The Da Vinci Code

Rating:
Summary: Fiction that hooks you with fact...
Review: It has been a long time since I was able to become so drawn into a novel that I literally couldn't wait to find time to read the next stage of the plot. With Angels and Demons, I became obsessed with reading as fast as I could to get to the end. It is the same with DaVinci Code. The storyline is compelling and even though you may know the theory he is extrapolating upon, it still has a magnetic affect on you. Dan Brown writes in tiers; layers of plot that seem to reach their pinnacle, suddenly another dimension is added to it. He writes about DaVinci being a prankster, which history supports, but he also plays games and amusing pranks with the reader. The protagonist is named Robert Langdon, whereas the consultant he uses, who happens to be a leading cryptologist, is John Langdon. The name of the man murdered in the novel is the name of the man purported to have found the documents referred to in the book. (Not to give the plot away.) My only complaint is that the plot development seems redundant from his previous work, so he needs to develop the story in a more unique fashion next time. There are so many fascinating elements to the theme of this book that whatever your level of knowledge regarding the theories are, there is still something to think about or to learn. His approach makes you stop and think about what he is proposing as a theory and even after you have read it, you still find yourself thinking about it. For those readers that like to delve into the possibilities that are still unknown to us, Brown is the author that helps you explore them while providing a rich, fast-paced novel to sink your teeth into and keep you up at night. A must read!

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Summary: Echo's of Eco
Review: It has been over ten years since reading Umberto Eco's playful though erudite fictional response to the myriad of Grail theories that surfaced throughout the eighties in his novel, 'Foucault's Pendulum'. One reviewer called this book a mental adventure and a cross-referencing nightmare. So it was with great curiosity that I finally read ~The Da Vinci Code~ last week to find another intelligent approach to this intriguing subject in the form of a paperback thriller. It is a majority consensus that Brown writes this genre as it should be written: one simply cannot put the book down until all the mysteries are solved and you read the last page. Most would agree that this genre of novel has developed into an art form, and it is obvious that Dan Brown, along with his editors, have taken the form to near perfection in this book. If it weren't for the sun making a surprise appearance through my window, and the terrible realization that I had to work that day, this excellent novel would have been read in one sitting.

To be fair, one really cannot make a comparison between Eco's novel and ~The Da Vinci Code~. Both texts cover similar ground in respect to Grail theories, the Catholic Church and that mysterious organization, The Priory of Sion. ~The Da Vinci Code~ slaps the subject matter into a fast-paced-thriller-context, that doesn't let the reader rest for a second, which is what this type of book is designed to do. In other words, this book only scratches the surface of the many secret societies and religious theories that truly exist all around us. Whereas Eco's 'Pendulum' explores these theories and societies from a variety of different angles and at greater depth. Eco does this, of course, with a sly wink and his tongue planted firmly in his cheek.

It is obvious, however, that Brown is not playing any games, and uses this captivating subject matter to great effect, which amongst other things, is informative and extremely entertaining. If you're even slightly interested in religious conspiracy theories, and a fan of the thriller genre, ~The Da Vinci Code~ will give you everything you require...and more.

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Summary: Truly Masterful, and INCREDIBLY Addicting!
Review: It has been quite some time since I cracked open a novel that was as compelling as 'The Da Vinci Code'. This is my first novel by Dan Brown, but I assure you it will not be my last. This story headlines one incredible world-class 'What If' scenario: What if Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and produced children? What if there were a secret society charged with not only keeping this as quiet as possible, but also to protect that seed at all costs? What if the clues to the very existence of the mythical Holy Grail were contained within some of the most famous art work of Leonardo Da Vinci? What if all this WASN'T just the fertile imagination of Dan Brown, but rather a factual group of stories tied together with a fictional premise? Get ready for the ride of your life as 'The Da Vinci Code' opens up the world of Cryptology and Symbology in easily one of THE MOST overall entertaining novels I have read in several years.

What is so truly amazing about this tale is the depth of research that Dan Brown so obviously put into all of this Grail Lore and how he convincingly ties it all together. I sat with my mouth open on many occasions as I pondered his phenomenal imagination and how he managed to put it all in one book -- and making it so compelling that you keep promising yourself that you'll stop reading...AFTER the next chapter.

One of the curators of the famous Louvre Museum in Paris is suddenly targeted for elimination by shadow forces that aren't what they seem to be as the story unfolds. He is shot and left for dead, but before his life ends, he quickly leaves several clues for Sophie Neveu (his granddaughter) and Symbologist, Robert Langdon to discover. Before he realizes what has happened, Robert finds himself the chief target for this murder and Sophie mysteriously helps him to escape, hoping to fully decipher the riddles left behind by her Grandfather. Maybe I'm just horrible at figuring out these clues, but to my feeble mind they all seemed stunningly clever how they played out and how it led them on an adventure only to discover that the original puzzles left behind were only the beginning of a much larger list of historical clues, all of them REAL clues that have been documented over the centuries, all which lead them on a quest that just might find them discovering the legendary Holy Grail -- but it turns out NOT to be what you might think, in fact it came as a total and amazing surprise to me. Again, what found me so impressed with this story was how all of these seemingly unconnected clues are all REAL and verifiable, and Dan Brown has managed a way to include them seamlessly in his novel.

