The Da Vinci Code

Rating:
Summary: Displeased
Review: If you have a good education you will find it hard to ignore this authors continuous factual mistakes. If I am too harsh, I can only say that I am not used to reading such poorly researched text. The fact that so many people find it so well researched makes me wonder about the sorry state of education in our country.
I am on page 217 so far, and I am still trying to push my way though it. It is not easy, for it is also not terribly interesting.
And the Silas character, what is he he supposed to be? , some kind of Catholic secret agent with a license to kill?
Please. This book so far feels like a waste of time.

Rating:
Summary: A Thinking Man's Robert Ludlum
Review: For years I read and loved Ludlum thrillers. Finally, I gave them up both because I felt his writing style had deteriorated and because I was not learning anything while reading them.

With The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown has re-introduced me to the thriller. In the process, he has provided more interesting and thought provoking information than one can get in most "serious" non-fiction works--symbology, the number phi, church and Biblical history, the Knights Templar, Freemasonry, etc. etc. etc. The challenge is figuring out where the facts end and the fiction begins.

I am anxious now to read Angels and Demons as well as to explore some of the topics Brown has raised.

Rating:
Summary: Read it!!
Review: There is a reason it has sold millions of copies--it is just plain entertaining. Buy it already!

Rating:
Summary: Dan Brown is a master storyteller
Review: What a wonderful read. I enjoyed this book tremendously and have recommended it to several friends. This is one of those books that I will be reading again.

Rating:
Summary: Very unconvincing
Review: Very poor novel. I am not a christian and to be honest I am neutral to wheather I should believe in one story or the other. However, the way Author was trying to convince in this book is quite annoying. Any conclusion he is coming up with, is based on numerous coincidences(really bad ones) and assumptions.

I am 3 quarters through the book and finding it hard to finish it.(lack of interest).

Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing
Review: This is definitely a novel that I won't soon forget and will read again in the future. There are many facts to learn in this book. The only difficult thing to remember is that there are also fictional elements as well and it is sometime difficult to distinguish between them.
Brown has written a story the way it should be written. It is thrilling and leaves the reader wanting more. The story is a maze of ancient themed riddles that involve the most famous famous works of art, mythology, and history. I was fascinated by the many turns of events and now consider this book among my favorites. A definite recommendation for The Da Vinci Code!

Rating:
Summary: A Good Read
Review: Dan Brown's books are interesting on many fronts. I like the way he weaves facts and history into a decent plot.

While I do not rate this book as highly as "Angels and Demons" it is still very good and a worthwhile read.

My main problem with "The DaVinci Code" is that the outcome is very predictable given that the author would not have the book's characters actually find the Ark.

Some Catholics schooled by nuns will be shocked and upset by the truth about Mary Magdalene. The truth hurts.

Rating:
Summary: Lest you be confused by the facts...
Review: The less you actually know about anything, the more you will enjoy this book. I managed to suspend disbelief enough to enjoy the story but would never bother to read it again. I was not dazzled by the author's wit because I figured out too many of the riddles ahead of time (including, without even putting down the book to use paper or pencil, one of the initial cipher-clues that apparently the Parisian cryptoanalysts never did solve, as well as the solution to the ultimate puzzle). Yet this riddle solving process sorta kept me reading - like working a crossword puzzle. However, I was constantly annoyed and distracted by the author's misrepresentation of all sorts of "historical facts." (These included, among others, how, why, when, and by whom the gnostic gospels were "suppressed." They're so suppressed, I read them years ago even before I ever heard of Elaine Pagels. The RC Church is portrayed as a bunch of paternalistic male misogynists determined to keep women pregnant and powerless and the fruit of Jesus' sexuality concealed from all those to whom they pretend to preach the Truth. Ironically, of course, the Church was one of the few places women could actually live a truly productive, dignified, alternate lifestyle to that of mother.) The Church, having endured centuries of scandals that were actually true, is not likely to suffer unduly for the various slanders in this book and should be able to take care of itself. It is History and Intelligence that are most abused by Brown. The gnostic gospels were not accepted into the canon for the same reason this book should not be considered a source for much more than entertainment. That is: both are patently unreliable as sources of genuine information. Ironically, most of the gnostic gospels were "suppressed" in part because their attitude was absurdly hostile to human sexuality contrary to what Brown would have you think. But this was but one of many absurd distortions. Imagine a story of a trip in and through the jungles of South America, to the source of the Congo River wherein, along the way, tigers, elephants, and tribes of Aztec, Ibo, and Aleuts are encountered. It could be entertaining for those who don't know their geography, but for the rest of us, no matter how well the plot were developed, it would be exasperating. Nevertheless, if the book actually gets people interested enough to find out for themselves what is true, it will have done even the Church a great service.

For yet another example of how actually knowing anything can spoil your pleasure from this book: At the end, I had to wonder why both trivia-meister Brown and Harvard-professor-genius symbologist Langdon missed mention - even in passing - of the fact that the "Rose Line" is the name of one of Paris Metro lines (eg. it serves the Louvre). (Harvard may indeed be slandered worse than the Church.)

Rating:
Summary: The DaVinci Code
Review: Brilliant from cover to cover! Well researched, well written and extremely captivating....I could not put the book down, literally.

Rating:
Summary: Dan Brown's THE DA VINCI CODE ...
Review: ... is the second of Brown's novels involving Harvard professor Robert Langdon, and no doubt the most popular - it's now been on the best-seller list for a year! I won't reveal any of DA VINCI CODE's plot, but I will say this: the novel deserves every bit of outstanding criticism it is receiving. Brown's writing style reminds me of Michael Crichton; he writes so as to make the book perfectly absorbing and extremely thrilling - THE DA VINCI CODE is the biggest page-turner I've ever read. Dan Brown has also brought Langdon to resemble best-selling author Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan character; hopefully Brown will be writing as long as Clancy has now. Enough good words cannot be said about this flawless masterpiece of modern fiction, full of mystery, suspense, and featuring a heavily-researched storyline; it is simply one of the best books I've ever read. If you haven't read it yet, I cannot emphasize how much you are missing. Ignore the pitiful, angry comments towards the book and buy it today. It is undoubtedly a decision you shall not regret. I am now officially a Dan Brown fan - keep writing, Mr. Brown. I can't wait for Robert Langdon's next adventure!