation of Christ and Mary, why does it have to be so secret for 2,000 years - waiting for the right time to show itself to the yearning world?
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