From Paris to the outskirts of London, this well-told tale moves along at a frenetic pace in what I would describe as one of the best stories I have ever found. Dan Brown should be congratulated on piecing together such a highly complicated story, all while making it completely understandable and thoroughly entertaining at the same time. I will be recommending 'The Da Vinci Code' for a very long time to come and anxiously look forward to discovering a few of Mr. Brown's previous novels...in short, BUY THIS BOOK. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

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Summary: WOW, HAS THIS GOT THE INQUISITORS GOING, OR WHAT???
Review: It is a breath of fresh air to finally see the subjects of the repeated Inquisitions out of the closet!! With the thousands, maybe millions of books to look up on this history, try Kessinger Publishing for a few of the oldies. Maybe the Inquisitors can now feel what it has been like for others to have been under the aura of the Inquisition the last 1600 years or so; you know they're ajar as you remember this material and the freemasons have also been under papal bulls of the past. Also recommended:Woman with the Alabaster Jar; Bloodline of the Holy Grail; Jesus the Man; Genesis of the Grail Kings; Adrian Wagner's works. Also the Westar Institute is a group of scholars who've done great work on this subject of Jesus.

Rating:
Summary: A Thriller And A Little More
Review: It is a page turner and very smartly written. The research is excellent and opens a whole tract of thought about religion and women. In fact, not being trained in Christian culture and history all that well, it was difficult for me to distinguish genuine historical facts from Dan Brown's fiction many times, which made it all the more interesting. Of course, many of the ideas and research may have been taken from other body of work, but that does not take from the novel in any way. My only gripe is that, from the very beginning, it became clear that the author had Hollywood in mind for this work. The chapters are organized in scenes, and the pace is fast and furious, as in many of the current block busters. In the second half of the book, the endless turn of events, and how the heros always managed to extract themselves from all kinds of impossible situations became a little too much. A highly entertaining and somewhat thought provoking book, well written and well worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Echoing Eco Da Vinci falls in pseudo-intellectualism
Review: It is a sad thing to realize that people read Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" and believe to be reading intellectual material. And the fact that this novel tops the bestseller list for over a year only proves that the average reader limits his/her choice to book with dubious quality. This is the same kind of readers that call Brown's moneymaker novel of high intellectual stuff.

To begin with "The Da Vinci Code" is far to reach any level of being called an intellectual book. Plain and simple, this book is a very mediocre thriller written with no style whatsoever. As so it works for about 300 pages when its story becomes tedious and predictable. Moreover, nobody expects a writer who deals with such material to be a James Joyce or a Faulkner, but, nevertheless, there is no need of writing for dummies, like Brown insists on doing. Thoughts come in italic, and to make sure that his reader has understood it is a thought indeed, the writer pens after such sentence 'thought Robert' -- or whoever used his/her brain. To make matters worse, the vast majority of these thoughts aren't necessary. If Brown trusted enough in his reader's intelligence he would leave room for imagination and wouldn't state every single thought every character had.

The characters are so archetypical --and far from being human -- that they laughable. Not a single soul lives in this book. Moreover, the supposed 'mind games' are silly and for dummies. It is impossible to believe that someone could find pleasure in seeing Robert breaking a code. Da Vinci deserved more respect and not his (Da Vinci's) name and works in a material with such a low quality. By the way, using Da Vinci's name in the title and Mona Lisa's eyes in the cover of the book was a very smart move. The Renascence Genius has little to do with this book, but his masterpiece has even less. The famous painting is mentioned for about 3 or 4 pages in the beginning of the book and then forgotten. So, be aware, those who expect something on Mona Lisa's smile.

It is clear that Brown attempted to copycat Umberto Eco, and his most notorious fiction: "The Name of the Rose" and "Foucault's Pendulum". But he failed. Oh, boy this is good to tell how much he failed. While Eco is a genius with novels as deep and smart as extremely well written, Brown writes pseudo-intellectualism for the masses that have never read a really deep and labored book. But with "Da Vinci" the writer is reaching a part of the population who has never read something brainy. Mind you that his book is not intellectual stuff, but some people may find it so, due to their lack of background.

There are people with hot arguments on the theological implications on 'The Da Vinci Code'. Personally speaking, I believe that with his fantasies Brown may have managed to get closer to the truth than we have ever expected. But his prose is so plain, so silly that it is impossible to take his side. Nevertheless, I wouldn't take the other side either.

Readers who look for intellectual and well-written material should stick to the original one, i.e. Umberto Eco. Brown is for the masses indeed, for those who read a book for mere fun and not for the ideas. Writing --and reading-- this kind of prose is not a crime, but it is so to try to sell it disguised in insightful material.

