The Da Vinci Code

Rating:
Summary: Fun and Interesting
Review: I found this to be a good book and while I have not changed my views on the interpretation of catholicism, history or christianity, it sparked some questions and made for some interesting conversations. The quest for the Holy Grail in this book was intriguing to read.

Any book that inspires me to do a little research online is well worth the time to me.

Rating:
Summary: Why, oh why, is this book a bestseller?
Review: I found _The Da Vinci Code_ to be a badly written, formulaic thriller sprinkled with some interesting historical and scientific tidbits. I found myself reading very quickly through the muddy "plot" in order to get to these tidbits. One of my favorite passages was the explanation of the Golden Ratio, 1.618, which appears everywhere in nature. I re-read that part a couple of times because it was so interesting. The discussion of symbols in Da Vinci's artwork also was very interesting to me, and something I'd not known about before. And I'd never heard the alternate Grail story, so this book was an interesting introduction to that school of thought-- I even found myself researching online to find more information about it.

Sadly, the other 80 percent of the book was just so badly written that I couldn't sustain much of an interest. The characters are utterly one-dimensional. Every chapter is about two pages long, in an attempt to sustain the reader's interest, and every chapter ends with a cliffhanger, kind of like an episode of "24." This device works well occasionally in a novel, but throughout an entire book, it gets to be monotonous.

In short, this book reads more like a plot synopsis for a movie proposal than an actual novel. I'm looking forward to the inevitable movie because, with a little luck, some scriptwriter will see fit to flesh out the characters and clear up the plot-- too bad Dan Brown's editor didn't do the same.

Rating:
Summary: history - a set of lies disagreed upon.
Review: i get the sense that Dan Brown wrote the Da Vinci
Code book in an attempt to shatter myths &
paradigms like faberge eggs by bringing the
legend, history, & relevance of the of the holy
grail to the masses, as only a best selling work
of fiction could. to the degree that they are
factual, the implications the author makes are
relevant to everyone.

the author takes every opportunity to pummel
readers with facts, as he reveals the origins of
various words, "pagan" for example, & explains
the significance of the sacred feminine & the
tragedy of its fall from prominence. the sacred
feminine is the foundation for this book.
i'm a sucker for anything tied to Da Vinci; the
author includes some facts about Da Vinci &
various other standouts from history.

the book gave me a lot to wonder about. primarily
i wonder how much was true. i still don't
understand how the masons are connected to the
whole thing. he didn't explain the masonic
references well at all, which i regret.

time for non-fiction i supp0se.

anyway, if you don't already know much about the
holy grail, this book will be an interesting &
entirely entertaining way to find out what the
holy grail is purported to be.

the characters were somewhat underdeveloped.
there was some predictability. it moves fast at
first, towards the end it slows down, the
dialogue tires out & the story begins to feel
awkward & hastily contrived.

overall it was entertaining & informative. i

enjoyed it.

Rating:
Summary: Oh my goodness---tedious hardly covers it
Review: I give it 2 stars because I actually finished it. With a final sigh of relief I turned the last page and closed the book for the last time.

Plot holes, cheap tricks of suspense, wooden characters. You name it--the logic is faulty and sometimes downright weird. Oh, and let's not forget the author's not so hidden agenda with which he likes to wack the audience upside the head excruciatingly about every page or so.

This is a strange theological and semi-historical exploration thinly disguised as fiction. Brings to mind "The Celestine Prophesy" another new age book that, to the credit of "The Da Vinci Code" I was not actually able to stomache long enough to finish. But it was a best seller too. Go figure.

Rating:
Summary: A fun read but ...
Review: I give this book 3.5 stars. The DaVinci code is basically the story of a grand scavenger hunt that deals with some of the most fundamental issues in western culture. Dan Brown's writing style is a bit basic and won't lead this book to instant recognition as a classic, but it is a fun read, a real page turner and I can certainly understand its best selling status.

The book divides itself between three or so plot threads - by the middle of the book nearly every chapter is ending with a mini-clifhanger and compells the reader to keep reading until the clifhanger is resolved. Its a good story and doesn't take a PhD in mathematics or art history to follow - this is both good and bad - I felt that the plot was not quite as intricate as it might have been based on other similarly themed works I've read recently - on the other hand, it was very involving while remaining easy to follow.

In the end, though, I was dissapointed that the plot did not seem to get as intricate as it potentially could have, and to me the ending left a little to be desired in that payoff from the grand quest undertaken by the two main characters is more or less left unspoken, even though the book spends most of its ~450 pages building anticipation for exactly that.

For those who liked this book and would like to read a somewhat similar story with a bit more depth, I'd recommend Neal Stephenson's "Cryptonomicon".

Rating:
Summary: A puzzle in story form
Review: I give this book 4 stars because it was a lot of fun to read, and because it will open people's minds as to the veracity of everything we read in the bible.
The Da Vinci Code reads like an action/ thriller, which it is, but it is more than that. Without giving away key plot elements, let me say that this book deals with very controversial art, historical, and religious theories.(Very controversial....some people with strong religious beliefs may take offense).
Let me also add that the book is a page turner. The chapter often end as cliff hangers..
This book is recommended, and I thank Dan Brown for writing a book that is going to inspire so much interesting dialogue.

Rating:
Summary: The Da Vinci Code
Review: I give this book five stars. I have never read a book that could maintain my interest from the first page. I think this book is genius. Not only does it have a suspenseful story plot. it also has information that will blow your mind. So if your into suspense thrillers or books on science, art, or religion, I suggest you check out this book.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good thriller with some fantasy thrown in
Review: I gladly added this book to my extensive library of science fiction, science fiction/high-tech, and cyberpunk books such as "Foundation", "Ringworld", "Altered Carbon", "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Prey", "Neuromancer", "Cryptonomicon", "Darkeye: Cyber Hunter" and so forth. All are good reads and highly recommended, even if they are not currently Top Five Bestsellers.

Rating:
Summary: Stimulating and Fun
Review: I got a hold of this book completely by chance. I did not know that it was a best seller or that is was hugely popular; as a result my opinion was not tainted with anticipation or reviews. I must admit that the book is very well written. The action progresses very nicely with very well placed lyrical interludes and history lessons. Being a history buff myself I was pleased to see certain obscure yet important facts being presented and discussed. Also, it was gratifying to see the explanation of our modern concept of the Devil being covered. The characters sometimes are slightly to cliché, however overall are well developed and portrayed. The only let down for me was the end. By then, if you are skilled in reading between the lines and catching the innuendo, there is no surprise for a number of mysteries become obvious. Nevertheless, it does not spoil the overall quality of the book. This book is interesting, thoughtful, well planned and executed. Anyone who likes a brain teaser with a lesson will enjoy this.

Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: I got the novel for Christmas, and I literally had it finished before I went to bed that night. I've seen a few negative reviews here about it, and I will admit that it's the research and historical/art history facts that make this book so fascinating. But that doesn't discredit Brown completely-the plot kept me reading (he came up with codes and clues of his own that I thought were quite intelligent), and his writing is great. He's no literary master, but I always appreciate books where I can see everything happening in my head. It reads like a movie, I suppose you could say. The characters are three dimensional, and by the end of the book, I cared about what happened to them and was happy when it had a, well, happy ending. In short, it's a book I thoroughly enjoyed, and if you like books dealing with this sort of thing, don't hesitate to pick it up.