Rating: 
Summary: Great Informative Thriller
Review: The one thing I liked best about this book was the art and religion history. It was a very well researched book and I couldn't put it down. Definitely one of the best murder mystery books in a long time.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best books I've read in a long time.
Review: The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is that I thought Angels and Demons was better. I figured out a lot of the plot before I was supposed to, but all in all, this book was exciting, intelligent, and has made me think about all the things we take on faith. I finished it 4 days ago and I am still thinking about the story every day. I am a Christian, but I realize that even if we know the Bible, it is not the complete story. It can't be.
In fact, I like the idea of Jeasus holding the female sacred a lot better than the current idea of women as second class citizens. Kudos to Dan Brown on his excellent research and wonderful story.
Rating: 
Summary: Why are people still reading this book?
Review: The only reason this book didn't get one star is because I did actually take the time to finish it, though at a whopping 2 days it wasn't exactly a huge accomplishment. I, like most everyone else who's read the book, did so because of the extensive word of mouth it has received. And I must admit, the beginning did grab my attention, but that is where my praise for this novel will end.I am surprised that the same word of mouth that caused this book to be such a huge seller has not acted equally as quick to bring its sales to a grinding halt. This work is sure to disappoint, and I truly believe that those still clinging to their belief that this is a masterful work of fiction formed that opinion before reading the prologue, well before reading the exceedingly trite ending. As mentioned in countless other reviews, the ending is ridiculous, but in addition to that, the whole novel is filled cheesy cliches befitting a low budget teeny bopper movie such as You Got Served. Case in point, several flashbacks to Robert Langdon's Harvard classroom. The dialogue between professor and students is so contrived and forced its vomit inducing. Clearly Brown was trying to impart some historical context for the scene, however, these scenes were all miserable failures at an attempt to be creative. I even kind of laughed because Robert would be in the middle of some particularly stressful moment and then all of a sudden he would remember a conversation he had with students in his classroom at Harvard...how he was surprised the dopey jock knew the answer to his tough question, the cleaver banter he had with the biology major who could only relate to the world within a biological context, and above all, the "warm feeling" that came over him reminding him "this is why I teach." Please, has anybody in a college classroom like this? And then after 15 pages...oh yeah! People are chasing me! We have to figure out this puzzle, and what's up with that dead guy? Just seemed a little ridiculous to me. In the end, you will be left wanting your 15 bucks, or your two days, or your two weeks, or whatever you invested in this book back. Do people a favor and spread this, and some of the other reviews on here around, and let's stop wasting everybody's time. Though I don't have much hope, because I get on the bus or the subway everyday and I always see at least two people reading this book. It's too late for them, but we can still help others.
Rating:
Summary: One of the BEST fiction books ever!
Review: The only reason why I read this book is because my mother and father got it as a Christmas gift for me. Of course, I'd seen this book a trillion times, in the bookstore, but never even thought about reading it because I mostly read non-fiction genre. However, I basically finished this book in one reading - during my returning flight from New York to California. I couldn't believe that I actually was going to pass up reading this book! I phoned my mother as soon as I got into California, to thank her for giving me that book! Basically the book is a suspense novel about the inner-workings of the Secret Societies and the role of such organization(s) as they pertain to a murder which transpired in the Louvre museum. Once you start reading this book, you cannot possibly put it down! Granted, there are portions that are quite deep insofar as the level of research involved - especially in regards to the Secret Societies and Art History - however, it is an incredibly fascinating storyline! You do not need to have background understanding of the Secret Societies or Art History, though it would be quite helpful, because the author has eloquently written in a manner which is quite accessible to the "rookie" as well as the "veteran." Although this book is supposedly in the fiction category, one can't help but wonder how much of the operations of the Secret Societies is actually non-fiction! You be the judge!
Rating: 
Summary: Where to start...
