Rating: 
Summary: A Gateway of Sorts.
Review: I don't know that I would go so far as to consider this book "Unrelenting Suspense" - it was far from a cliffhanger at any moment... but - Not typically my line of reading - a friend had just read it and so I read it and we had gobs to talk about. He being raised (and now lapsing) Catholic - me being completely without any religious upbringing. I didn't think the story itself was so well-written and actually it just went to mush near the end, but we came up with gobs of notes that we'd like to follow up on. The author however really didn't cite his references - and I guess he's not required to in a work of fiction - but I am curious about the Templars and Da Vinci and the loss of the female aspect of religion through the apparent efforts of the Catholic church. Acting as a gateway to other ideas or ways of thinking - the book is successful.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating!
Review: I don't normally read murder mysteries, but my co-workers were passing this one around with rave reviews, so I thought I'd give it a try. I read it in two days - couldn't put it down! I also found it interesting because so many real-life things are mentioned - paintings by Great Masters and famous churches, whose pictures I could look up on the Internet and see more clearly what was described in the book.
Rating: 
Summary: This is literature?
Review: I don't often buy books, but I bought "The Da Vinci Code" on the recommendation of more than one good friend. I'll start with the good stuff: Even if not entirely factual, Dan Brown's theories about the female's role in Christianity are intriguing and thought-provoking.
However, the book itself, which makes a lame attempt at conveying these theories, is not even remotely intriguing. Brown's writing style is trite, clunky, and a disgrace to what we call modern "literature." It took me an unusually long time to get through this book because I kept putting it down after only four or five pages at a time, thinking how incredible it was that such tedious writing could make it through the editorial process. I am equally astounded by the number of people who read this book and who are so quick to call it "engaging, thrilling, wonderful, and the best book ever" in their reviews. Perhaps in the hands of a more talented author, this book would have been worthwhile. As it stands, though, the [money] I forked over for this could have easily been better spent going to see a couple of mindless and yet much more entertaining movies. This is the WORST BOOK EVER, and if you liked it, well, quite honestly, you make me sad...
Rating: 
Summary: A fast read, but...
Review: I don't see what all the fuss is about. This novel is a page turner, no doubt about that, with an intriguing plot. Since there are so many reviews here which go over the story I won't go into it -- However I have to say as one of those people who can look at a painting and NOT see mysterious symbolism and plots all over the place I took this novel for what it was - a work of fiction that was a fast read and that's all. I don't think Catholics have to get upset over all the theories this story puts forth, since that's all they are: theories for a work of fiction. Characters are well-drawn and the descriptions are good. I agree with other reviewers that it reads like a movie treatment - it didn't hurt to compare Robert Langdon to Harrison Ford early in the story, and I agree it was probably intentional. Can an option for a movie starring Ford be far behind??
Rating:
Summary: Already a Favorite!!
Review: I don't think I could possibly say enough good things about this book. The combination of 2 of my favorite subjects (art history and cryptology) in an extremely well written, intelligent novel made this an instant favorite. Not only will it keep you interested (I read it in just 6 hours because I refused to put it down) but you can learn so much from it. You will literally feel smarter when you put the book down after finishing than you did when you first picked it up. That in itself makes it a must read!
There will of course be a (very) few, such as the anonymous reviewer that posted a few days ago, that are afraid and intimidated by the presentation of the FACTUAL history of their religion. But those few are people who find little enjoyment in fun and intellectual activities.
That said, I would whole-heartedly encourage all book lovers to snap this book up ASAP and dig in. But I'm warning you - you won't come up for air until the very last paragraph has been read!
