The Da Vinci Code

Rating:
Summary: Caution: Read only if you have 48 hours uninterrupted time!
Review: What happens when you combine ancient history, Jesus Christ, and a Harvard Graduate all into one novel? You get Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. From the first pages it is impossible to tear oneself away as you follow Robert and Sophie on their quest for the ultimate truth. Langdon creates a ton of literary tension and a new surprise on each page as he masterfully describes each new challenge that the protagonists face. With each chapter a new piece of the world's oldest puzzle becomes known. After reading this you will be running to the Art Museum to examine the "evidence" for youself! Trust no one! And read The Da Vinci Code!

Rating:
Summary: What the Critics Had to Say
Review: What I found fascinating about the extremely critical reviews of the book was not so much what they criticized, but what they avoided criticizing. They tended to pick apart history and things about which historians continually wrangle anyway. One of Brown's key points had to do with Da Vinci's "Last Supper." He claimed there were a variety of things in the painting. For instance, sitting on Christ's right hand was a woman, not a disciple. He also pointed out that there is an unknown hand in the painting, holding a dagger. Go find a good net shot of the restored painting. Don't take my word...or Brown's...for it. We've always been told Jesus and 12 disciples. It's not true. I did not get that all Catholics were bad, nor that the Catholic Church is. But can anyone say that the Catholic Church has not committed incredible atrocities and tortures in it's history? And has amassed one of the greatest "hidden" fortunes anywhere in the world? These things are a matter of record. And can anyone seriously say the Catholic religion has not made sex - except in their strict interpretation - a huge sin? And has not the power of the feminine been suppressed for 2000 years? If not, where are the women bishops? Popes? Women in high positions in the church? This is reality, kids. On these points, alone, the book is worth a long read.

Rating:
Summary: K.O.? or O.K.?
Review: What I liked about the Da Vinci Code:

The story's revelations of the symbology to be found in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci
The construction of the story around the alternative history of Jesus

What I didn't like in particular about the Da Vinci Code:

Too many character perspectives are, in my opinion, artlessly included -- each character's thoughts are shown in endless asides. This caused me to be detached from the main protagonist to the point of not really caring whether he managed to get out of each jam or not.

The author's need to have his protagonist exhaustively explain absolutely everything to the point of including flashbacks where his protagonist exhaustively explains absolutely everything

This was the first book I've read by Dan Brown. I would read another, but would be prepared to possibly find that the non-fiction information it contained is more interesting than the actual story.

Rating:
Summary: Raises questions that make you think...
Review: What if the stuff in the book were true? Are we being cheated out of part of the Bible? Really awesome book.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing...
Review: What is amazing about this book is that it actually made its way into print and then was received as an intelligent work. Having lived in Paris, I can vouch that the descriptions of that city bear no relation to reality. The supposedly intelligent characters spend most of their time gasping in amazement over the obvious. The presumed history is anything but, and even the premise of the book, lifted freely from the Rennes-le-Chateau enigma in southern France, has been deformed beyond recognition. And lastly, the book is a rather large slur against Catholicism, painting the Church of Rome as alternately incompetent and psychopathic. I suppose that the book would not have annoyed me so much had it not come so highly recommended, and had not the author suggested that his work was factually accurate. I'm sorry to say it (I can't recall every giving a book one star), but at nearly every level, this book is just so much schlock.

Rating:
Summary: WELL CRAFTED FOR IMPACT & MERIT
Review: What is most impressive about "THE DA VINCI CODE" is that it takes strong stands. The author takes risks with confidence. As with other books in the same league of impact and merit ala "MY FRACTURED LIFE" or "THE LOVELY BONES," "THE DA VINCI CODE" is a book that will either amaze you or offend you. This is not a "safe" book that treads lightly to not offend anyone as with "THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN." Nor, does the author deliberately try to offend as with "DUDE, WHERE'S MY COUNTRY." The author is merely concerned with crafting a story, and a finely crafted story it is. Judged on impact and merit, this is a story that is in the same league as "MY FRACTURED LIFE", "THE LOVELY BONES", "MIDDLESEX", and "RUNNING WITH SCISSORS."

Rating:
Summary: Indiana Jones for the Intellectual
Review: What is perhaps the most striking element about The Da Vinci Code is that, in a sense, the book outlines a story that, in many ways, actually serves as a replacement for traditional Christian doctrine. This observation likely requires further comment. What I mean is, for a great deal of "modern" Christians, Christianity it's "literal" form has grown obsolete. As a result, in my opinion, the Church has been backpedaling so fast and furiously that many of its doctrines - let alone the credibility of the Church itself - have sustained serious damage in terms of veracity. Many Christians, again, in my opinion, now long for some sort of an explanation for the current state of affairs and how they came about. The Da Vinci Code paints a way out by offering Christians an entirely new way to view their religion that not only explains why, for example, the "sacred feminine" has been lost for all these years, but also in a way that may even succeed in reinforcing their beliefs while simultaneously upgrading them; Christianity 2.0, so to speak.

This is not to say that The Da Vinci Code is without its (very few and somewhat unfair) drawbacks. The first I'd like to offer is that about three quarters through the book I realized that there was absolutely no way that in which this book could possibly end in a manner that did it justice within the remaining space. Stopping short of asserting that The Da Vinci Code ended poorly, my fears were at least somewhat realized by an ending that I found a bit unsatisfying (but what did I expect, really?). Second, and this complaint is closely related to both the first, third, and fourth, is that I would have liked a but more character development (if you haven't guessed by now, I looked upon the ending of this book with total dread). Third, I found some of the "puzzles" a tad bit too obvious. Last, our beloved stars all too easily pull off minor miracle escapes that tug at the reader's conscience (like in movies, I hate to be reminded that what I'm taking in is fiction).

My musings aside, this novel is a brilliant achievement not just in its style and charm, but in its simple fascinating subject matter. In all, The Da Vinci Code was an absolute pleasure to read, and I hope that all of my "criticisms" reflect the fact that I did not want it to end. Awesome!

Rating:
Summary: See for Yourself
Review: What makes Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" more than just another fictional mystery novel? It has the rare quality of being creative, educational, and interesting, all at the same time. That has also made it controversial. I can certainly recommend Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" to anyone, and, if you enjoy books that are creatively controversial, educationally controversial, and interesting like "The Da Vinci Code", I recommend that you be one of the first to read the book, "West Point: Thomas Jefferson ..." by Norman Thomas Remick.

Rating:
Summary: There's no mystery in this mystery!
Review: What on earth are the critics raving about? Two-thirds of the book is copped directly from the references the author gives beginning Chapter 60. The other one-third is a weak attempt to merge mystery religion with what the author believes is a thriller. Anyone who has read even one of the four historical studies cited by the author knows all about Da Vinci's so-called checkered activities and his flakey antics such as backward writing and cryptograms. And to call the main character Sauniere is just ribald cartooning!

So, Mister Brown, I guess I missed something... In your opinion, what did happen to John the Baptizer?

Rating:
Summary: A thought-provoking read!
Review: What secret could be so important that people would kill to find it out? In Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code, a secret society guards a secret. The main character, a teacher at Harvard is being framed for the murder of the Louvre's curator, a member of this society. This story contains many thought-provoking ideas and facts. It was researched and very well-written.