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Summary: Great Book !!!!!
Review: It's a thought provoking book with a great plot. I would highly recommend it to everybody.
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Summary: Good fun
Review: It's amazing how much stuff you can do in just one night in Europe. Assassination, secret societies, car chases, airplanes hijacked and flying all over the place, great misteries. After all, this book is good fun. There is nothing really serious about it, although every little element of the plot refers to specific legends or conspiration theories. The fact is that they are nicely tied together and, for the reader, enjoyment is guaranteed.
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Summary: A book that Hooks you from the first Line
Review: It's an enticing mystery with strong historical and factual roots. Consider it the new version of based on a true story. Like a history lesson that you wish you had in school. I must warn allot a good weekend to this book because unlike the cliche that once you pick it up you won't put it down, this book actually does just so.
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Summary: Spare me the pompous nitpicking; this is a good yarn.
Review: It's been awhile since I wrote an Amazon review, but after reading some of the hundreds of reviews of this book I'm compelled to respond on behalf of the vast unwashed masses to which I belong. First, this book is found in the "fiction" section. If you don't want challenges to documented historical fact, Amazon sells thousands of books on art and religious history. Knock yourself out. At its essence, this book is a better-than-average mystery thriller, with all of the typical plot devices you'd expect from the Grishams, Kings, and Pattersons of the world. It's not particularly well-written, but that doesn't mean it's not fun to read, if you're just an average schmoe like myself who likes a deft plot twist. To be sure, some of the developments in the book are far-fetched. For example, I have no problem with one or two scenarios in which the protagonists face certain capture by the bad guys, only to escape by some implausible development. After this happens a half-dozen times or so, you feel like Clark Griswold staring at the Grand Canyon. Yep; been there, done that; let's move on. So, what is it about this unremarkable book that seems to have inspired so many remarks? That's easy. It's about art, which brings all sorts of snooty bookish types out of the woodwork to nitpick; and it also delves into Christian conspiracy theories. It doesn't flatter the church, especially the Catholic church, but that's nothing new in modern fiction. But Brown's characters challenge the biblical accountings of Christ's life. They also "uncover" thousand-year old religious conspiracies which changed the way people think about physical relationships. These are sensitive issues, and a lot of linear thinkers don't like to have their fundamental beliefs challenged, even in fiction. So no one should be surprised that so many of them have shown up to point fingers at this book because they spot a historical inconsistency or implausible conclusion about religion or art. You're messing with some of the most pompous and arrogant people in the world, Mr. Brown. The lightning bolt is surely on its way. But from down here, among the vast majority of people who just want to sit down in a comfortable chair with a cool drink and escape into an interesting book for awhile, this one is pretty good. If you have any interest at all in art history, or cryptology, or the early years of Christian religion, this one should hold your interest, but be warned. If even a fictional challenge to your beliefs about Christianity or art history is going to offend you, move along.
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Summary: Love it or Hate it..
Review: It's been several years since I really sat down to read a book that wasn't strictly educational. I've never had the urge or time to read pure fiction. The DaVinci Code combines the best of both worlds. I was absolutely fascinated by the facts uncovered in this book and it has made me a born-again reader. I have since spent countless hours on the internet researching facts from Dan's book and according to others, they are right on the money. I will say this, the book is not for devoted (or closed-minded) Christians. Simply because many people refuse to believe anything besides what they have been told their entire life. I was shocked and amazed...
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Summary: Impossible-to-put-down thriller!!!
Review: It's been years since I encounter a book which I simply can't put down... until my father in law surprised me with this gem. I won't talk about the story's plot or even try to go into wether I believe there might be some truth to it.... all I can say is that in a world where nothing is what it seems, you can never dismiss theories, no matter how far fetched they might seem. This is definately a book for the open minded... religious fanatics, stay away or your sensitivity will be hurt.
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Summary: I don't like this book
Review: It's Chris**ly boring. The historical detail is fascinating to a point. This is hardly a thriller though, the character development is thin and so is the plot. Lousy foreshadowing, highly improbable and utterly predictable. I'm more than half done, but I don't feel obligated to finish. I'm glad I borrowed this and didn't buy. (I've found a much better book Taking Lives by Michael Pye.
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Summary: A good diversion for a long trip
Review: It's easy to get lost in this story of religious artifacts and secret societies. The author stays away from romance, for the most part, which is a nice change. This is a classic thriller (minus the token romance) about a secret code related to Leonardo Da Vinci and a secret society that is hiding the Holy Grail, protecting it against the most conservative of Catholics. Ludicrous stuff, but entertaining. The narrator does a fairly good job, but I have a few quibbles. First, the female voice he does is not convincing and may make you laugh out loud. His French accent is not bad, but it is cookie-cutter variety. His British accent needs some work, and his Scottish is, well, not Scottish. He paces the story well, however, and keeps us entertained. In the abridging of the text, a few substantive errors have crept in. For one, the heroine lets slip to another character that her grandfather was involved in the secret society, but later on when she mentions it a second time to the same character he reacts with great surprise. The Da Vinci Code would likely make for a better read than a listen, but it will help pass the hours on the interestate.
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Summary: Better than I hoped...
Review: it's funny - of all the negative reviews I've seen for this book, most seem to be from the type of people who expect their fiction to be completely factual (now does that make sense?) or from those who take exception to the religious suggestions/overtones of this work. I was caught up in this book from the very beginning (which is always a nice surprise) and couldn't put it down until I reached the end. The author did a marvelous job of bringing into the story an alternate religious view and tying everything together with multi-layered puzzles and symbols hidden within the works of DaVinci. It's fast paced and full of great action - I couldn't believe it all takes place over the course of two or three days! Some people can get so caught up in an exciting and plausible story that they wouldn't hear you if you shouted in their face - if this sounds like you, I'd say you'll love this book. If, on the other hand, you find it offensive that a vague reference to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls is off by a few years, maybe you should look for some good non-fiction.
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Summary: Much ado about nothing...
Review: It's hard to believe this book has generated so much hype. Brown is nothing much more than a Robert Ludlum wannabe; to call him a pale imitation is too charitable. The book's improbable and (rather) abrupt denouement makes one wonder whether Brown suddenly exhausted his store of tiresome plot twists or, alternatively, his publisher simply (and mercifully) placed a hard ceiling on his page allotment. Either way, the result is unsatisfying. While Ludlum is no Graham Greene (or even a John Le Carre), he certainly does this kind of thing much better than Brown. Brown's numerous historical canards have been well-documented elsewhere and serve only to further undermine this puerile effort. And to think "writers" like Brown are the modern torchbearers of a Western popular culture that once included such giants as Dickens....
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