Review: The only thing I'm sure of at this point is that The Da Vinci Code certainly doesn't live up to its hype. As someone who knows absolutely nothing about art history, I was fascinated by the impliciations of the protagonist's (a symbologist at Harvard University) unconventional analysis of Leonardo Da Vinci's artwork. But the more and more I learn about Brown's glaring inaccuracies (most of which the layperson to art history would not notice), the less respect I hold for the author and his book. As far as the plot goes, I loved the first half of the book, until the characters got all nutty with the Royal Bloodline and the Holy Grail and whatnot. It was fast-paced, intriguing, and different. But it soon loses focus. As the plot gets more complex, Brown seems to think twice about the intellect of his readers. Whenever something happens, the implications are repeated. Several times. JUST TO MAKE SURE YA GOT IT. This is a thriller, a mystery, if you will. It's supposed to be subtle, not overtly user friendly. After the first half, this book just goes down hill fast. The simplicity of the riddles, and the difficulty these renowned scholars have figuring it out, gets annoying. The ending turns into a Oprah-like romance scene. And the revelation of the (once) enigmatic Teacher is disappointing to say the least. Anyone who's ever read a mystery before knows the bad guy is always the character you'd least expect. That's why most mystery authors have stopped using this passe technique, but unfortunately Brown has yet to catch on.
Rating: 
Summary: Readers Can Do Much Better Than This
Review: The overwhelming popularity of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code is puzzling to many of us who care about good writing, and who have devoted a lifetime to the study of Judaism and Christianity.
First of all, Mr. Brown's writing is poor, even by popular mystery novel standards.
Second, the supposedly-remarkable discoveries concerning Jesus' life that are at the center of The Da Vinci Code are quite well known to people who have read beyond the New Testament for their religious history.
Perhaps the popularity of The Da Vinci Code stems from a newly-popular interest in developing a deeper understanding of all things Jewish, Christian and biblical. If this is the case--and I hope it is--I would strongly recommend that readers save their time and money, avoid reading The Da Vinci Code, and instead, read one or more of the following:
1. The Genius of Genesis by Dennis Shulman.
2. Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time by Marcus Borg.
3. Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Richard Leigh and others.
Rating:
Summary: Readers Can Do Much Better Than This
Review: The overwhelming popularity of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code is puzzling to many of us who care about good writing, and who have devoted a lifetime to the study of the early days of Judaism and Christianity.
First of all, Mr. Brown's writing is poor, even by popular mystery novel standards.
Second, the supposedly-remarkable discoveries concerning Jesus' life that are at the center of The Da Vinci Code are quite well known to people who have read beyond the New Testament for their religious history.
Perhaps the popularity of The Da Vinci Code stems from a newly-popular interest in developing a deeper understanding of all things Jewish, Christian and biblical. If this is the case--and I hope it is--I would strongly recommend that readers save their time and money, avoid reading The Da Vinci Code, and instead, read one or more of the following:
1. The Genius of Genesis by Dennis Shulman.
2. Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time by Marcus Borg.
3. Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Richard Leigh and others.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining read, but no wows from this reader.
Review: The pacing of the story is great. The author certainly manages to grab your interest at the end of every chapter, forcing you to continue reading to satisfy your curiosity. So I was never bored. But I was expecting brilliance and instead I found that the mystery and the puzzles were just ok. The characters were mediocre. Even though some may find the religious topic thought provoking, this book doesn't require deep thinking. I read this book very quickly. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't heard all the rave reviews. Entertaining read, but no wows from this reader.
Rating:
Summary: I Wish 0 Stars Were an Option
Review: The people who hate the movie "The Passion of Christ" will love this book. And they are the ones who will not go see the movie. Their hatred of Christ keeps them from being honest in their reviews. This book does act as a fair story. Obviously, it must to become one of the best all-time fiction books in the world. Yet, it is so simplistic and, worse, so blatently anti-Christian in its views. It doesn't just want to mock the roman Catholics, it also wants to mock the Protestants and it does so "under the radar" so that many readers won't see what is being done along the way of taking them from point A to point B.
Rating:
Summary: Great plot
Review: The plot for me was the great winner of this book. The characters were average but the exceptional plot was one of the most interesting and shocking that I can remember. For a cracking good yarn, "Read this Book".
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