Rating:
Summary: Umberto Ecco light - less filling, less flavor
Review: I don't understand the success of this book. It follows meekly in the footsteps of many more insightful, intricate mysteries woven around this same plot. This felt like a Fox tv pilot of an Umberto Ecco novel.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: I don't usually "do" fiction. But this book was amazing. The plot is allways expanding, the research is allways interesting, and the ending is superb. Now, i do take issue with some of it... Brown included a whole of real research in the novel, but it is mixed in with superstitious conspiracy theories and observations by main characters that look too deep into things. This could lead to a reader of the novel to blow up the signifigance of certain things. For those who will read the book, please remember this: Not many researchers beleive Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus, The man sitting next to Jesus in DaVinci's last supper doesn't look like a woman, and there is no evidence that the search for the Holy Grail was the search for the womb of Mary Magdalene, the bloodline of Jesus Christ. All in All, however, this is an amazing Novel and the only one I will probably ever read. It's back to non-fiction for me.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put It Down
Review: I don't usually get into suspense/mystery thrillers, which made my discovery of this novel that much more of a pleasant surprise. Its power, of course, comes from the fact that it builds on actual theories and little-known facts about ancient events and the formation of the early church. It whetted my appetite to find out more. Extremely thought-provoking and highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: What Makes a Thriller Thrill Us?
Review: I don't usually read "bestsellers" but my wife brought this home from the library and as an author myself, though not nearly so successful a one as Dan Brown (author of this book), I was moved to take a look. I started reading it and was swept right up. It was fast paced, polished and intriguing. In fact, I put down another book I was reading to finish this one, so it certainly worked for me at that level. But it didn't work at a deeper level. In the end The Da Vinci Code seemed highly artificial in construction, with characters that were barely more than ciphers inserted in the plot to play their parts but capable of little more. They had no inner life to speak of and nothing about them to make me believe in their lives or experiences. The plot itself hinges on an idea of conspiracies and secret societies that span millenia and involve a hidden history of Christianity. But the notions presented in relation to this are all relatively common place to anyone already familiar with the history of religion and do not suggest any real conspiracy of ancient secrets. I won't say too much here about them, for fear of giving away the story's thrust, which, after all, is its one real virtue. But suffice it to say that the endless puzzles within puzzles, the seemingly arcane expositions when individuals who should have a better handle on facts seemingly don't, the mystery of people who are not what they seem, the idea of hidden beliefs about a "sacred feminine" (whatever that is) that have been long suppressed by institutional religion, and the endless bait and switch tactics of the exposition begin to grate. It got to the point where I knew that, as soon as one thing was revealed to us, it would only prove another way-station in an intellectual treasure hunt that was seemingly premised on all sorts of forced allusions and esoteric interpretations that could not be guessed in advance (a rather unfair trick, it seems to me). About two thirds of the way through, I did guess the identity of the hidden bad guy and after that it was just a matter of waiting to see how the author brought this to the surface. When he finally did, it proved an anti-climax that left me somewhat cold. And the book's final end, itself, which follows the revelation of the hero's antagonist, struck me as particularly forced and a let-down. There wasn't much of a secret there, when all the sound and fury had blown itself out. Still, I have to acknowledge that the book kept me reading and was interesting. Is that enough to warrant bestseller status? Well, perhaps it is, when conjoined with a lot of pseudo-speculation about religion and belief. At the least the book entertained and that, I suppose, is why it sells. Mr. Brown has my admiration for that. SWM
Rating:
Summary: Let me patronise you
Review: I don't want to be totally negative about this... Dan Brown is undoubtedly a skilled writer and has managed with The Da Vinci Code to write a book that keeps you going from start to finish, it is a genuine page turner which always leaves you wanting more. But I think of all the books I have ever read this is without a doubt the most patronisingly written, the most simple-minded. If you want a mindless thriller (but one whose thrills are fairly limited) then this is the book for you.... if on the other hand you want one that doesn't insult your intelligence (for example an expert in code cracking who cannot crack the most obvious of codes, an art historian who walks into a room and thinks "Salvador Dali the famous surrealist painter" - I mean, please, are we supposed to believe these people might exist and are respcted in their chosen fields?!!??) then this is definitely NOT the book for you. You might say its only a holiday read, only a thriller, but most thriller writers that I have come across do not attempt to map out every single point to the reader, do not end up making the reader feel insulted by the simple-mindedness of their style. Don't waste your precious time on this, its not worth it. The only reason I would recommend it is to give you a few hours amusement at how laughable the whole thing is.
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