Rating: 
Summary: Debunking the Code
Review: Am I the only reader on this planet who does not think Dan Brown's "The DaVinci Code" is a wonderful book? Who thinks, in fact that it is a rather bad book? Badgered by any number of friends who consider themselves serious readers, I finally broke down and read it myself. I was underwhelmed.For starters, I don't appreciate lectures in suspense thrillers. Brown continually interrupts the story to drone on about the history of Paris or London, and, more verbosely, the "history" on which the story is based. Entire chunks of the book read like a tarted up Michelin guide. Deep into the novel Brown briefly acknowledges his debt to a few religious "history" books, most of which assert claims seriously questioned by scholars. Presumably Brown wants to assure his readers that he is not making all this stuff up, and that he has spent many tedious hours unearthing this arcane knowledge. Actually all these books have been available to the public for years. Evidently relying on the public's short attention span (or impatience with any book containing footnotes), Brown announces all his "revelations" in breathless prose suggesting hot-off-the-press news. Briefly, its main premise is that Jesus married Mary Magdalene, they had a child, or children, and their descendants are alive in France today. This knowledge is protected by an ancient secret society, the Priory of Sion, loathed by the Vatican for obvious reasons. One of the Priory's Grand Master's was Leonardo da Vinci. Great stuff, thought Brown. The making of a terrific thriller. But wait. I keep calling "The DaVinci Code" a thriller. True enough, it offers a lot of what thrillers these days strut: cool cars, private planes, luxurious digs, fancy gadgetry, narrow escapes, etc. The dust jacket, however, announces itself as a novel. Well, the reader will look in vain for the usual hallmarks of a good novel, namely, well-developed characters in whom the reader takes an interest, and well-turned prose testifying to the author's passion for the language. I couldn't have cared less what happened to the inane protagonists. Their conversations are part comic book, part encyclopedia entry, and their adventures are told in a curiously flat, dull style reminiscent of a weather report. Perhaps I wouldn't be so annoyed by this book if it didn't exude such ambitious pretensions. I caught Brown on a TV talk show, and it seems the man really thinks he has struck a blow for feminist theology. That's a claim about as ridiculous as the assertion that the James Bond Series is an eloquent plea for democracy. I have no doubt that Brown wrote "The DaVinci Code" with the intention of selling the movie rights. He is already imagining the cast -- Langdon, the main character, is described as "Harrison Ford in Harris tweed." Well, doubtless the movie will be better than the book. I can't envision any actor agreeing to interrupt an adventure to spout a lot of dubious scholarship, or worse, fatuous art criticism. But I pity the script writers.
Rating: 
Summary: Eye opener!
Review: Amazing book! Fast read, great story. This book really opened my eyes about religion. I was raised as Roman Catholic (for 30 yeras), still believe in Jesus, etc...but I have to say after reading this book and checking facts, I am starting to question the teachings of the church.
Rating:
Summary: LOVED IT
Review: Amazing story that is so well-researched! Brown is a fascinating writer who obviously put a lot of time into this piece. I was so excited to read this amazing book. After reading and got a book from the library of da Vinci's paintings and found exactly what Brown refers to! This book spans religion, history, literature, crypotography... it is just amazing. The writing is a not the greatest literary feat, but the story is worth 100 stars. One of the best books I have ever read--makes you see the world a little differently after reading it! :)
Rating:
Summary: READ IT!
Review: Amazing. That is all I have to say. If you love to be enlightened and surprised, while also enjoying an exciting thriller read this book. One of the best reading experiences of my life
Rating:
Summary: Don't Waste Your Time
Review: Amazon chose to ignore my earlier review, but buyers/readers still need warning. This is a badly crafted, poorly written book. However, if you must read it to see what all the fuss is about, lower you expectations to rock bottom. Then ask yourself, how do these things get on the bestseller lists anyway?
