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Summary: False teaching in the last days
Review: Oh yeah, I know it's supposed to be a fictional thriller about symbolism and mysterious puzzles; but there is a message here that is not well hidden or cloaked in secrecy: The attempt to discredit the claims of true Christianity, the innerancy of scripture, and the deity of Christ. (See chapter 55)
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Summary: A non-stop thriller with a great historical plot
Review: This book was truly amazing, no wonder it is a best-seller. I found my self turning pages hours on end. I could not put the darn thing down. The short chapters left you at a cliffhanger each time and made you want to read more. Even if you cannot enjoy the book for its historical views then you could enjoy the book as a thriller. Not since Harry Potter have I been able to read like this. Truly a remarkable piece of work. Although their will be some out there who do not enjoy it for its content, mainly about the Holy Grail part, they should at least be able to enjoy it for its page turning excitement. The Da Vinci Code = Hours of non-stop reading fun.
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Summary: Like Cheetos--Cheesy, but Irresistible
Review: This barnburner of a page-turner is irresistible and fun if you remember that it is fiction, spiced with a few grains of truth and conjecture. I also suspect that Brown wrote it with tongue firmly in cheek. The protagonist Professor of Symbology (what the heck is that?) lectures to his students in a classroom situation that will have religion and art history students rolling in the aisles. He refers to Leonardo as "Da Vinci"--something no art professor ever does, and Brown undoubtedly knows it because his wife is an art historian. On the serious side, Brown effectively uses his storytelling talents to expose readers to ambiguities in "truths" that many Christians take for granted--any why not? It's good to make people think. If you don't think it will spoil your enjoyment of the book, read Chicago Art Institue curator Bruce Boucher's article about the Da Vinci Code in the New York Times ("Does the Da Vinci Code Crack Leonardo?", 8/3/2003) or the review in the National Catholic Reporter (10/3/2003) written by Father Andrew Greeley a not-too-shabby writer of page-turners himself, who states that the bizarre and powerful secret society Opus Dei "would have a hard time conspiring themselves out of a wet paper bag." A cheesy, fun book that will make a long airplane flight go down like a plate of French brie, crackers, and fresh figs.
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Summary: Just don't believe everything you read...
Review: I must be one of the last people on the planet to read this book. It's everywhere. So here goes... This is a masterfully written thriller, truly a 'can't put it down, stay up all night, page-turner' (I read it one day). The fact that it delves into secret societies and the sacred feminine reveals that we just love that stuff. Crafting it into a murder mystery is a stroke of mastery. It's obvious the author has done his homework. There's a reason he has turned it into a fiction book rather than writing non-fiction. Fiction gives him room to express his point of view without stating it as fact. Granted, he has done his research and his facts are easily verifiable; however, his conclusions, if written into a non-fiction account, would probably render him a conspiracy theorist. This stuff is not revelatory, nor is it new. It may be new and shocking to most but that's only because most people don't read the dry, scholarly texts (i.e. non-fiction) where this research is found. Holy Blood, Holy Grail (mentioned in the book) will hit the bestseller list again because of this book. Umberto Eco's works should also gain credence (even though not mentioned in the book). I read Holy Blood, Holy Grail years ago and it all came rushing back while reading this book. The sacred feminine, the power mongering of the early church, the 'other' New Testament and the 'lost writings of the true Christian church' and all the other ideas have been covered (cf. Bart Ehrman and Elaine Pagels, currently both on the bestseller lists with similar lines of reasoning). It's been argued back and forth for a long, long time. And it will probably continue to be so. Mr. Brown did not unearth some hitherto unknown texts that reveals this stuff. It's already out there and he is quite literally walking on the shoulders of giants. It's fun to conjecture but do your homework before espousing this stuff as truth. This isn't to take the fun out of the book. What is clever is how he has taken such a breadth of knowledge and crafted it into a composite whole. If you like codes and word games, car chases and intrigue, spiritual and religious possibility, this is definitely a surefire bet. This book is really enjoyable - as fiction. It's definitely a must read. It's a lot of fun and exciting to see what he does with his material; just don't expect too much depth.
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Summary: Sometimes this book gets a bad wrap
Review: I'm sure by now most have heard the hype, but the point is, you should still know this book is worth checking out. If only to see an example of stellar research and writing go a little mediocre before the last page. This is an enjoyable book and probably still the most instantly compelling book i've ever read... read the first 5 pages and you'll simply fall in. Don't expect to much though and you will not be dissapointed.
