Rating: 
Summary: It's not too bad and by the way, it's FICTION
Review: Definitely written for the newspaper article attention span masses, the 1 to 3 page chapters will keep most readers locked
in.
The rest of the audience is no doubt:
* Conspiracy theorists
* Feminists thinking that there's a message somewhere in the book
* Religious righters searching for a reason to post another 'my lord and saviour' passage on the internet
* Mystery novel fans - like meCouple of good twists and an easy read. Forget all the hype and enjoy a decent book for the heck of it.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting subject, but ultimately cheap thrills
Review: Despite impressive scholarship, this poorly written book fails to deliver except as a cheap thrill ride. The Holy Grail legend and its connection to history, art, architecture, the Church and secret societies would have been better served in a non-fiction piece than this amatuerish and implausible plot with its annoying and one-dimensional characters. (But there's not as much money in non-fiction). The attempts at humor are enough to make you toss it into the fire. Everything falls so conveniently and completely in place, down to a peanut allergy in the last act - that it rings utterly hollow...sillier than an Agatha Christie mystery. The bad guys get their comeuppance and the hero and heroine get together...how predictable. That the entire book and countless revelations take place in a matter of hours and between virtual strangers is ludicrous. There's undoubtedly an audience for this kind of pablum. It kept me interested; it's not dull, but sophisticated writing, it's not.
Rating:
Summary: Good for Beginners, but...
Review: Despite its reputation, Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code rates no more than a 3. On the whole a captivating read, the book suffers from poor structure and historical inaccuracy. Worst of all, the same ideas were captured in a much richer, intriguing, and complex book, Umberto Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum." Alas, Brown has re-hashed ideas that tantalize the uninformed but disappoint the more literate. Instead of reading this Clif Notes version of Western Civilization, I suggest you read "Pendulum" or study Da Vinci himself. Then, judge for yourself if Christianity is sitting on a secret, or whether instead the secret is really inside ourselves. Note: mainstream Christians, especially Catholics, may find "Code" offensive or even blasphemous. Since I am Jewish, I lack the personal, cultural, and educational background to judge; you should proceed with caution.
Rating: 
Summary: OUTSTANDING story
Review: Despite the less than flattering reviews by some - I found this book to be extraordinary - this was my first Dan Brown book and I will definitely try others. The plot was absorbing and I found the story the same. As for those who found fault with some of the factual matter - who cares? - this is a fiction novel not a historical text book - and I liked the story - fascinating.
Whether all of the historical facts are absolutely correct or not this book is well written and well researched. The characters are less important than the story here and Mr. Brown keeps that perspective, focusing on the story rather than character development. With such fascinating material for the story, that is as it should be. The plot twists, which keep your attention and keep the story flowing quickly are masterfully worked into the story while keeping the story itself as the main focus of the book. There are a plethora of trivia questions and answers in this book that are fascinating and spellbinding. Interesting and fascinating material in a masterfully told story. All in all a wonderful book.
I wholeheartedly recommend the audio book. There is a very good reason why this book has been on the best selling list for so long - IT DESERVES TO BE THERE!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Looked promising, but did not deliver
Review: Despite the promise of delving into secret societies and code-breaking, I felt the book was shallow and predictable. It provides decent insight into the many interpretations of DaVinci's work, however, I was skeptical of the research used to arrive at the conclusions in the book. If you are a Catholic, the book is sacreligious, however it is not threatening. It was a good book to pass the time on a long transcontinental flight, however not meaty enough for me. I give it a B-/C+ . The character of Robert Langdon was merely a vehicle to move the story along. There was very little character development, and left me wondering about the motivation of the characters.
Rating:
Summary: interesting reviews.
Review: Did all of you actually read the whole book? Dan Brown was not "Catholic Bashing", to quote from some other reviews, in fact, the book shows how the Catholic sect was used, along with other groups, throughout the whole book. Also, the author did not present all the information as fact (hence the page in the front which details exactly what is fact), he merely presents other, well documented and merited points of view. I am not claiming that it was the most intelligent, best written book ever, but it was captivating, and thought provoking. I loved this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Mid-Life Mystery: Nancy Drew meets Encyclopedia Brown
Review: Did you ever wonder what happened to those young crime fighters when they grew up? Now you know. A murder brings together Sophie the 30+ cryptographer and Robert the 40+ historian forcing them to answer a series of riddles and puzzles in order to solve the caper. The puzzles have all the sophistication of writing in lemon juice and reading messages in the mirror. Can you think of a five letter word associated with Sir Isaac Newton? If not then you will be left spell bound by cryptic hints like "we could use some fruit from the tree of knowledge to solve this one!" Except for the occasional references to sex to remind you this is adult fiction, this is the Hardy Boys all over again.
Rating:
Summary: conspiracy du jour
Review: Did you know that Lincoln's secretarys name was Kennedy and that Kennedy's secretarys name was Lincoln? A strange and then intriguing fact brought to my attention some 40 years ago by an interesting girl in my 7th grade gym class. What does it mean, you ask? Absolutely nothing. Dan Brown attempts to make something out of nothing here by stringing together coincidence, half-baked "theories" and outright fabrication. I'm sure in his clever, mercenary hands the Lincoln/Kennedy co-winky-dink could have our constitution and democratic process hanging by a thread. The writing is woefully mediocre, the characters are cartoonish, one dimensional and not very bright. The ending is anti-climactic and not in a good way. Read it if you must as I did for my book group, but keep in mind that grain of homely table salt.
Rating:
Summary: Silly puerile premise
Review: Didn't like this book at all. It accepted as fact preposterous notions that have been for the most part totally discredited. If you believe in conspiracies this book may be for you. Whatever you do don't accept all that's written at face value.
Rating:
Summary: WARNING WARNING!!
Review: Do NOT begin this book on a work night---I had to read the whole night thru and was tempted to call in sick so I could finish!!
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