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The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code

List Price: $39.95
Your Price: $26.37
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Encode
Review: Zoom in, then to the outline, then back in;
This bood is done in code. Do you see it?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Enlightening, Refreshing, Educational! One Flaw . . .
Review: This book is a page turner no matter what your beliefs are. The murder mystery, codes, etc, will keep you interested even if you disagree with the theology.

However, Brown is careful to note through the character's dialogue that there are two sides to every story. For every person who tries to say the theories in this book are false and cannot be proven - please keep in mind that you cannot prove the Bible, either. Neither this particular belief nor the Bible can be proven or disproven. It is a matter of what you believe - that is why it's called "faith". You must have an open mind and accept the fact that there are two sides to every story instead of immediately decrying the theology as bunk. It is not saying that Jesus did not exist, it is not saying he was not wise and enlightened, it is not saying that he was not crucified. All the fundamental aspects of what we were taught are there. It is simply the other side of the story. Which one you choose to believe is up to you. But I advise gathering all the information first.

The one flaw in the book is how the two main characters get out of certain situations / jams, etc. That is the only reason I did not give it 5 stars. Some of their "escapes", so to speak, might be able to occur but one in particular really stretches the limits of plausibility, in my humble opinion.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good one, easy reading, good gift
Review: This is a fun one, read it cover to cover in one weekend. It even kept me a wake very late...

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Guilty pleasure
Review: I include this book among my "Oh my God, I can't believe I'm reading this crap"! Yes, the writing is AWFUL! How many times does he have to end a chapter with an ominous rhetorical question or declaration of what's to come? Is this book "great literature"? No, I'll never read it again now that I know the ending. Is it history? Lord no, and the fact that people are taking this book as historical fact is downright scary. If you want literature or history, stay away. Nevertheless, I have to confess that I could not put the book down; I had to know what would happen next.

But I think it's unfair for others to criticize the book because of its poor writing or historical inaccuracies. Sure, the author isn't Graham Greene or John Le Carre, but is he making any claims that he is. I've seen him interviewed twice and he's pretty self-effacing about the book's success. He doesn't claim it as great literature. As for the book's historical misinformation, anyone who looks to pulp fiction for their theological enlightenment are getting what they deserve. This book is entertainment in the same way that almost any TV show is entertainment. Light, not seeking to tax your brain. It's cleverly written, yes, but that doesn't mean it imposes any great intellectual strains on the reader. It doesn't.

Soooo, if you want something that will kill a three hour flight or a morning on the beach, this is the book for you.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: If you Take You Religion Seriously...
Review: Prepare to find many revelations and statements in "The Da Vinci Code' to be scandalous or just downright heretic. But remember...ITS FICTION! Though based on some fact, the book is a work of fiction, making presumptions based on the facts author Dan Brown researched. But reading these presumptions and analyzing them is in the books' fun, as well as being a ming-boggling, multi-layered suspense thriller, ripe with conspiracy, chases, high-technology and well-drawn characters. Robert Langdon is a American symbologist in Paris on business when he is wrongly fingered for the late night murder of the curator of the Louve, and goes on the run with a french cyptographer Sophie Neveu, the grandaughter of the curater. What follows are downright brilliant puzzles and conundrums expertly designed by Dan Brown involving not only clues clverly hiden in Da Vinci's paintings but also hidden ancient symbolism in many modern religious marks and even secular culture. It all points to a startling revelation about what the Holy Grail actually is, a far cry from the wooden chalice of lore.

Brown writes the book at a breakneck pace, with barely a single chapter over a couple of pages, enhacing the effect. Not to mention the father you get into "The Da Vinci Code," the more you absolutely have to read. Even if you don't buy into the books' laments on modern religion, "The Da Vinci Code" is utterly compulsive reading.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Fun read, fast paced, work of FICTION
Review: I read this book in one setting beause I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. As to be expected, less sophisticated readers miss the point entirely which is that this is first and foremost a mystery. Secondly, as all novels go, fiction is about escapism and so the characters are supposed to have larger than life adventures. Finally, and most importantly, this book is NOT anti-Catholic, anti-Christian, or anti-Christ. The "bad guy" in the book deliberately paints the Catholic church as evil but it is a plot devise and the Catholic church is exonerated in the end. But if you have been too offended to bother to read that far, you wouldn't have known that.

As for the discussions of theology, is it so bad that a NOVEL should inspire casual, even regular church goers to ponder the meaning of Jesus' live and his message and what could have happened if history had taken a different turn of events? Brown uses factual events and real people only to embellish the PLOT, not to make a statement. Any theology scholor will agree that the Bible as we know it is highly edited and, yes, edited by Men. It is also a fact that there were other gospels written that were not included in the bible. Why? Because the editors wanted a specific message to come across. Despite their best efforts, a thorough reading of the "canonized" bible finds it full of inconsistecies (Genesis is a good place to start as the inconsistencies begin in the first chapter of the first book). Should good Christians feel under attack because someone points out these inconsistencies? No. This is a book written by many sources and each of them had a diffent view of the same events and would have emphasized those things that were most important to them. Inconsistencies are not necessarily a sign of imperfection, rather, the different versions put together provide us with a deeper and fuller picture of what these ancient holy men wanted to impart about the religion.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A recommendation
Review: For readers who may have enjoyed this book, I would recommend another novel in this same genre that I much preferred to DA VINCI CODE. It is better written and packs a lot more punch to the soul: THE LAST DAY, by Glenn Kleier (Warner Books). You cannot put it down . . .

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Read!!
Review: I could not put the book down!! I received this book for Christmas and finished it in three days. I'm going to purchase Angels and Demons

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Historically Incorrect
Review: This book leads readers to believe that it has historical truth in it, for the most part it doesn't. The sad thing is that I have seen several reviews talking about how fascinating the history in the book is. Don't take this book as a historically correct novel, it isn't, if you want to research the events and people described, look up some credible resources. This book is pure fiction.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not worth reading
Review: This book is poorly written and definitely not worth the time. Also, the ideas in it are just plain crazy, it is apparent that the author is relying solely on his far out ideas to carry this book, probably because he can't write. It is hard to believe that this book is a best seller.


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