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Summary: A brilliant read
Review: Dan Brown has created a worthwhile thriller unlike any other mystery novel I've ever read. Though it contains the same characteristics as other novels; an adventure, a mystery to be solved; it is a novel that keeps you guessing to the end. However, the difference with this mystery is that the clues are woven into historical facts and art symbolism that has its origins from the time of Jesus through the Renaissance. The story is catapulted through the unexpected adventures of a symbology professor and his cryptographer partner who must uncover clues to discover the truth of the story of Jesus. Jacques Sauniere, a curator, and grandfather to Sophie Neveu is brutally murdered in the Louvre museum. After hearing of her grandfather's death Sophie Neveu, a cryptographer tries to uncover his codes, which lead her to partner up with Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor of symbology. Together, they go from clue to clue, uncovering Jacques Sauniere's secret past, and the truth to Sophie's family. A variety of characters are added in this plot; an acolyte, trying to keep the past a secret, a multi-millionaire, with a quest to find the key to history, and a stubborn police officer, determined to arrest the murderer of Jacques Sauniere. Being a non-religious person, oblivious to the history of Christianity, I have taken to this topic and gained a new perspective on religious belief. "The Da Vinci Code" has accurate historic facts that educate readers, like me, about the mysteries of the Christian church that most people aren't even aware of. I have looked at religion on a new level, and have learned that history can be written to fit the interpretation of the church or other institutions. The interpretation of the history of the time of Jesus has definitely affected our view of the roles of gender in society and many of the superstitions some believe today. This novel is remarkable in that it teaches new ways of viewing the past and at the same time entertains the reader, making this book a must-read for anyone.
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Summary: Interesting but disturbingly inaccurate
Review: This book was definitely a page-turner -- I stayed up until 4am finishing it. And while it does read like a made-for-tv movie the problem I had with it was Dan Brown's disturbing method of combining actual historical fact with made-up historical facts so it is difficult to discern which is which. Even more misleading is the note at the beginning of the book stating that "All discriptions of artwork, architecture, documents and secret rituals in this novel are accurate." Unfortunately, this does not hold true for the "history" Dan Brown purports to tell as backstory to his modern day mystery. For example, around chapter 55 two of the main characters give the third main character a quick "history" lesson in Christianity and the holy grail. Many of the historical facts they describe are known facts. But many are not. For example, in attempting to draw parallels between the ancient Greek god Mithras and Jesus, one character states that Mithras was called "The Son of God" and the "Light of the World." Unfortunately, there is absolutely no historical basis for such an assertion because Mithras was a god who was worshipped in mystery cults. There are no surviving writings about Mithras and we have no idea *what* he might have been called. The book also describes all early Christians as having believed Jesus was mortal, beliefs which were later suppressed by Constantine. The history of the early church is too great to get into detail here, but suffice it to say that early Christians' beliefs ranged from believing that the Christ was fully human, to fully divine, to fully divine within a human body. I don't have any grievances with Dan Brown's story (definitely a page-turner), or his take on Christian history. I do, however, think it is extremely dangerous to mix fabricated "facts" with actual historical facts. I had a hard time keeping them separate, and I've actually had the opportunity to research some of the topics Brown touched upon. Historical fiction can really be fun because you have the opportunity to learn something while reading about a terrific mystery (that actually gets solved!). In this case, though, I had a difficult time enjoying the story because of the glaring mistruths Brown tells along the way. Thus, as an exciting introduction to the mystery of early (and late) Christian figures, Da Vinci's paintings, and the sangreal, this book is pretty good. As "historical" fiction, it sucks. Incidentally, Brown does mention at the beginning of Chapter 60 the titles of some very well researched books on the topic of Mary Magdalene and the holy grail.
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Summary: A Good Read
Review: I just recently read The Da Vinci Code and am still trying to figure out what the entire hullabaloo is about. The book puts forth nothing I haven't heard before. I find it sad that evidently so many people in the world have so little religious training. The Da Vinci Code is a page turning suspense/mystery. I truly enjoyed Dan Brown's writing.
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Summary: Where's Tom Cruise?
Review: I agree with several of the other reviewers that this was a fascinating topic rather disappointingly boiled down into something between a Grisham and a Crichton. Unfortunately to me this means a book that could have been written either before or after the movie, but which is inextricably tied to one somewhere. The short chapters bugged me, too. Yes, it's a page turner. But what are you going to do when every chapter ends with something like "they hardly expected that they were minutes away from a shock that would undermine everything they had ever believed in their lives." (That's actually not in the book, but if you read something like that, what would you do? Turn the page ... ) I also lost patience with the alternation of the dumb and smart hats. The two main characters are supposed to be brilliant cryptographers, but I laughed at how many times each one of them asked the other, in reply to a statement, "what do you mean??" The exposition works well for screen, but let's just say it's a bit difficult to believe that the grandaughter raised by her grandfather, director of the Louvre, has never really looked at The Last Supper beyond cocktail coaster level. Likewise there was that crazy "code" printed in the book in cursive. I figured it out in two seconds. It took the brilliant cryptographers another two or three pages of scratching heads to figure out how to translate it (even though one of them could do NYT and Le Monde crosswords in a day as a child). Makes no sense. Lastly, although the novel's payoff is pretty stretched (and not that much of a payoff, at that, really), I did appreciate how the author effectively manipulated his characters throughout so that you truly are not sure who is good, who is bad ... so hey, good job on that one.
Rating:
Summary: A Thriller!
Review: I was on the edge of my seat the whole time while reading this suspenseful book. I love reading and I couldn't put this one down.
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