Rating: 
Summary: Like Cheetos--Cheesy, but Irresistible
Review: This barnburner of a page-turner is irresistible and fun if you remember that it is fiction, spiced with a few grains of truth and conjecture. I also suspect that Brown wrote it with tongue firmly in cheek. The protagonist Professor of Symbology (what the heck is that?) lectures to his students in a classroom situation that will have religion and art history students rolling in the aisles. He refers to Leonardo as "Da Vinci"--something no art professor ever does, and Brown undoubtedly knows it because his wife is an art historian. On the serious side, Brown effectively uses his storytelling talents to expose readers to ambiguities in "truths" that many Christians take for granted--any why not? It's good to make people think. If you don't think it will spoil your enjoyment of the book, read Chicago Art Institue curator Bruce Boucher's article about the Da Vinci Code in the New York Times ("Does the Da Vinci Code Crack Leonardo?", 8/3/2003) or the review in the National Catholic Reporter (10/3/2003) written by Father Andrew Greeley a not-too-shabby writer of page-turners himself, who states that the bizarre and powerful secret society Opus Dei "would have a hard time conspiring themselves out of a wet paper bag." A cheesy, fun book that will make a long airplane flight go down like a plate of French brie, crackers, and fresh figs.
Rating: 
Summary: Sacreligions, Maybe? Overrated, Yes!
Review: This bestseller by Dan Brown has Professor Robert Langdon and policewoman Sophie Noveau solving one puzzle after another in search of the answer to a great mystery that has been kept through the ages by people like leonardo Da Vinci and Victor Hugo. This novel reads like a text book, with poor characterization and tons of encyclopedia-like explanations of art and symbols. Brown blurs fact and fiction into a jumbled mess that ultimately strikes at the heart of the Catholic and Christian church. I don't know if its sacreligious because it is a novel and it does pay token acknowledgement to traditional Christian beliefs. The book's is its easy acceptance of the dark secret that the Da Vinci code supposedly hides. If that secret were so obviously true, it would be known by now. With just a few minutes of research on the internet, you can discover that most of Brown's premises are faulty. This would normally be okay in a fiction novel, but Brown does little to distinguish this book from a long narration on the history of art and symbols.
Rating:
Summary: Overall a pretty good read
Review: This book actually reminds me of Jurassic Park, and other books by Michael Crichton. The author really knows his subject (or can fake it well enough to get past a non-expert), and includes enough details to disguise the fact that the entire premise is pretty preposterous. You can't take away from Brown that he wrote a real page-turner...it was suspenseful and the puzzles were fun to try to figure out. Anyone who is interested in art, history, religion, and especially the combination of the three will enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: dfraz
Review: This book begins in an exciting, suspenseful and thrilling manner, but it soon loses the reader's interest with its unbelievable, historically inaccurate plot. Many people will read this and think it is historical fact or truth. It is not. It is a NOVEL based on the most outrageous, revisionist history. The book would have had more credibility if it was based in something that was historically plausible. Readers who are analytical will immediately lose interest as the plot and story line are revealed in their fullness. It's just not believable, even as a novel. It's not worth your time or your money.
Rating: 
Summary: If you only read one book this year, read this one
Review: This book blew me away! Once I got past the first couple chapters I could not put it down. It reads very much like a movie... Dan Brown's writing style makes it easy to picture the characters and their actions on your mind's "theater screen." I highly recommend having a pen and paper handy while you read because you will have a hard time deciding whether to jump on the Net and research the historical facts Mr. Brown has woven into his story, or continue with the book and let the answer unfold through the characters. The facts are amazing and interesting all by themselves and bear further research either way. There are very few "good stopping places," so make sure you have plenty of time to read once you start. It's one of those books where you get to the end of a chapter and say "I'll just read one more chapter" and suddenly it's 4am. If you like solving puzzles, secret societies, adventure and/or religious history this book is for you. It's easy to picture yourself as either of the lead characters because they're just regular people doing their jobs until one day a murder throws them together to uncover one of the greatest mysteries of all time - the Holy Grail. In the book they say the Grail finds you... if this book has found you, honor the call. Even though this is a fiction novel, I hope it opens many eyes and sets many people on their own quest for the truth.
Rating:
Summary: Worst piece of fabrication
Review: This book by Dan Brown has clearly got to be the most atrocious jumble of fabrications and bias against Christianity I've ever read. I despised having to give it a quality rating (for its worth) of even 1, seeing as there no rating for 0. First of all, Dan Brown claims that there is a secret society, named the Priory of Sion, which he also claims was led by well-known people like Da Vinci, Newton, and Victor Hugo. Except that what Dan Brown really did was mix a bunch of famous names together into a secret society that they were not a part of. The horrible fabrications of fact made me lose my respect for it and more than once I was fuming with with the blatantly twistedness of the information.
Rating:
Summary: The Da Vinci Code--what a disappointment
Review: This book came HIGHLY recommended and that's the only reason I read it all the way through. Otherwise I would've stopped at least half way. To each their own, but I personally found it a waste of time.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated
Review: This book came highly recommended to me by many friends whose literary tastes I really respect. It is a good read for a beach day and it is mostly enjoyable with that perspective. However, there are many serious flaws in the book that worry me. First, it is very hard to distinguish fact from fiction for the un-initiated in Da Vinci's work, religious sects, etc. It can lead to dangerous conclusions in people that "read but don't question" modern fiction. Second, I found the book annoying at times in its use of simplistic language. Its' stupid comnments (mostly Langdon's thoughts) insult the average intellect and cheapen the book. Who cannot read the part about Langdon wondering if the inside of the Zurich Depository was "decorated by Allied Steel" and feel how senseless and idiotic that thought is? The story line is entertaining and thought-provoking but no more than the average thriller out there. One good outcome, at least for me, is the desire to search for the historical truth regarding all the controversial subjects presented and come to my own informed conclusions.
Rating:
Summary: Enthralling murder mystery injected with Grail lore...
Review: This book captivated me within the first three pages and I didn't put it down until I read it from cover to cover. A friend loaned it to me along with an art book of Da Vinci's sketches and paintings that were mentioned in the novel. I was very impressed with Mr. Brown's research regarding the Priory of the Sion, Grail Lore, sacred geometry, Mary Magdalene, LdV's artwork, and the research on Rosslyn. What he has written is not new to individuals who are interested in this aspect of religious history. There are a myriad of books out there discussing the Grail Lore. I am just so impressed with his ability to take these facts and weave them into a modern murder mystery, starting out at the Louvre, winding around Paris and its outskirts, until the reader is flown to England and zipping around London. I could *not* put this down. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: The best book in a VERY LONG TIME
Review: This book captured me from the first page. Intelligent and fast pace, it took me one day to finish this book. I simply could not put it down. Consequently, I went out and purchased Angels & Demons, another Dan Brown book - finished it in 2 days. His thrilling stories suck you in and I must say that I THOUGHT I'd figured the story out many times, only to be corrected in the final pages. I whole-heartedly recommend this book!
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