Rating: 
Summary: fun story, revised history
Review: On one level, this is a fun book. But there is a reason that it's filed under fiction. Brown quickly and fancifully sweeps away the accuracy of the Bible and orthodox Christian theology. Sadly, many will believe him. There is no way the Bible could have been re-written as Brown suggests; it was too widespread. The Council of Nicea was just the beginning of defining Christ's divinity. Chalcedon was actually the definitive statement by the church regarding Christ's humanity and divinity. Plus, there are numerous church fathers who pre-date Nicea who hold to Christ's divinity. The list could go on and on. Read the book for fun, not history.
Rating: 
Summary: A perfect, riveting novel
Review: On the first page of The DaVinci Code, the seventy-six-year-old curator of the Louvre, Jacques Sauniere, staggers into the museum's Grand Gallery, tears a Caravaggio off the wall, and collapses backward onto the room's intricate parquet floor. At once an alarm sounds, triggered by the painting's removal, and an iron gate falls shut, sealing the Gallery off from the rest of the museum and separating Sauniere from his attacker.In the brief interval between his deliberate self-imprisonment and his death, Sauniere constructs an elaborate cipher and, ingeniously, handpicks the individuals who will undertake its solution. French cryptologist Sophie Neveu and Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor and symbologist, must unravel the riddle of the curator's dying message. The path Sauniere sets the two on leads to a series of equally ingenious puzzles and involves them in a historical conspiracy. Wanted by the police, Neveu and Langdon are also shadowed by Sauniere's killer and by the elusive figure who directs him. As the above summary may suggest, the plot of The DaVinci Code is a complex one, and Brown must impart a great deal of detailed, near scholarly information to readers to make his story comprehensible. But to the author's great credit, the requisite information--about Leonardo DaVinci, or the Knights Templar, or the devout Catholic sect Opus Dei--is delivered at precisely the right moments in the story, and in the right doses, so that the reader is never overwhelmed by it. The plotting of the book, too, is masterful: Brown doles out his revelations so the reader is left wanting more after every bite-sized chapter. The book's characters, particularly the renaissance man Sauniere, are intriguing and likeable. In short, The DaVinci Code is a perfect, riveting novel that will grab you in its first paragraph and keep you reading late into the night.
Rating: 
Summary: Unsatisifying Ending, Insulting, Unbelivable Characters
Review: On the plus side, the book started out interesting. In an Indiana Jones style, I was pulled into the interesting puzzles the characters had to solve under great time constraints. Then, the book transformed into a platform for the author to rage an attack against Christianity which seemed unfounded and insulting to my personal beliefs. Finally, I got the impression that the author had to 'finish' up. The ending was confusing and unsatisfying. Characters actions were no longer believable. Finally, the evidence regarding the lie of christianity that was to be reveled at the 'end' of the quest was never shown. This left me feeling cheated. I can't believe people actually thought this book was good. I feel ripped off that I bought it and actually spent time reading this trash.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT start, poor ending, one huge hole...
Review: On the positive side, it was impossible to put the book down, from the opening scene through the 75% mark. It was so engrossing, it was difficult to even pause and think about all the codes and enigmas yourself. The action is fast paced, quick short chapters jumping around. An Excellent and exciting read. Then things slow down, and they start not making sense. Regardless of all of the little nit-picking criticisms of inconsistencies, etc, I just can not overlook one major flaw. Forget about all of the religious details...if you take it as a work of fiction they don't matter. But the plot still has to work. And for the plot to work, we have to understand what the goal of grand-pere was in his dying moments....protect the blood line, preserve the link to the Grail. So why would he put in motion a series of puzzles where the last cryptex would (even mistakeably) point to Sophie's brother and grandmother. Sophie was definitely in danger, but the sacred bloodline was not...because Sophie's brother was safe. Nobody knew of his existence (it is almost as unlikely as finding the Grail). So why leave a trail of codes that would lead someone to him...even the risk of leading someone to him is a huge mistake. It makes no sense. If the goal was to have Sophie find her grandmother and brother...just about any other way makes more sense and is less dangerous. The twist at the end just creates too many problems.
