Rating: 
Summary: Fun read, but for the ¿Albino¿ monk
Review: For the most part, I enjoyed this book; and you can read many other helpful reviews that supply more detail about this book than I will in this review. The main purpose for my review is to point out what I consider to be Brown's almost "hate-literature"-like portrayal of a person with albinism. In his character Silas, the Opus Dei monk who is also an assassin, Brown perpetuates a long-standing literary stereotype of albinism as associated with evil. (Please look up Luna Eterna's Albinism in Literature web page.) Brown describes this character with a visually demoniac appearance, endowing him with the rarer red-eyed form of albinism. Real people with this form of albinism do not, in fact, look demonic at all. (Please see the work of photographer Rick Guidotti and his Positive Exposure project which originally ran in Life Magazine a few years ago and has now grown into a movement to encourage the acceptance of difference. You can find out more on the web,) Brown also seems not to have done his homework: people with albinism connot see well enough to shoot a gun accurately and the vast majority cannot drive a car. This is because, as a direct result of the pigment disorder, there is not enough pigment in the retinas of the eyes; therefore people with albinism have severely limited eyesight that cannot be corrected. I found I had a very hard time suspending my disbelief when, for example, at the beginning of the book in the Louvre, Silas was able to shoot the museum's curator at a distance of 15 feet and hit his target with pinpoint accuracy. So, I give this book only 3 stars because of the way Brown mistreated the archetype of albinism and because I feel that since he took so much care to research art history, the history of secret societies and of religion and symbolism, he really ought to have researched albinism as well. I hope that when they make the film adaptation of this book that they will rewrite Silas' character entirely, and rely on some other back-story device, rather than albinism, to explain his violent madness.
Rating: 
Summary: The French is spelled correctly
Review: For the time-challenged, here is the short version of this review: Highs: the French sentences are correctly spelled. Lows: everything else. Want a more complete picture? Read on, but don't say I didn't warn you. The basic premise of "The Da Vinci Code" is this: an American expert on religious symbology uncovers a conspiracy to eliminate the descendants of Mary Magdalene, who was Jesus Christ's wife. He is aided by a French cryptologist, who happens to be the recent victim's granddaughter, while being chased around by the French police and, naturally, the Catholic Church's hitman. Hero and heroine go through an esoteric version of a treasure hunt involving, more of less in this order: a message written in blood, another message written in invisible ink, a permutation of the Fibonacci sequence, a safe deposit box key, a box with a rose on its lid and a white cylinder with five coded sections inside, an inverted message (in English, despite having been written by a Frenchman, for his French granddaughter), a tomb in London, a smaller cylinder, presumably with a papyrus inside, and here I stop to avoid spoiling the non-climax. Needless to say, this by itself would not carry the story very far but, wait, there's more: did I mention the Catholic Church is dead set against our heroes ever discovering its dirty secret, and therefore they're throwing in their best and brightest to thwart them? Namely: a self-flagellating, gigantic albino with an IQ of around 20, who seems to be perpetually on crack, plus a jet-set American bishop connected with a mysterious "Teacher" (whom I won't reveal, either, lest I spoil this component of the final non-climax as well). And that's it. No Sicilian Mafia, no Spanish Inquisition, no Swiss Guard-sorry, wrong again: there's the French police, perpetually two steps behind everyone else in the story, but speaking lots of correctly spelled French (unlike the Spanish in the book). Characters: you've probably guessed it. Robert Langdom, the hero, is a Harvard version of Indiana Jones. He's an expert in religion, maybe because of his belief that religion is bad for people. At the end, he hasn't changed one iota. Sophie Neveu is the granddaughter of the previous Grand Master of the "Priory of Sion," and this fact is key, because she keeps remembering things her granddad had told her long ago so she could solve the mystery. We're told she's a brilliant cryptologist but her memory, however, is so weak that the necessary clues only come back after pages and pages of mental jogging. As to the villains, I've already mentioned the albino and the bishop; the French police inspector is very French (as in "Casablanca," but without the jokes), which defines him completely. There's also an English scholar, Sir Leigh Teabing, who hides a terrible secret behind his facile demeanor. This secret is definitely not his deep aversion to the Catholic Church, which he expostulates through lengthy lectures. Plotwise, the book follows a treasure hunt structure, with chapters interspersed to show how the villains are getting closer to the heroes. At some point, the albino catches up with them but they disable him easily despite