Rating:  Summary: Two Steps Ahead at All times Review: I have to agree with some of the negative reviews. If you are familiar with goddess and grail traditions, there is nothing new here. Same for some of the Da Vinci material. The Priory of Sion was absorbed into the Jesuits in the 15th century, but Brown made excellent fictional hay out of its real-life 20th century reincarnation in pre-war France. All of that is eminently forgivable if it weren't for the woefully underdeveloped lead characters. They are supposed to be experts in their fields, however, I, a dilettante, solved nearly every clue rather quickly (I am not that smart, the clues were just that obvious.) It was torturous to wait while our heroes - who should have known this material - went through some painfuly dullwitted exercises to solve the mysteries. So, if this stuff is new to you - you'll probably like it. If you are reading it because you heard it was about goddess traditions and the sacred feminine - pass. But to end this review with a kiss,(because I appreciate the colossal effort it takes to write a novel) I did enjoy the ending. It's rather a corker!
Rating:  Summary: If I could give it less then one star I would! Review: I have to agree with the other 1 star reviewers..this book is AWFUL. It does read like a high school "first draft". Silly plot, too much gibberish, just a complete waste of time. I usually stay away from the BEST SELLER list, now I know why!! And, no, I didn't buy this book, a well meaing friend sent it to me. My advice, wait for the awful movie that is sure to follow!!Whatever happened to intelligent, thoughtful, truly interesting writing???????
Rating:  Summary: Entertaining But Silly Review: I have to give Brown credit as a mystery writer--he does keep the pages turning; however, the Da Vinci Code is one of the most overrated books of the year, and certainly not one of Brown's better efforts.One of the most disappointing features of this book was his repeated representation of fiction as fact. Was he deliberately misleading or was this simply the result of sloppy research? The only reason I suspect the former was that, in his conclusion, he seemed to accept the veracity of the "sacred feminine" nonsense, along with all of the other attendant (and unoriginal) puerilities.
Rating:  Summary: Much ado about very little Review: I have to give Dan Brown credit; he had a great idea for a book. But he has neither the skill or the ability to carry it out. I can't find anything in this book that justifies the enormous hype it has received. The quest for the Holy Grail, and what the Grail actually represents, is fascinating, but Brown tries to wrap it in the stale trappings of a pedestrian whodunit that doesn't do the material justice. The characters are one-sided and don't really engage us, and the writing is just plain sophomoric. The idea of Mary Magdalene as the wife of Jesus isn't original with Brown; it's been done much better by other writers, most notably by José Saramago in "The Gospel According to Jesus Christ". I came away from this book with a deep sense of disappointment. Brown had a good idea for a book, but somebody else should have written it.
Rating:  Summary: Certainly not literature.... Review: I have to say, although Dan Brown has an interesting web of trivia thrown into a loosely created plot, it does not make for good reading or literature. What it makes is Dan Brown a very wealthy man!!!! Go for the big bucks Dan! Just like Danielle Steele and Stephen King - quite a sell-out, really. Just toss the Davinci Code into your magazine rack along with your Pottery Barn Catalogue.
Rating:  Summary: well... at least it goes by fast... Review: I have to say, it was quite a read. Fast. To the point of my husband telling me to turn off the light and go to sleep already. I must agree with the most of the reviewers that once you start, you can't put it down. Or if you do, you don't want to put it down. It does go by fast. For most parts. But is it really factual? There are some vague factual-esque elements in the novel, but that's just it - it's a fictional novel. If you're a baby-christian or a non-believer, you can get suckered into what Dan Brown is trying to pass off as pseudo-fiction. Okay, I had some issues and/or questions too. like, if da vinci was a homosexual man, what was he doing siring so many children? or how about Sir Isaac Newton being a Christian? Do you suppose one can be a Christian and have pagan beliefs? Can one man serve two masters? The little tidbits of information that I read were quite interesting. The character development left much to be desired. What triggered me to the fact that this is nothing more than a fluffy no-brainer summer read is that the author - in lack of better words - [stinks]. Was it just me or was i the only one that knew immediately who the baddy was? (I won't say the name because that'd [stink] for someone else reading this review before purchasing it.) I felt like he was "chosen" as the baddy because Brown couldn't figure out anyone that really could be. It seemed too obvious and too simple. I mean, come on. In the plane, they're all talking about the . with Remy and Silas on board in the back!? Great way to be hush-hush.Aringarosa was probably there to throw people off and give it a subplot but he was just a nuisance to the entire story's flow. And honestly... Sophie saw her grampa doing the naughty. So what? Get over it. This really truly annoyed me to no end. She sounded more prissy American or English than French. But what was really sad was how Brown ended the book. He wanted this ridiculous fairytale ending. with some warm embrace and some lip smacking. PLEASE leave the descriptive smut to the writers of authors of romance novels. I mean, in the beginning of the book, he's writing about how Langdon is thinking about Vittoria (the heroine from Angels and Demons, I assume, since I have not read that book) a few times. but - mind you, this entire story happens over a period of like 36 hours - he ends up hooking up with a chick he barely knows? Whiff of her perfume as he leans in and voila! Vittoria who? (By the way, she's not mentioned again for the rest of the book.) Dan Brown, please don't write romance. You obviously [stink] at it. And I read enough smut and chick lit to be able to state this as a fact, not an opinion. So, in a nutshell, some wishy-washy factoid wannabes, obvious antagonist, quasi climax and a really bad letdown, an attempt at religious brainwashing, and soggy plot makes not a great novel. Fast read? yes. Great novel? hell no.
Rating:  Summary: It's a big ol' pageturner Review: I have zero patience with conspiracy theories--and the whole grail search thing just bores me to tears BUT I started this book on Friday night and finished it Saturday at noon. I learned some things-- a nice extra--and I just kept turning page after page after page. And I WAS surprised at "whodunnit," which is the mark of a good mystery. It's a definite vacation read--and although it's a lot of fun, you won't feel bad about giving the too-heavy to-lug-home tome to a stranger on the beach.
Rating:  Summary: Haven't even read it yet but... Review: I haven't even read this book yet, but I'm very intrigued. I believe that any book that gets you to think about God is a step in the right direction. As I understand it, God gave us free will. I'll use my free will to read this book and arrive at my own conclusios. It's strange how all these staunch Christians have had their faith shaken by this one little book. Makes one wonder just how fragile their beliefs may be. I look forward to reading this title.
Rating:  Summary: What a page turner! Review: I haven't met a person who has read this book and not loved it. I just had to read it and am so glad I did. It was one of the best books I've ever read, and I read a lot. The conbination of fact and fiction really bring the story to life. It really makes you thing about everything that happens in this world that we don't know about.
Rating:  Summary: A waste of time Review: I haven't read a book this bad in a long time. The writing was poor, the topic was sensationalistic, the characters were stilted and often unrealistic, and the "revelations" the author makes about the artwork were not all that revealing. I had to force myself to read it and when I was done I actually threw it away I hated it so much. I'm relieved to know other people didn't like it either. I thought I was the only one in the country who wasn't in love with it.
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