The Da Vinci Code

Rating:
Summary: Historically and Theologically inaccurate
Review: I am an MA Theology & Philosophy Graduate well-acquainted with art and ecclesiastical history, literature and theology. The plot is foolish, it is weak and contrived, and the characters are cartoons. The person who said this topic was well researched has studied history about as poorly as the Author. 'research' done in preparation for writing this book could've been better accomplished though Classics Comics. Theological inconsistencies abound, such as a root question: why might such a preposterous ruse ever have been initiated in the first place? I noted that Brown refers to Leonardo as 'DaVinci,' a nomenclature never used by art historians, who refer to him as 'Leonardo.' The representation of Opus Dei was patently fabricated ab ovo, bearing no relation to the real entity; this is the case whether one loves or loathes the prelature in question. As is also the case with his other work, Brown is at it again making a fast dollar from a gullible and uncultivated public. The reason this book is popular is because a media and industry hostile to Catholicism like to distort, enlarge, and lie about the faith, and this book is one after their own hearts.

Rating:
Summary: Not Participating In The DaVinci "Lovefest"
Review: I am constantly amazed at the assertions I hear people make regarding the excellent story contained in the DaVinci code. It was embarrassingly weak and the characters were very one-dimensional. The Bourne Identity it wasn't. I took solace in the fact that the derth of religious information, Brown claims to be fact, was really quite interesting. Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to enjoy even that for very long as I have read or heard most of his assertions debunked by those far more in the know in their particular fields than Brown. I wish I could have the time spent reading The DaVinci Code back so I could substitute a read of real entertainment or intellectual value. In the past I have avoided reading fads. It was a mistake to deviate from that rule; I won't again.

Rating:
Summary: A Springboard for finding the missing pieces
Review: I am engrossed in this book and have stopped several times to get additional information on everything from Opus Dei, to the Inquisition to Gnostics to The Last Supper and Mary Magdalene on the net. For someone raised with a sense of faith, yet having an intuitive feeling that there are unanswered questions and pieces missing in my life's puzzle, this was a springboard for me to learn more.

This book is captivating, eye-opening, and believable in its history and suspenseful, exciting and an incredible page-turner as a story.

Mind expanding to say the least!

Rating:
Summary: Intellectual thriller galore......
Review: I am new to Dan Brown's writing but you can rest assured that I'm going to read everything he's written to date and everything that follows. The Da Vinci Code is a thrill a minute (thrill a page????) novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The story is straight forward.

Robert Langdon, a well known symbologist, receives a urgent and mysterious request late at night while in Paris. It is the French authorities who ostensibly need his assistance with a murder investigation. Taken to the museum, he quickly learns that he is a suspect. Sophie Neveu, a giften cryptologist (and we soon learn the daughter of the murdered man) joins forces with Langdon. Together they learn of a secret society that dates back to Christ. Believe me, the story is out-there.

The story is filled with interesting characters and places. I've mentioned this in other reviews, but this book feels like an old 1940's black and white movie. It would be a great read on a rainy night.

Dan Brown also raises interesting ideas about a number of other ancient mysteries. You'll love this book.

Rating:
Summary: Oh the almighty buck
Review: I am not a Catholic. I don't even have any close friends who are active Catholics, but this is too much.

The only reason other writers could give this book praise is because of its mercenary value. Every writer would love to turn a trick like this one. Runaway best seller, movie deal. You could retire and write some good stuff.

Fortunately most respectable writers have more integrity than Mr. Brown and would not stoop to this level. The writing is junk. The controversy is junk history. Brown saw an opportunity to take advantage of the current anti-Catholic sentiment and jumped on it.

I'm sure he is laughing all the way to the bank.

Rating:
Summary: Rivetting!
Review: I am not a great novel reader, but I found Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code un-put-downable, if there is such a word! If you are about to set out on a long-haul plane joirney, buy this - the flight will pass in no time!
Not only does Dan provide a very entertaining story and believable development of characters, but the information he offers on ciphers and symbols in art will mean that I will never look at a masterpiece in the same way again.
Dan Brown - a true master of intrigue!
P.S. Don't let the religious nuts and God Squad folk put you off this excellent work. They are bound to be angry about some of the ideas in it - but the point is that the church who put those ideas forward is shown up to be just what it is in The Da Vinci Code.

Rating:
Summary: Stupid
Review: I am not a historian and I can't comment on the validity of "The Da Vinci Code's" eccentric feminist goddess-worship New Age theories. If his research is as poor as his writing, then this book is completely hyped garbage.

Using a choppy, simple, obvious prose, Dan Brown uses vignettes in a 3rd-person omniscent POV to tell the choppy stories of Robert Langdon the Harvard symboligist and cryptologist Sophie Neuveau. Other tracks of this awkward flash-around style include an extremist albino man obeying a cryptic "teacher," and glib histories of dubious organizations such as "the Priory of Sion" and a troop of knights who pretend to be protecting pilgrims, but are really searching for what they think is the Holy Grail.

Mr. Brown jumps to conclusions. The book reads something like this: "Leonardo da Vinci certainly knew the location of the Holy Grail during his lifetime, thought Robert Langon. And it had definitely not been moved since then. People had searched his paintings for clues to its whereabouts. Blah. Blah. Blah. The sacred feminine. The Catholic Church is a conspiracy. Blah Blah Blah. The Mona Lisa is really a picture preaching the necessity of balance between Man and Woman. This is because the landscape is unusual around her ears. Mona Lisa is Egyptian for Amen Isis. Those are the gods of man and woman."

In a poor attempt to write suspensefully, Mr. Brown will cut off his vignettes and switch tracks. His writing philosophy seems to be "when you get bored, finish off your vignette with a cryptic choppy sentence and move on. If you get really bored, kill someone; and when you're feeling energetic, recite bogus histories of dubious researching."

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, gripping mystery
Review: I am not a huge reader of fiction and tend to read far more non-fiction, but I simply could not put this book down. I found the story fascinating from the first page to the last. There are lots of surprises along the way, and the pace of the story is breathtaking. What made the novel so appealing to me is that it is chock-full of true facts about all sorts of places and things, and the author weaves this information into the story in a very naturalistic way. Thus, to a non-fiction reader, this was the best of both worlds: a fictional story grounded in reality. Don't pass this one up; it's like nothing else I've ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I am not an expert on the historical backdrop of the book. Even if one were to assume that the background the author provides is accurate, the book itself is very poorly written. The book feels like watching a really bad action movie. Each chapter in the book is approximately two pages in length. Furthermore, successive chapters are different threads in the plot. This leads to disruptions in your thought process.

In my opinion, the hype surrounding this book is unwarranted and the book is certainly not worth a read.

Rating:
Summary: Best Book Ever!
Review: I am not done with the book yet, but it is the most fascinating, thrilling, book that I have ever read. I can never put it down, unless it gets to about 1 am in the morning :)

The book is so interesting that I never knew anything besides Da Vinci painting the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and others. But to find information on the Holy Grail (not sure if it is true), that was a big impact when I read it.

I give this book 5 stars. Because that is what it deserves. Can not wait til Dan Brown's next adventure of Robert Langdon.