Rating: 
Summary: Extremely Interesting Can't put down
Review: I very much enjoyed reading this book and I could not put it down. Yes it's true that it's not the best written book in the world but it does keep you reading and wanting to learn more about the topics covered in the book. I think that the book serves its purpose, it entertains you, keeps you guessing and keeps you reading. I think that all the bad reviews are from frustrated authors that have not been able to publish their books. Books are supposed to entertain you not bore you to death so who cares if he has a one page chapter here and there and all the other ridiculous comments people have made. I have shared this book with other friends who have read it and they too have liked it. It's a good book! Of course if you want a book to put you to sleep don't buy this one. Ask the people who gave this book a bad review what they are reading. I'm sure that will work.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting read but predictable
Review: I very much enjoyed the premise of the book and loved the thought-provoking issues it touched on, but was somewhat disheartened by the claim that the book was one of the best mystery reads of the year. Brown sets up his two characters as figures of great intellectual authority (Sophie, cryptologist; Langdon, Harvard professor specializing in religious symbolism), but I found myself solving the novel's "puzzles" two or three pages ahead of the characters. I don't claim to know much about art history, grail legend, or goddess worship, but having rudimentary knowledge of Da Vinci's work, romance language, and church history should NOT allow a reader to out-reason characters set up to be experts. Nevertheless, I appreciate any author that attempts to disspell many of the conventions about religion, history, and humanity to which so many people so desparately cling.
Rating:
Summary: Very Enjoyable
Review: I very much enjoyed this book. Very pleasant way to spend the weekend.
Rating: 
Summary: Very entertaining and thought provoking.
Review: I very much enjoyed this book. You will see a few one star reviews, however anytime anything is popular, and someone is dissapointed by it, they will lash out without appropriate thought or conduct. The sotry is well thought out and well written. The ending however is a little bit loose and left me feeling slightly dissapointed. I would have given this book a perfect rating if the ending had been as tight as the rest of the story, however the intrigue and mystery of the book is done a disservice by it's anti-climatic ending.
Rating:
Summary: Didn't live up to the hype
Review: I waited and waited for the greatness and finally for the great finish and I was disappointed.
Kind of formulaic, touching on concepts and objects that fascinate many to gain readers interest.
Rating: 
Summary: I must break my silence.
Review: I wanted to like it. No, I really did -- it was recommended in such glowing terms, so many whispers and knowing looks passed between those who had ventured before... when I sat down to read it, I was ready to devour it. And I did. However, rather than the fine feast, the rarified treat, that I'd been promised, I found instead a food court that offered m.s.g. laden Lo Mein, soggy buns wilting beneath ketchupy barbeque: a grotesque, sloppy affair that left me feeling bloated, tricked and saddened by the low standards employed by the reading public when they plunk down $30 for a new hardcover. Having spent a number of years selling books, I came to embrace the idea that just because a book is popular, it isn't necessarily bad (of course, a book's obscurity in no way implies high quality). It is so frustrating, however, when a bad book makes good. Maybe it was popular because it was summertime, and because it was a VERY quick read, and because everyone was talking about it, maybe it was a strain of Emperor's New Clothes Syndrome. But how does that explain the book's continuing popularity? How did it cross the equinoctial border that divides summer reading from autumnal brooding? More than anything, "The Da Vinci Code" reminded me of a paint-by-numbers -- the grass is # 5, the sky is #2. All the tires "screech," all the heights are "dizzying." It was written as though Mr. Brown had consulted (studied) a manual on thriller writing, and had then written 17 blocks of boilerplate text that were swapped around for the next 200 pages. In my Libran way, however, I must balance everything I've said by mentioning that the characters (innocuous as a pile of mashed potatoes) all seemed like pretty decent people, which was nice. Even the bad guys were not without a certain (transparent) nobility. The twists and turns were mostly excruciatingly obvious, but the larger story caught me by surprise, which was fun, and I even said aloud, "oh, it's one of these stories," and read on with much less impatience. The inconsistencies in historical accuracy seemed no worse than those committed by television anchor people on an almost daily basis. I'm hoping that the ideas presented in the book help change voting patterns or throw a little slack into the stiff pedagogy of policy makers. That would be great and I would feel really bad about this tirade. Maybe I should change my rating. Maybe it is what it is and I'm overreacting. I'm sure that the book's popularity in no way reflects a declining national intelligence and a general lack of interest in accuracy. After all, ours is a country teeming with the obese; perhaps what we really crave is m.s.g., perhaps all we want is a sagging paper plate overflowing with cheap barbeque and fast food. That kind of deliciousness certainly has its place. BUT it needn't be awful to look at.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating plot, pedestrian writing
Review: I wanted to love this book, because the plot, the ideas, and the themes of ancient spirituality sounded so promising. For the most part, you do get a bit of factual information that's intriguing enough to get you thinking. But the breathless pace of the plot is simply made-for-TV. There's not a moment to pause and really see into the characters. Each chapter is about three pages long and ends with some tantalizing little bit that reminds me of a blackout before a commercial. The code itself is sometimes dazzling and sometimes impossibly obvious. There were times I had to snap the book shut in disgust because the supposedly brilliant protagonist couldn't solve a basic riddle or recognize Da Vinci's famous mirror writing. And frankly, Da Vinci really has not much at all to do with the plot. One would think that a thriller directed at an educated audience would be written with a little more care, more realistic dialogue and a hint of verisimilitude. I really couldn't believe any of the bold escape plans. Plus, for a book so focused on female spirituality, why is the Sophie character so distant and never allowed to show her own sexual side? It's not a total disappointment, but I found myself let down by the final pages. This book could have been brilliant. It's just average.
Rating:
Summary: lowest common denominator?
Review: i wanted to see what would make a bestseller - and now i know, appeals to the lowest common denominator. it is a somewhat entertaining book because i did not have to use much of my intellect. however, it insults the intelligence of many people especially in places where the author attempts to explain, e.g., how much $20 million euro is, who designed the pyramids at the Louvre, etc. but worse is the writing, the lack of character development and the interesting similarity in plot (and plot only) with umberto's foucault's pendulum, though the latter books is a masterpiece. so, if one is looking for an entertaining book on the plane, this might be an ok book. but if one is looking for intellectually honest book with superb writing, this will definitely disappoint you.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Novel
Review: I was "assigned" the Da Vinci Code for my book club, and did not know what to expect. What i got was a fantasic story, well written, with so many references to real life and history that I was constantly on the internet doing research! The book is a well-written mystery which ties famous pieces of art to the bible and general history. Many of the speculations I have heard before, and it was excellent to hear a new twist. I loved the characters, and could not put the book down. I highly recommend to any mystery/history/general fiction lover!
Rating:
Summary: Fun Book
Review: I was a bit weary about reading this book considering it's subject matter... Dan Brown makes this an easy, thoroughly enjoyable book, short chapters, fast action, and multiple intersecting plot lines keep you reading more to see what happens. Good for those of us with short attention spans... As for content. The books premise is interesting. The "blood line of Jesus" and the extent that the Church would go to keep that hidden from it's followers is plausible if Jesus had progeny... Cheers!
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