Rating:
Summary: Biggest crock of crap
Review: Amazon needs to develop a star rating system that lets you give a NEGATIVE amount of stars; this book truly deserves it. It has absolutely NO redeeming value in any sense. The writing is terrible; in the words of a critic who panned "Battlefield Earth"...A hundred monkeys with a hundered crayons could have come up with something more entertaining then this overbloated behemoth. The other thing I dislike about this book is that the Author writes a bunch of "historical" nonsense and tries to pass it off for truth! Any person with half a brain in their head who actually bothered to study history while in school could shoot down all of his "history" in seconds. I read a lot of historical fiction and enjoy it, but at least other authors don't take creative liscence with HISTORY itself. Just the characters and how they fit into the history. And this book is so blatantly Anti-Catholic it's offensive. If this book was about Islam or Buddism everyone would be pitching a hissy fit and demanding the tarring and feathering of the author. But because it's an attack on Catholicism it somehow makes it alright.
Rating:
Summary: Historial Genius
Review: Among the criticisms I have read for this book say that Dan Brown's writing is banal and wooden, and that the reader would do better reading Holy Blood, Holy Grail or Umberto Eco instead. Unfortunately, I am not patient enough to read Umberto Eco. All I needed to know was within the Da Vinci Code. What is so amazing about this novel is that is interweaves fascinating history and trivia in the midst of a highly readable thriller. Something is just about to be revealed at the end of every chapter, so you just have to keep reading. I especially loved the tidbits of trivia interlaced throughout the book, such as explanations of pagan symbology and even references to Walt Disney as a Grail enthusiast. And it doesn't matter that the search seems to be over by the middle of the story when the truth of what the Holy Grail is revealed. I knew who the Holy Grail was before I read this book, and it didn't harm my reading of the story in the least. All in all, I read this book in two days and was astonished by it, enough so to seek other Holy Grail books as well as other Dan Brown novels. One thing I have to say in criticism of Dan Brown: if you've read more than one of his books, you will know that he uses many of the same plot devices. Angels and Demons and the Da Vinci Code begin in almost identical ways, and Robert Langdon's neverending and surprisingly quick moments of clarity and revelation become really old, but it still doesn't hurt my star count for this book. It IS intelligent. It is a fantastic accomplishemnt. The Da Vinci Code has brought religious history to the masses of the world who feel like having a stroke at the thought of trying to read Umberto Eco novels.
Rating: 
Summary: He got the main fact right
Review: Among the many reviews written, there is a lot of controversy about the accuracy of the "facts" in this book. The section on Fibonnaci numbers and the Grand Proportion is certainly accurate, and just this little tidbit is more fascinating information than you'll will find in the whole of most fictional best sellers. Like many readers, the book has inspired me to learn more religious history. But the main, undeniable fact is that Christian theology has done a lot to rate better than half the population as inferior and perhaps downright evil. The holocaust of witch burnings supported if not initiated by adherents of Holy Muthah Church deserves some light shined upon it. While the writing in this fast paced and engrossing read may be flawed (lack of character development, clumsy expository diaglogue), if this book causes even a few men to question and/or reconsider their bigoted attitude toward women, then hooray for Dan Brown!
Rating:
Summary: If you want a book to challenge all you have ever believed.
Review: An amazing read!
I can barely come up with words that would adequately describe what I felt while reading this book. At just about every turn of the page, I gasped in awe. Every time I gasped, my husband would come running and ask me to read aloud what I had just read. I now have a waiting list on people who want to read my book including my mother, husband and best friend. I even got my coworkers, boss and hair stylist in on it.
Even though this book is "fiction", the theories behind modern christianity and all that is related will shake you to the core.
Although it upended everything I was ever taught, it all made perfect sense. If you like to be challenged and like to learn then this is the book for you
Rating:
Summary: Amazing book, cleverly written
Review: An amazing work of fiction. I have to admit that I rarely read narrative prose, but the love of a good murder mystery is my "guilty secret." I enjoy the puzzle that this type of fiction poses for the reader, and the more literate the author, the cleverer his design, the more I enjoy the experience. This one was a rare treat. Not only does the author present a stylishly crafted crime novel, he also creates a series of cryptic word puzzles based on history that engages of the reader's own knowledge base. Since I also enjoy history, he definitely had me riveted. I read the book from cover to cover in a few short hours in one sitting. While some of the characters were a little two dimensional, and I had already solved the identity of the "villain" well before the end, the author's competent style and the secondary story buried in the Da Vinci code itself, so thoroughly captivated me that I was not disappointed in the least. Furthermore, I'm going right out and find out more about the Knights Templar and Mary Magdalene! An amazing book.
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