Rating:
Summary: Dan spins another fine novel
Review: Once again, Dan Brown has spun a great story with lots of twists and turns.
It was hard to believe that Langdon's friend Tebring was actually playing the other side of the line. I never would have guessed it.
I wasn't sure initially about Sophie at the beginning (and neither, I might add, was Robert), but she turned out to be a "very cool customer". She knows her job, does it well, and manages to stay personal and emotional throughout the book.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Much More Than A Super Suspense Thriller!!
Review: Once I began this extraordinary book, I could not put it down. "The Da Vinci Code" is so much more than a gripping suspense thriller. Dan Brown takes us beyond the main plot and leads us on a quest for the Holy Grail - a Grail totally unlike anything we have been taught to believe. With his impeccable research, Mr. Brown introduces us to aspects and interpretations of Western history and Christianity that I, for one, had never known existed...or even thought about. I found myself, unwillingly, leaving the novel, and time and time again, going online to research Brown's research - only to find a new world of historic possibilities opening up for me. And my quest for knowledge and the answers to questions that the book poses, paralleled, in a sense, the quest of the book's main characters. What a trip! What a read! A violent murder is committed in the Louvre Museum. The museum's chief curator, who is also the head of a remarkable secret society that has existed since the death of Christ, is found dead and gruesomely positioned on the floor near The Mona Lisa. In the minutes before he died, this very complex man was able to leave clues for his daughter to follow. The daughter, a brilliant cryptographer, along with a famed US symbologist, follow her father's codes and leads, hoping that he will, through his death, finally tell her what he wanted to confide in her while he lived. The secret society included members such as: Leonardo Da Vinci, Boticelli, Gallileo, Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, Jean Cocteau, etc. These folks really Did belong to this society, which Really existed! This is when I first began my online search. The mystery, or mysteries, take us through England, France and far back in time. We learn about the secret of the Knights Templar, and the symbolism in many of the world's most treasured paintings, as well as architectural symbolism in some of history's most sacred churches. Of course, we also learn who committed the murder and why - although this is almost secondary next to the real epic mystery the novel uncovers. If there are flaws in the plot, I was too busy reading to discover any. That is probably the sign of a terrific book! The writing is excellent and the characters are a bit on the super-hero/heroine side, but who cares? Is what "The Da Vinci Code" proposes true? Well, the research is correct. The historical events and people explored in the book are real. But no one knows the Truth...nor will we ever, probably. I think that some things are meant to be a mystery. With all the world's diverse religions and each individual's belief in what is Divine - the Truth would have to destroy the beliefs, hopes and lives of many of the world's population. So, perhaps, in the divine scheme of things, there are many more Truths than one. Don't take the book too seriously. Just read it and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: This book took over my life for more than a day
Review: Once I got my hand on this book it wouldn't let me leave it alone. I got through the 400 or so pages in a day. It was that good and that exciting. If you have an open mind that can handle exposure to some ideas on religion that might differ with what you have believed up to this point, give it a try! The action will suck you in and have you talking about he book for days.
Rating:
Summary: I Couldn't Put The Book Down
Review: Once I started reading this book I couldn't put it down! It was captivating. I can't wait to read another of Dan Brown's books.
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. This is the best book I have ever read. It really made me want to see everything the book was talking about. Although this book is fiction, almost everything in it makes sense, so it's not unbelievable. The DaVinci Code is a unique, well-written book. It's great trying to figure things out before the characters do. I recommend this book to everybody.
Rating:
Summary: A true page turner
Review: Once I started reading...I honestly couldn't put this book down. Dan Brown has done an incredible job researching even the smallest of details for his story. If you like a great story mixed with incredible facts, you will love this book.
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