Rating: 
Summary: One of the BEST Books I have ever read
Review: I NEVER do reviews, but I felt this one was up to the task. I could not put it down! The beauty of having history involved with the mystery and thriller aspects was simply page turning. Did I mention I couldn't put it down? Thank goodness for fall, rain, a fireplace and a GOOD BOOK! I wished it went on on and on! Get it!
Rating: 
Summary: A meeting in Paris
Review: i never read anything by Brown before. the book was loaned to me by a co-worker. it was difficult to put down. i kept wanting to know what was going to happen next. it was exciting and captured me right away. i enjoyed the book so much that i'm buying another book of Dan Brown's. i like his style. i liked the way he developed the characters and gave you just a little along the way. just as the two main characters were discovering why the murder happened we discover more about them. i hope to see those two cahracters again in a story.
Rating: 
Summary: Subliterate heresy
Review: I never think of myself as a Christian until my Christian sensibilities are affronted. You do not have to believe in Christian theology to feel as if this book is like a large, cold mackerel in the face of religious dignity and tolerance. How dare this man suggest that Jesus Christ fathered a child with Mary Magdalene. You don't have to be a biblical scholar to realize that this totally misses the point. Christ wouldn't have clambered up on that cross as a man if he'd been fooling around in the dust like a man. But that's only part of my objection to this amateurish, insulting book. Less like a mackerel and more like a cold and pasty blancmange is the prose style. Inept is a word that would come to mind if I had the slightest belief that the author was even attempting competence. Instead, this is a machine driven book, a book with rubber stamp characters against a cardboard backdrop, a book where each fatuous, barely-conceived character is given a comic book name. And then there's the plotting, which is like a yowling cat in the backyard for hundreds of pages. As if you don't see what's going to happen way, way off. As if you can't identify certain plot points without the author's importunate "clues." Don't buy this one for a vacation--you'll be done with it long before the trip is over. Remember: mackerel, blancmange, yowling cat. That says it all.
Rating:
Summary: Page turning.
Review: I never thought I would fall into the trap, yet I was entrigued by the books premise. You all have heard it by now, so I don't need to repeat it. What I need to say is that this book is beyond the scope of anything I have read previously. EVER. Yeah, it's true to say that I don't agree with what mr. brown is alluding to and what kind of a revelation he uncovers, but what I will say is that I respect him beyond almost any other author I've previously read because of his reviting plot and entriguing characters. I just could simply not put the book down. I picked it up on a friday night and had it finished during the early hours of sunday. At least for me, that's quite a gripping book. If you are a fan of anything fiction, please please check this out.One thing that makes this book stand out is all the research that mr. brown had to do. I had such a great time uncovering the secrets of The Mona Lisa, Virgin on the Rocks, the origins of the pentacle, the olympics, venus and its orbit, the number "e", and most especially the Priory of Sion. The wealth of knowledge you absorb from the novel is enough alone. Then of course there is the page turning quality of the novel and all of the hours of sleep you will lose. Things that he mentions in the earlier parts of the story surprise you. Then, geniously, he brings them back again with an even greater meaning that makes you beg the question, "how did he do that?" So you've heard my two cents, now read the novel yourself so you can formulate your own. Whether you agree with his viewpoint or believe it's a load of garbage, you'll still find yourself on the ride of your life.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent read
Review: I never would have picked this book to read, but after seeing the clear split of those who hated the book and those that loved it and why, I bought it. That it has stirred such controversy is interesting, particularly since the ideas the author presents have been around for a very long time. Some readers appear to be deeply offended by the storyline. All the better I say, makes you think doesn't it? Whether you choose to believe or even consider the validity of the storyline, if you enjoy a thought provoking book the DaVinci Code is a must read!
