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Summary: One of the best...
Review: This is one of the best books I have read so far. I see a surprising number of reviews on here that disagree, but please be your own judge. You really have to try this book. Love it or hate it, I think it will become a classic. Even if you do not agree with the controversial issues this story brings up, the book still makes you think, especially if you do not take all the details literally (it is a novel afterall). To me the point is, what if something similar has/does happen, you know, the big conspiracy theories. Very entertaining thought to me. I could not set it down. It is really worth a try. A little warning to strict, very religous people, it may be a real shocker and maybe a bit offensive to you (Just remember, it is considered fiction!). I however, completely loved it.
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Summary: I can't stop talking about this book !!
Review: This is one of the best books I've ever read! It was a first
Dan Brown for me and certainly won't be my last. After reading it, I immediately ordered a copy to be shipped to two of my out of town friends, insisting they read it. This book is so entertaining and so thought provoking. I found every word to be SO interesting and could not put it down. The story was fast paced and exciting, but I especially loved all of the factual stuff in it. I was online immediately, excitedly looking up the works of art, math facts and the religious societies the book discusses. I haven't been so excited about recommending a book in a long time. This is a great book, no matter what your reading taste is. Truly a book for everyone. Thank you Dan Brown.
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Summary: Incredible!
Review: This is one of the best books I've ever read; I've read a lot of them, and I don't say that lightly. Factual elements, interesting characters, a fascinating plot, and excellent writing combined to literally keep me up all night reading it (two nights in a row!). Several of the books I've read lately have contained parts written in a style that only served to distract and take me out of the story, or printing errors and typos that did the same, but not so with The Da Vinci Code. Rather than forcing *himself* on the reader, the author focuses on telling his story clearly and compellingly. I felt fully immersed in the tale, especially since I had a large book depicting Da Vinci's artwork to refer to (though if you don't have one, the author's website provides some very nice pictures). Although there were several times I was able to figure things out ahead of the characters (particularly codes), that was probably what the author intended--more fun reading it that way, and there were also many unforeseen twists and turns. And yes, I'll admit it, the end was so good (not to mention completely unexpected) that it actually made me cry. This book is reminiscent of Allan W. Eckert's _The HAB Theory_ and Steve Alten's _Domain_. Whether you've heard what it's about, whether you give the theory espoused therein any credence or not, you won't want to miss this one!
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Summary: Absolutely wonderful
Review: This is one of the best books I've read and I've read thousands of books. This book combines mystery and murder with history to come up with a book that not only entertains you but educates you. It is an excellant book for discussion and debate because of the topic of the book. It is an eye opener for many, religious or not, and had me running to the computer to look at the art discussed in the book. I was amazed to discover that I not only was what he described actually in the paintings but that I had missed it for so many years. A wonderful wonderful book. I am definitly going out to buy his other books.
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Summary: It should be made into a movie.....
Review: This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It made me want to research religion, secret sects, look at paintings by Da Vinci, and go back to Paris! I wish a screenwriter would pick this up & work that Hollywood magic - It would make a fantastic movie! I couldn't put it down!
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Summary: Wonderful read!
Review: This is one of the better books I have read in many a year. It is a mystery thriller, a fascinating detective story, and is based upon history. All women will be delighted with the ending.
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Summary: Wonderful read
Review: This is one of the most intelligent books I have read in quite a while. Really sucks you in from page 1 and doesn't let go. Despite the intellectual drama of the plot, this book is written in surprisingly accessible prose. Each time I see someone reading this book, I find myself a bit jealous that I can't experience it again wtih them!
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Summary: Acid Vin!
Review: This is one of the most intelligently written, fun books that I have read in recent times. I could not put it down! There were absolutely remarkable twists and turns. The history, use of anagrams, mystery, and religious symbology were fascinating. Dan Brown, you have found a fan!
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Summary: Absorbing and Provocative Thriller
Review: This is one of the most original fiction titles I have read in months -- not only is it spellbinding in terms of plot, but it also raises several important theological questions. Dan Brown creates believable characters stuck in extraordinary situations that strain credibility at times, but like 17th C French neoclassic playwrights, he keeps the 'unities' of time, action, and place realistic enough to sustain our interest. The action starts right from the prologue, when Sauniere, a curator at the Louvre, is murdered by a mysterious albino 'monk'. Realizing that an important secret will die with him, Sauniere stages his own death scene full of clues to the reason behind his murder. This brings Robert Langdon, a symbologist, into the picture: first a suspect in the murder, then the only man who can truly solve it, Langdon finds himself fleeing through Paris and beyond to solve the clues and exonerate himself. Langdon is joined by Sophie Neveu, who is revealed to be the granddaughter of Sauniere, and is herself a cryptologist. The fun of the novel is watching the characters figure out the clues left by Sauniere, a master puzzler in more ways than one. The big 'secret' everyone -- good and bad -- wishes to find is based in current theological debates on the nature of Christianity and the role of women in the church. Although the end seems a bit rushed and almost too neat (intellectually, not emotionally), this is truly a "I can't put it down" novel. Definitely worth reading.
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Summary: Almost as bad as The Celestine Prophecy
Review: This is one of the worst books I've ever read. It's not that I'm offended by the anti-Christian sentiments--I agree with that for the most part.
The problem for me is the lazy, lazy writing. Basically Brown has found out about this Holy Grail/Feminine Mystery conspiracy theory, and has decided to write what can barely be called a "novel" to tell everyone about it.
The characters are hardly even people, just convenient names and bodies that alternately spew exposition and are baffled by laughably obvious puzzles. Not to mention the tacked-on romance at the end.
He also uses the classic technique of the author who can't be bothered to conceal information through plot, e.g. "Then the bishop told the albino something that was so shocking he nearly fell over" or "Langdon wanted to tell Sophie what the Holy Grail really was, but he thought he would wait for a few more chapters to heighten the suspense."
On top of this, the so-called evidence for the theory is ridiculous in the extreme, relying on coincidences such as the appearance of a V-shape in Da Vinci's Last Supper. I'm sure that all the thousands and thousands of paintings containing a V-shape somewhere in them are just further proof that the supressed Goddess Myth is just lurking there under the surface...
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