having no weapons (this sort of thing happens again in the non-climax scene, involving another villain that I won't mention). This and the "anima ex machina" interventions by the dead grandfather, who always had the right clue to give but Sophie had somehow forgotten until that very moment, make for very dull reading. Here is a typical page: Langdon and Sophie are stumped by the most recent clue. They talk back and forth for many pages. Then Langdon reveals a piece of the ongoing Catholic conspiracy against the defenders of truth and freedom, and then Sophie remembers something her grandfather had once told her, which leads them to the next clue after maybe using a bit of kindergarten-level cryptography. Rinse. Repeat. As for setting, the whole book has a luscious white-room feel, where the only locations described in any detail are the albino's hideouts. Even street addresses are given for those (they are, apparently, Opus Dei centers, whom anyone can find in a phonebook). After he goes inside, accuracy goes out the window, but what do readers know? Depictions of the albino's self-flagellations are presented at the start, probably to hook the reader, but these too seem taken from medieval stories rather than modern-day practices of corporal mortification. There are lectures on the Priory of Sion and Church's big conspiracy against them, but you can get more depth from a Web search for a fraction of the cost, and I suspect this is precisely all the author did. Style? Every problem imaginable can be found: non-simultaneous present-participle constructions, chopped-up, stilted yet mundane dialog, adverbs galore. It reads quickly, but I suspect this is mainly because you end up skipping a lot so your mind doesn't shut down. All of the above recommends a zero-star rating which, hopefully, Amazon.com will consider after this experience. So, is there something going for "The Da Vinci Code"? Why is it selling so well? Aside from the fact that many best-sellers are manufactured by marketing devices, the most memorable trait of this novel is its pervasive, corrosive attack on the Catholic Church, presented as the ultimate villain, eternal source of slavery, war, ignorance, and everything else bad that's ever happened, and this is probably why so many find it appealing (I find it hard to believe it's because of its elementary plot and shoddy writing). If wallowing in this stuff is what you like, go ahead and read "The Da Vinci Code." It may be boring otherwise, but you'll get your kicks.
Rating: 
Summary: This is not the biggest crock of crap - this is the truth!!
Review: For those of you who love to bash the truth to serve your own delusion, wake up and smell reality - this is not a crock of crap - this is a great book and guess what? The history in this book can be independently verified by numerous sources, but obviously those sources are not the one's taught in your school - they are the sources of real research and discovery that no school would have the guts to teach because how could teachers explain that we have been shrouded from the truth for centuries and they have been willing participants in the lie because they are lazy. We have been lied to about religious "fact" to serve only the good of the "church", to ensure that their power will not go away. To uncover the truth, writers and researchers like Dan Brown have to fly in the face of what we have been taught for centuries and begin to awaken our poor "led by the nose" population and take chances like this to print the truth. So for those of you, who are so ignorant and are professional "followers", have fun in the god forsaken paper bag that you live in - because you'll never break out until you open your eyes.
Rating:
Summary: BIBLE-THUMPERS ARE UPSET BUT NEED LATEST RESEARCH!!
Review: For those who keep hoping the info behind DAVINCI CODE is "just fiction", there are scholarly sources that are breaking the hold of the Inquisition. The most recent are: PBS.org in their series From Jesus to Christ. In "The First Christians" they say: "This site is anchored by the testimony of New Testament theologians, archaeologists and historians who serve as both critics and storytellers. They address dozens of key issues, disagreements and critical problems relating to Jesus' life and the evolution of Christianity." WESTAR INSTITUTE is another great site with over 200 scholars. On the opening page which features "The Jesus Seminar" and "The Gospel of Mary of Magdala", under "Did Jesus Fulfill prophecy?" they state "since Matthew's proof-from-prophecy theme has been foundational to christianity's conviction that it is superior to Judaism, and since that conviction has had such pernicious consequences historically, christian scholars, and all who are committed to the HONEST EXAMINATION of christian origins, have an ethical obligation to examine Matthew's claims . . . First, we will examine how Matthew handled prophecy, or more precisely, he MANIPULATED!! it" . . . ANYONE WHO REALLY WANTS TO KNOW NEEDS TO LOOK FURTHER THAN A POLITICALLY MOTIVATED AND REINFORCED BY INQUSITION canon!! this will soothe your heart on what Jesus might really have been trying to do . . . and you will realize the greatest message was Love and Doing as he did and more!! not killing others literally and emotionally if they don't agree with you!!