Rating:
Summary: The Duh-Vinci Code
Review: It is always a disappointment when writers, especially of thrillers, assume their readership is obtuse and/or in a perpetual state of suspended disbelief. The "clues" that weave this story together were frequetly obvious, and waiting for the Harvard intellectual, French cryptologist and British Grail historian to catch on six or seven pages later was tedious reading and just didn't seem credible. That said, I thought the scholarship re: church lore, etc...compelling enough to see the book through to the end.

Rating:
Summary: Who wrote this stuff?
Review: It is amazing to me that this book is a number one best seller. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, when murderers of the language like Tom Clancy and John Grisham can be at the top of the list. The writing in this book is TERRIBLE. Although the intellectual puzzles posed are interesting, it is completely implausible that characters under such stress, lack of sleep, etc. could suddenly have the solutions to these puzzles dawn on them. In addition, the plot has more deus ex machina moments than the entire history of Greek theater. Very disappointing, and not even a good read.

Rating:
Summary: some flaws
Review: it is indeed interesting one. although dan brown maybe use too often the knack of suspense. at the ending of many chapters he presents the surprise and cut. it is not a bad knack, but too often.
well, some flaws here. first, does the author determine which month the story happened? one place it said it is April, and near end it becomes november. second, why did Fache let robert longden go to the rest room without escort him? even with monitor, it is so un-professional. Third, after two trivial one, there is a big blow, why did the sibling of jesus and mary have to flee to england that time? because that time, according to the book, desciples treated jeses as prophet. until two hundred and some years later, when emporor constante tried to change the image of jesus as god, well, again according to the book, then there was danger for all offsprings of jesus to be eliminated. so why two hundreds and some years before, the daughter of jesus had to escape to england? besides, two hundred years is a long time for having offspring. it could be seven generations there. well, it is a fiction only, an interesting one.

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Summary: Kind of Hard To Believe It's Fake...
Review: It is one a.m. You just got into bed a few hours ago. Suddenly the phone rings, and the hotel worker tells you that someone's on their way to your room. When the visitor gets to your hotel room, you discover that he is with the police. But what would they want with you? You've done nothing wrong. You're a college teacher for crying out loud! You teach art and symbolism, and have been writing books on your research. Jacques Sauniere, the head curator at the Louvre in France, had arranged for you to meet up with him somewhere, but he never showed. The policeman shows you a picture from a crime scene. The photo is of a body. Jacques Sauniere's body. He then invites you to the Louvre to help with the crime scene. But helping isn't really what you're there for. You are being questioned without even knowing it! The head of the police, Fache, is in charge of this case. He is determined to find you guilty in order to help support his job, being as he's currently in low esteem with French and American law keepers. Sophie Neveu , a cryptologist, meets up with you and Fache. She says she has a message from the U.S. Embassy for you, but when you listen to the message, you find that it is something much more important. It is up to you, Mr. Robert Langdon, to team up with Sophie Neveu and investigate Jacques Sauniere's death, find the keystone to the Holy Grail, while at the same time protecting the keystone, avoiding arrest by Fache, and keeping the evil Opus Dei from power.

"The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown is a wonderfully written book. It is very relaxing, even in the fast sections. Although the book takes place in a 24 hour period, it seems to be much longer. Mr. Brown has a great knowledge of symbolism and history. As the little reviews on the flaps of the book say, the book is "pure genius!" Most of the clues in the story revolve around Leonardo Da Vinci, thus the name "The Da Vinci Code." In the book, the murdered curator Jacques Sauniere was part of a group called "The Priory of Sion," or P.S. The group is revolved around the "sacred feminine," worship female goddesses of fertility, and are the keepers of the Holy Grail. Opus Dei is one of the groups after the Holy Grail. Bishop Aringarosa is in charge of Opus Dei, and has been trying to get his hands on the Holy Grail in order to use it to boost his power. His assistant, Silas, does all the dirty work. ... This book refers to a lot of history and paintings, along with the Bible; although a lot of it is made up. Don't take it seriously, it's just amusing. This 454 book was worth the read, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it too. If the books you read need to be fast-paced, then I do not recommend "The Da Vinci Code."rtistic than Fabergé' ! than 'assorted cloissoné artisans' ! Did you know that ? I didn't know that ! I still don't know that ! There's lots more 'wisdom' on this victim, be warned.

Not only does he relentlessly bungle his facts and couple them with unfounded and preposterous social commentary, he has the nerve to insert this comment, about a film : "Sadly the filmmakers had gotten most of the specifics wrong..." And if the reader is not sufficiently impressed with Mr. Brown yet, they get one more clue, by including this esteemed opinion on the supposed creator of the mystery: "...he was a frighteningly clever man." Where does it end ! On page 484, directly before the blessedly blank flyleaf, where I breathe a sigh of relief of not only being done with this bestselling drivel, but that my name is not defiled by being included in the acknowledgments. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition