The Da Vinci Code

Rating:
Summary: Academic Entertainment of the Highest Degree
Review: If you are at all interested in anything from Medeval/Modern Philosophy, Religious Works, Mysticism, Symbology. Anything that deals with the search for the truth this will be of interest.

A mysterious murder occures in Paris. The clues are intense and well researches. The murder victim lays out a set of clues to what has happened. Which only leads to more and more things shrouded in mystery of an ancient society.

Why was this society created? Why has it lasted so long? Why were Leonardo Da Vinci, Sir Issac Newton, Botcilli, and other famous intellectuals invloved in it?

The answers will keep you interested way past when you get to the end of the book. This is a must have for anyone who enjoys the intracies of life and things that we have taken as true.

Rating:
Summary: The Da Vinci Load of ....
Review: If you are buying this nonsense, get a clue. Familiarize yourself with Leonardo's work. Check out his other portrait of St. John. The likeness is painted just as effeminate as in the Last Supper. Brown is yankin' the collective chain and getting quite rich doing it. Hopefully his next book will be entitled "How to Get Rich Appealing to the Gulliblility of the Public." Or There is Indeed a Sucker Born Every Minute."

I give this one 2 stars for Brown's mercenary genius. As for his writing skill, I think I'll stick with the Bobsey Twins.

Rating:
Summary: derivative, unoriginal & boring
Review: If you are in any way familiar with anything to do with the templars then you know 90% familiar with everything this book has to offer by way of plot. There is no character development of any sort. Not even a good summer read; give it a miss.

Rating:
Summary: Looking for a Good Book?
Review: If you are in search of a captivating book I have no better suggestion for you than the Da Vinci code. As an art history/history major this book was like a review of everything I learned in college - quite an education! But if you are not intereseted in history or art, don't pass it up. This is one of the most suspenseful, masterfully written books I've read in a long time, possibly ever. While critics might call his quick chapters that end in a way that you just have to read the next chapter "formulaic", it works. There are many unpredictable plot twists that will keep you guessing til the end. I began the book on a plane ride and finished it at 3 in the morning that night, barely being able to put it down in between.
This book entertwines so much history with the religious hypotheses that it just seems so believable. It will give you something to think about and talk about for months after you finish. In fact, you will be so interested in what you read that you will want to find out more about everything from the Knights Templar and Mary Magdalene to Opus Dei and the Priory of Sion.

Rating:
Summary: WOW!!!
Review: If you are looking for a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat, this one is a must-read!!! It is no wonder it is dominating the New York Times Bestseller list! There are so many twists and turns that you cannot even begin to start guessing how it will end. I LOVE that in a book! I spent a lot of time looking up information on the internet about Phi and Da Vinci and this book has sparked many lively conversations debating its religious and scientific theories. I have recommended this book to everyone I know and currently have a list of people that want to read it! I also read Angels and Demons, which is not quite as good as this one, but still definitely worth reading!

Rating:
Summary: Da Truth
Review: If you are looking to kill a few hours and have your B.S. detector set relatively low, you may enjoy this book. Mr. Brown has made an attempt to popularize some very stale and discounted conspiracy drivel in a creaky, formulaic throw-away mystery.

I can see other authors trying to capitalize on The Code's success by resurrecting Lincoln, JFK and even Bermuda triangle conspiracy ideas that have received some past interest in print.

I am not a Catholic, but I think that Mr. Brown owes the church an apology. The irony here is that Brown uses deception to make some kind of case about what he believes are the lies of the church. His agenda is obvious in the tedious preaching of the unbelievably one dimensional characters.

The least he could do is donate some of the profits to a Catholic charity, maybe the Mother Teresa foundation.

Rating:
Summary: How have you not read this yet?
Review: If you are one of the 27 people left in the U.S. who has not read The DaVinci Code yet, please do! I ended up having to allow 1 hour reading time to 1/2 hour internet time to look up
Dan Brown's references. It was so exciting. His historical
notes were intellectually stimulating. I also purchased 3 books
of da Vinci's paintings. I wanted to see how accurate his
story was. Oh my, yes it seemed so true! Not only is the main character a symbologist, so informative, he hooks up with
the daughter of the murdered curator to form a team that totally
piques our curiosity. I have gotten my nephew at NYU, my best friend, and assorted others to read this book. I also pass on my printed web-pages and da Vinci books. Many are those who are not into top-ten fiction. However, they have ALL said this is one of the best novels they have ever read! Read, enjoy,
and access the internet for confirmation.

Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended, even with flaws
Review: If you are one of the few people who have not read the book yet - do not hesitate and do it now. Odds are very favorable that you will like it, even be thrilled by it. It is highly entertaining, fast-paced, exiting and informative. The author has the endearing habit of sharing with the readers tidbits of extraneous information - not trivia - he has found in the course of his research.

However, do not expect perfection or a future classic work of literature. There are shortcomings. But before I list them, let's deal with some issues which should not worry you:

1. The book is "an attack on Catholic Church and Christianity." The book is no such thing, unless you believe that the Church can never do anything wrong (remember Inquisition?), can never be criticized, and that we already know everything that can be known.
2. The book is based on "completely unfound legend," "crackpot theory." "Anyone who knows art history and Christian history will see this book for what it is - pure garbage." Again, it is neither of those things. While the protagonists, understandably, present an alternative history in more assured terms than someone "objective" might do, there is more than enough evidence suggesting the possibility of their main contention being true, and there are serious scholars who accept the described interpretation of evidence.
3. Minor errors or dubious details that some flaunt as earth shattering evidence of wrongness of the whole book. Examples: Monks and habits not existing in Opus Dei. BIG DEAL! Anyway, even if just about nobody there was a monk and wear a habit, could there not be one exception? "Cargo truck hummed, then the truck roared, then there was hum again." BIG DEAL! Moreover, humming refers to tire noise, while roaring to the engine noise, which can change with time. "Da Vinci is not Leonardo's name." BIG DEAL! Thousands know and call Leonardo "Da Vinci," and even though it is imprecise, using just Leonardo would be equally ambiguous (how many Leonardos have there been in the world), and using always the full name would be cumbersome.
4. Perhaps the most silly objection is that "though some may find the religious topic thought provoking, this book doesn't require deep thinking". How many mystery novels are thought provoking, not to mention requiring deep thinking? The fact that so many people, as shown by the positive reviews, have found the book thought provoking, is an unquestionable testimony and tribute.

Disregarding the above, what are the real shortcomings of Da Vinci Code? Here is my list:
A. As mentioned by many reviewers, the characters are poorly developed. Not unusual for a mystery/action story, but regretful anyway.
B. The ending is, in my view, a mistake. The author should have left an open ending, rather than provide a specific, highly unlikely explicit solution to a fictional story.
C. Perhaps most importantly, it might dawn on you in about the middle of the book, if not sooner, that the plot is a logical absurdity. Here we have a dying man, frantic to save an enormously important secret, of which he is the only keeper, from being lost forever, and to transfer it to one specific person. Does he do it using one encrypted, safe message? No, he sends the person(s) on a chase, at each stage of which the secret could be eternally lost! And he has prepared this process in advance, while presumably sane! Essential for the story, but logically unacceptable.
D. The essential premise of the story is that the "secret," which is the main topic, is so earth shattering, that revealing it would imperil the Catholic Church. In reality, as shown most clearly in the ABC Special, very respectable Church notables look at the suggestion regarding Mary Magdalene with complete benevolence. The author has interestingly, and perhaps wisely, steered away from the more radical version of the legend, but doing so he again created a logical void.

Rating:
Summary: Impulse Buyer take heed
Review: If you are the kind of buyer of books like me (see the pretty cover positioned in the front of the store, better buy it) you can spend your money better elsewhere. If your a reader into science fiction/religion books with lots of attention to detail then this is your book. I not being one of those people still found the symbolism and the little details exciting and well played but the overall effect made me dizzy. If you don't pay close attention to the characters thoughout the entire book then you will find yourself lost many times.

Quite frankly I was dissapointed by this book. In the plot they're searching for something (I won't tell you what). At the end they were no closer finding it than in the beginning. I read through those 400+ pages to be lead nowhere further. If you like arts and code breaking this is your book. If you just looked at the cover, download a pictre of it and buy something a lot better.

Rating:
Summary: 300 mile-an-hour mystery
Review: If you are the mood for a fast-paced, highly entertaining mystery, this is your next read. The extent of the author's research into the worlds of western religion and art history become evident immediately. In fact, the breadth of need-to-know-tidbits are about the only parts of the book that will slow you down. Brown's descriptions of Paris and the Louvre visually launched me into the world of the main characters Robert Langdon and Sophie Nuevue. If you are looking for depth and character development, look elsewhere. Remember, this is a mystery, not historical fiction.