Rating:
Summary: The Left-brain vs the Right-brain
Review: For those who will understand this, the Da Vinci Code is a prodigious work of unparalleled imagination, machination and ultimately irony. It is the final assault of the left-brained against the citadel of the right brain. The irony is that Brown uses the right-brain's most valuable asset (and therefore its most vulnerable) to gain entrance to the Holy of Holies and wreak havoc. The Da Vinci Code is the Twenty-first Century embodiment of the two-edged sword. Or is it Excalibur revisited?
Rating: 
Summary: An Intelligible Murder Mystery
Review: For what it is, this book is great. While I don't really read mystery/suspense books because I find many of them mindless, Dan Brown has incorporated all the elements of a good suspense novel with numerous interesting facts about art and history. It may not be for anyone, but if you've ever wandered the halls of the Louvre or even the Met, you're bound to find it enthralling!
Rating:
Summary: "Lighten Up": It's a Novel; Therefore, It's Fiction
Review: For whatever it's worth! After much discussion about Dan Brown's hot bestselling novel, I'd like to add some summary statements based upon having read the book. There's no point in being verbose about this. Yes, I enjoyed the book with reservations. Here are my observations - by Juliana L'Heureux: 1. The Da Vinci Code is an entertaining murder mystery.
2. It's a novel; therefore, it's fiction.
3. Dan Brown is a clever novelist so there's several unexpected twists to the plot, almost all the intrigue stretches to pass the "straight face test" (clever, nonetheless). 4. Although Dan Brown claims the art history, etc. described is based upon his FACT, he doesn't explain why the paradoxes in The Da Vinci Code were never exposed by the Protestant Reformation. Surely, some people at this point may have made up their mind about The Da Vinci code based upon the reviews and spin off discussions about the book, but without reading it for themselves. Almost everyone who reads The Da Vinci Code enjoys the story. For skeptics who feel the book is
(a) too hyped or (2) too heavily weighted towards the sacred feminine- I'd say, "lighten up" and read it for the story value; or- just wait for the movie to be released.
Rating:
Summary: A Thinking Man's Robert Ludlum
Review: For years I read and loved Ludlum thrillers. Finally, I gave them up both because I felt his writing style had deteriorated and because I was not learning anything while reading them. With The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown has re-introduced me to the thriller. In the process, he has provided more interesting and thought provoking information than one can get in most "serious" non-fiction works--symbology, the number phi, church and Biblical history, the Knights Templar, Freemasonry, etc. etc. etc. The challenge is figuring out where the facts end and the fiction begins. I am anxious now to read Angels and Demons as well as to explore some of the topics Brown has raised.
Rating:
Summary: Very predictable
Review: Forget taking the On-line IQ tests. Read half the book, and if you can figure out the plot, congratulations, you have a 100 IQ. If you need to read to page 300, sorry.
Rating:
Summary: Engaging, original, yet somehow plodding...
Review: Forget the controversy surrounding the origins and credibility of the Catholic religion. The Da Vinci Code is an engaging read from a historical and symbological standpoint that clearly places it a cut above you're average 'thriller.' The book makes you think, much more so than the usual formula employed in a James Patterson novel (Patterson, by the way, is very entertaining, he just doesn't require you to think, his stories just activate the DVD player in your brain.) All of the elements of the classic good vs. evil formula are present. The religion thing just adds to the engagement and complexity of the story. There are endless historical examples of demonizing a defeated cultures religion in favor of the culture who defeated it. In Thailand, in the city of Attullyla (spelling? it's right outside of Bangkok), was left in state after an anti-Buddist battle in the 14th century. What is interesting is how the victor (the anti-Buddists) cut off all the heads of the Budda statues inside of the defeated city, as if to say "My God is more powerful, better than your god..." The analogy to the book is Mary Magdalene casting in history as a whore, when the book states she was Jesus' spouse before modern catholism rewrote religious history and demonized Mary Magdalene as a prostitute... This element is sure to raise controversy in Catholic circles. Though I highly recommend the book, I do agree that the it is a bit long at points, and could have been pared down. Dan Brown's prose reminds me of early John Grisham works, circa "The Firm", fabulous story, but bad prose in the moments of climax never seem to make you say "wooow!" In fact, there are at times when he builds it up to point where you're waiting for the 'wow' that never comes. Bottom line, very worthwhile, typical elements, creative story.
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