Rating: 
Summary: THE DA VINCI DISSAPPOINTMENT
Review: I WAS ABSOLUTELY HOOKED ON THIS BOOK FOR THE FIRST HALF. I THOUGHT THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SECRET SOCIETIES, THE GRAIL, MASONS, ETC. WAS EXTREMELY INTERESTING. SOMEWHERE IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE BOOK, I BECAME PUZZLED, CONFUSED AND ULTIMATELY LET DOWN. THE PLOT WOUND DOWN TO A SOMETHING SILLY AND CONTRIVED. THE CHARACTERS WERE NEVER FULLY DEVELOPED SO I FELT NOTHING FOR THEM. IF SOMEONE ASKED ME TODAY, 5 MONTHS AFTER READING IT, HOW DID IT END? I COULDN'T TELL THEM. STRONG START, BELLY FLOP ENDING.
Rating: 
Summary: Page-turner!
Review: I was already digging the book before I got to the really good bits around page 230 - then I had to stay up an extra two hours to read the next 120 pages or so because I was mesmerized. The claims made in the book are a dagger in the back of Christian doctrine, and a condemnation of the Catholic church basically, and I expect there's many a review of this book giving it 0 stars, simply because people are angry that their faith is being questioned by someone else, God forbid. *buh-duh-bump* Anyway, don't listen to those reviewers. If you can keep an open mind about the whole thing, whether you believe the information contained within to be fact or fiction, you're going to greatly enjoy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Devout Believers Beware
Review: I was at first very intrigued and taken by the book's cryptographic orientation and the writer's style, UNTIL I began to realize that it is really all about undermining one's Christian-oriented worldview and belief system and replacing it with today's move toward Mother Earth/Goddess worship and New Age attitudes and beliefs. About halfway through the book, you'll discover that the author begins to have his characters discuss basic doctrines of Christianity and how the world has been deceived into believing them for the past 2000 years. Then the reader is subtly introduced to pagan beliefs that have indeed been around for thousands of years and how they are present, all around us, even within the church. The problem lies in that the reader is left with the impression that they should begin to doubt their own beliefs and take everything the writer says "on faith", without doing any research for themselves to see if there is any merit to the new twist given to the Christian story. The book's own storyline hinges on believing that Christians have been wildly deceived and that there is in fact no basis for that worldview. If you read this book and begin to doubt if what you've been taught is true, please research for yourself just how much substantiation is available for the validity of the Bible--trust that it can stand up to scrutiny even worse than that proposed in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Thrilling!
Review: I was delighted to see this exciting novel move its way up the bestseller list. "The Da Vinci Code" contains much truth in its fictionalized accout of, among other things, the Priory of Sion, one of the great mysteries of the Medieval world. Although the author does not get all the facts straight, he certainly knows how to weave together a great story, and enough of the truth squeaks out as to reveal that much of the world's history has been distorted in order to favor the ruling authorities. I really hope this book becomes a movie. In the meantime, if you want to read a non-fiction book that truly exposes the conspiracy behind the scenes purported by the power elite against the "little people," I highly recommend the excellent and well-researched "The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold" by Acharya S. Othre books of the same genre, which demonstrates that much of this so-called "history" is fiction, include "The Jesus Puzzle" and "The Jesus Myteries." I find, however, that the Christ Conspiracy is the easiest to read and understand. Three cheers for Dan Brown for not only broaching important and controversial subjects, which can only help in the improved consciousness of mankind.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting concepts, poor characterization
Review: I was disapointed it this book, but not for the reasons most people are writing about. I enjoyed the alternate history of the gospels and the secret workings inside the catholic church. For those who find this kind of conspiracy theory unrealistic, the non-fiction biblical histories are just a few clicks away, why are you reading a fiction book? What ultimately disappointed me about the DaVinci Code was the poor character development. I understand that Dan Brown wants to reuse his main character in a series, but this "James Bond of the Art World" character really become a bore to read about. He was not risky, charasmatic, or even charming. Brown showed no creativity to get his main characters out of tight spots and basically had them running around the street paris saying "oh my, they are after me! what do I do?" I would rather have read more about the villians thoughts, at least they showed some originality. I was very unimpressed and disappointed that a book that has been read by so many people could be written so poorly.
Rating:
Summary: Intricate Mystery
Review: I was disappointed after all the hype. This seemed like a Robert Ludlum type of layered plot. It had some good mystery, and some exciting escape sequences as the hero and heroine connected and tried to evade capture while figuring out the mystery. However, it all seemed so contrived to me that I had a hard time accepting it, especially the religious underpinnings. If you aren't too critical, you might enjoy the adventure, the romance, and the mystery.
Rating:
Summary: One-dimensional characters barely carry the plot
Review: I was excited to read this, having heard from so many people how they *loved* this book. Imagine my surprise when I found an interesting plot (I don't know how much of it is accurate, but his main thesis is fun to consider) but with such boring, cardboard one-dimensional characters, that I kept getting distracted by how bad they were. The book is readable, but by no means a feat of literature. As a friend of mine said, it is like reading a Hardy boys' mystery...but without the pathos!
Rating:
Summary: Made to be a Movie
Review: I was expecting an intriguing look at the history of the Catholic Church and it's representation in art. What I found was a "Tom Clancy" novel with predictable characters. If you are looking for a page-turning murder mystery, that will make a popular movie - this is it. If you are looking for something deeper and thought provoking you will need to look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: A waster of money and paper
Review: I was expecting much more from this book considering the hype surrounding it. Pulp fiction novels and paperback romances have significantly more substance and style. Written to be made into a movie, this book suffers from "public education" command of the language, poor character development and bulk beyond the climax that seems to satisfy contractual obligations rather than contribute to the plot. I never met a conspiracy theory I did not like, but this book goes beyond entertaining speculation in its quest for twisted grandeur. You can do much better looking elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Weak storytelling, too predictable
Review: I was forced to read this book in my book club. Very disappointing! Interesting theories, but the storyline was too predictable to keep me interested. As I read, I could already visualize the movie...reminded me of John Gresham's good idea/bad-writing-turned-screenplay style. And while the author claims much of this book is based on fact, much of it is really only based on theories. As the book is catagorized as fiction, I have no problem with a book based on theory. However, it has to be supported by a well-told story to keep me interested. Couldn't even make it to the end!
|
