Rating:  Summary: GREAT BOOK Review: if you arent a closed minded christain, and there are so many out there.......than give this book a try. its a great suspense/mystery novel. I usually read dean Koontz novels, but this one pulled me in right away. give it a try.
Rating:  Summary: Make it stop. Review: If you can suffer through this collection of 4-page suspense recipes, and tolerate the most annoying prose style to appear in mall bookstores in quite some time, then by all means -- buy the book.
Rating:  Summary: Anti-Catholic Propaganda Review: If you consider yourself a practicing Catholic this book should not be on your read list. An author with an axe to grind against the Church uses this fictional story to push a feminist, modernist, anti-clerical agenda. As usual the Catholic hating media has picked up on this book as some great piece of literature with new ideas. Same old heresies and grumblings against the church, just packaged in a different way. Save your time, money, and even your Soul skip this book and wait for Mel Gibson's movie.
Rating:  Summary: The Duuuuh Vinci Code Review: If you couldn't figure out the codes in this book within seconds, I have one word (if it is a word) to say to you: DUUUUUHHH!!!!! I felt that Brown insulted my intelligence all the way through this book, not to mention that he cribbed all his 'conspiracy theory' plot lines from two books, "The Templar Revelation" and "Holy Blood, Holy Grail." The characters are third-rate stale mystery stereotypes: the studious yet manly professor type (hello Indiana Jones?) the bereft yet beautiful French orphan girl (who is supposed to be a London-trained cryptologist but can't solve even the simplest backwards-writing code), the albino monk (haven't we picked on albinos enough?), the diabolical Catholic Church officials, honest to God this is character/plot workmanship right out of Mystery Writing 102-- Course Designed for Pretentious Art History Geeks. If you want to get your jollies from some REAL Art History Porn, go for Simon Schama's "Rembrandt's Eyes." It's the real deal. The only reason I'm getting so excercised about this is because this book is a bestseller and some people actually think it's good. Have we lost all sense of incisive criticism? Liberal Arts majors -- speak out against this travesty. Take back the historical novel, and preserve its integrity for future generations! Tell people the truth -- this book is rank. Thank you. Oh, I did get past the first 10 pages because the author mentioned my alma mater, American University in Paris. But that's the only good thing...
Rating:  Summary: Not for the simple-minded. Only for the open-minded Review: If you don't think for yourself, don't bother with this intellectually and spiritually challenging work by Dan Brown. This book is an highly provocative mind-opener, so you really have to be a courageous, free-thinking person in order to really get into it and explore new territory. It throws into question many of our comfortable traditions and truisms, our cherished and well-defended beliefs and practices(like going to church every Sunday and trusting the cliches coming from the pulpits above us). I believe that this novel is a landmark on our journey toward greater self-awareness and freedom of intellectual exploration- but you have to be gutsy enough to shed a lot of mental baggage and inherited illusions to get there. If you want to be brave and expand your consciousness, read this work. If you want to remain a sheep amongst the flock with the same color of wool over your eyes, then do not even venture into the first chapter. It will shake you to the foundations of your uncritical thought. Stay where you are. Pray. Smooze. Follow the dicta and the routines of your Church. The pure sunlight out here in Dan Bown-land can be blinding, especially for sheep.
Rating:  Summary: If you dont mind missing sleep and meals then read this book Review: If you dont mind missing sleep and meals then read this book because you wont be able to put it down! Very exciting a little confusing at first but it is a very good book and i would recemend it to everyone who likes a good read!
Rating:  Summary: da Vinci, Brown and the Occult Review: If you enjoy reading books on the occult, mysticism, astrology and abhor Christianity and Catholicism you will like this novel. Brown starts out with a pretty good mystery and then transforms it into the absurd. Christ fathered a child? The Bible and thousands of written records are totally irrelevant when Brown cites "authoratative sources". My biggest regrets: 1) I not only read this garbage to the end but 2) I actually paid money for this tripe. Even as fiction this premise is hard to swallow.
Rating:  Summary: Simply a masterpiece Review: If you enjoy reading novel thrillers, fiction, reading at all then there is no reason why you shouldn't love this book. This is very simply one of the best things I have read, I feel honored that I got a chance to read this book. Can't wait for the sequel. I would give it a higher rating but there is only five stars, incredible book. This is my first book by Dan Brown, and most certainly he made a fan out of me.
Rating:  Summary: Good for a one-time read for fun. After that, burn it. Review: If you enjoy well written books that completely pull you into the story, then "The Da Vinci Code" is not for you. After reading this book (it was a Christmas gift) I was astounded to hear that it's a best seller. As a fledgling writer myself, I was surprised to read so many novice writing errors in this supposed "professional" piece. "The Da Vinci Code" is a large push of pseudo-historical facts and suspence, but Brown fails in making his characters feel human. During the course of their two day quest, they do not stop to eat, sleep, or even use the restroom. There isn't even a comment on how the characters feel about the lack of these necessities. (No tiredness, no stomach growls, nothing.) Brown is so wrapped up in trying to make a good story that he forgets to make believable characters. When the bad guy was finally given an actual name instead of just "the teacher," I was completely disappointed. I actually didn't believe the antagonist was really who he said he was for several chapters. Why didn't I believe it? There is a blaringly obvious plot hole that Brown forgot to cover up, which prevents his antagnoist from being who he says he is. It's simply impossible. Oh, and the chapter lengths are just amusing. Apparently Brown doesn't know how to transition between scenes without making a new chapter. In this 454 page book, there are 106 chapters. (I'm calling the epilogue a chapter because it is.) This means each chapter is roughly 4 pages long. If this were an elementary book, I wouldn't be surprised at the short chapter lengths. But as a work of fiction for adults, I expect the author to learn how to transition scenes without making new chapters each time. Personally, I think I might have enjoyed this book if Brown had set it up as a simple historical mystery. The cross-country chases and multiple gun-point standoffs quickly become tiresome and boring. The historical research is interesting, but "The Da Vinci Code" utterly fails as a good suspense novel.
Rating:  Summary: Conservative Christians will hate this book. Review: If you feel strongly about your Christian beliefs, you won't like this book. It contains a major plot point that mocks basic doctrines of Christianity, such as the authenticity of the gospel and the resurrection and diety of Jesus Christ. I put the book down for good at the halfway mark. Personal beliefs aside, I thought the book was slow. The short chapters made the book seem fast-paced at first, but you begin to see through this trick as you find yourself wading through redundant flashbacks and unnecessary exposition. I also found Robert Langdon, the lead character, way too passive for my taste. In a story like this, I expect the lead character to be assertive, charismatic, clever, and resourceful. Robert Langdon came across as a sleepy bookworm stuck in the backseat of a chase scene. The puzzles in the book were a creative idea, but when the riddle of the Holy Grail was "revealed," I lost interest in the book altogether. Maybe I'll find a more appealing and less offensive mystery on my next trip to the bookstore.
|