Rating: 
Summary: Weird Book
Review: I normally don't read fictional mystery novels but I'm interested in Leonardo da Vinci so I checked this book out. You have to use your imagination with a book like this. The chances that any of this could really happen as written is about one in 20 billion. I'm not familiar with these types of books so I don't know if people write books like this just to create controversy and sensationalism, whether they really believe this stuff, or whatever. I found this book to be informative and I picked up a lot of interesting facts about da Vinci and other things. An underlying theme throughout the book is the worship of female gods and the suppression and disrespect of females throughout history. However contrary to what's presented here Mary Magdalene is a hero of the bible. It's the speculation and unsubstantiated statements that for me start to detract from the story about half way through. Many of these ideas such as a possible sexual relationship between Mary Magdalene and Jesus Christ are taken from the so called 'lost gospels' which weren't included in the bible (fortunately). The bible doesn't say that Jesus Christ was ever married or had children. However this is explained away as follows: "If Jesus were not married, at least one of the Bible's gospels would have mentioned it and offered some explanation for His unnatural state of bachelorhood." This is like saying that anything which isn't written in a book can be assumed to be true. In that case all books should just be filled with blank pages. Leonardo da Vinci adopted a kid and would sometimes make comments about the kid's curly hair. This has been translated by some people as 'da Vinci was a flamboyant homosexual'. At one point the heroine of the story comes home from college and hears her grandfather with some other people down in a secret dungeon in his house. She goes down there and sees a bunch of people dressed in weird costumes and masks. There in the middle of the room is 'grand-pere'. He was lying naked on an altar. There was a girl there. The heroine runs away and doesn't talk to grand-pere for years. But years later she feels guilty. "Why didn't I understand ? Why didn't I realize that this was normal behavior and part of grand-pere's religious beliefs ?" Then the hero uses his decoding techniques to decypher da Vinci's famous painting The Last Supper. You see the person standing next to Jesus wasn't an apostle. It was Mary Magdalene. Peter is over to the left holding a knife wanting to slash Mary's throat out of jealousy. This is like people who say you need a super computer to figure out the hidden code in the bible. It is true there is a hand holding a knife in The Last Supper. It's da Vinci's hand and it's near Judas. There are many other questionable interpretations of legends such as the Christians stole the idea of a miraculous birth from the Egyptian story of Isis and Horus. But both stories are true. Just as God does things the occult gods also do the same things but the results are different. According to Egyptian legend Horus killed his mother Isis I think. I think this book is worth reading anyway. The way the story fits together required a lot of thought. I guess if everyone believed the same things the world would be a boring place. Mainly I took off stars because of the heavy emphasis on unsubstantiated sexually related topics. Ironically there really is a secret da Vinci code. Fear and weakness have almost destroyed it. Will the truth be revealed or will the secret be lost forever ? Only time will tell.
Rating:
Summary: Had low expectations, but left me impressed...
Review: I often avoid reading this sort of book. Nothing says blockbuster-film-waiting-to-happen like a John Grisham-like thriller. It won't surprise me if a film version of this novel is in the works. However, praises and hype surrounding Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code are well deserved. This is an excellent, compelling, intelligent thriller -- one that grabs you and doesn't let go until its final page. Robert Langdon is called in for questioning regarding a violent murder at the Lourvre one night. The clues left by the victim, the museum's curator, send Langdon and the victim's granddaughter, Sophie, on a quest to solve both the murder and the various clues the curator has left. The story is smart and well-paced and it will keep you guessing. I also love all of the historical references to art. This is a memorable, thrilling read that lives up to its hype. Highly recommended...
Rating:
Summary: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night...
Review: I opened this book with great expectations, but it didn't take long for those to fade. Brown writes as though he's entering the annual "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night Contest" held by San Jose State University, although I must in fairness say to those entering the contest that they all write better than Brown. The book does have one thing going for it, however: it's funny. Not intentionally, I'm sure, but funny all the same for the absurdity of the dialogue. Much better books on similar subjects have been written by authors with a thorough knowledge of history and the ability to develop characters and write decent prose. Go read "The Confessor," by Daniel Silva, rather than wasting your time on Brown's bad book. Incidentally, the artist in the title should have been called Leonardo, not Da Vinci.
Rating: 
Summary: Captivating, yet disappointing
Review: I picked this book up at the airport after having many friends tell me to read it. The book was very captivating and a good mystery, but I was offended by some of the references to the Catholic Church. Although Dan Brown researched parts of this book, other sections were inaccurate and led to the downfall at the end of the book. If you do some research on the internet regarding this book, and read some reviews from newspapers, you will come to find out that the book isn't as exciting as originally thought.
Rating:
Summary: Not usually my cup of tea, but this was outstanding.
Review: I picked this book up from the library because I am intensely fascinated by da Vinci and the inside jacket synopsis hooked me to give it a try. I've never read any type of suspense/mystery book. This was my first one. Well now I'm afraid to read another and find that I've just read the best and there's nowhere to go but down. I have never read a book as quickly as I read this one. Now, I'm pushing this book on all my friends/family. I even bought it as a present for my Dad. The twists and turns are very unpredictable and I am very good at figuring out what is "around the corner" before it is revealed. So there is an immense sense of anticipation as you read it. The puzzle element of the book is good and it feels like you are reading an adventure game like Myst or Longest Journey. I would try to figure out the puzzles before the solution was revealed (of course, falining miserbly b/c they are ingenious). And finally, the research and the fact that there is some veridicality (the Priory of Sion, Opus Dei, the surprise in The Last Supper, the Beloved Disciple, etc) were jaw dropping for me. As I read the book, I would go on the Internet and look up things that Dan Brown wrote about and found that there is some support for the things he discusses. As a Roman Catholic, these revelations were mind-blowing and has made me more interested in the history of the Roman Catholic church. This book is definitely a must-read. As I already do, I would recommend it to anyone. I definitely plan to make this book a permanent part of my collection. I also think it would make an excellent movie. Christopher Nolan, the director of Momento and Insomnia would do this book justice.
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