Rating: 
Summary: Thought Provoking!
Review: I just finished reading the Da Vinci Code and was so pleased with the experience, I am starting Angels and Demons. (By the way, I was surprised to learn Angels and Demons takes place a year before the Da Vinci Code and has the same main character.)What is enjoyable about the book is how Dan Brown exposes us to theories and research about religion that are not mainstream. The story is well constructed with a wonderful balance of fact and fiction. It will take you into a facinating world of symbolism and art...and may even challenge your point of view. For example, in the story, an interesting perspective on the painting "The Last Supper" is introduced that makes you think about it in a whole new way...Trust me, if you haven't heard about this twist already, when you read this part of the book you will put it down imediately to look at the painting online. Then you will do a double take and ask yourself "How did I ever miss that?" The book is filled with moments like this. What adds to the enjoyment of this book is the puzzles Dan Brown created online. All you need is the book and some time. Then, go to Dan Brown's web site where you actually find a scavanger hunt of knowledge that has you look at the cover of his book in new ways. If you like mind puzzles and codes, you will love his website (www.danbrown.com) and how he hid messages on the very cover of his book. This is a fun read. Open your mind, relax and take the book in for what it is...A fun mystery filled with puzzles, interesting opinions and enjoyable characters. I highly reccomend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Fact vs Fiction
Review: I just finished reading this book, after having read source texts by Laurence Gardiner (Blood Line of the Holy Grail, and others) as well as the Holy Blood, Holy Grail text mentioned within Mr. Brown's book. The DaVinci Code clearly lays out many of the fact-based arguments made by Gardiner and others, however Brown blurs the line between fact and fiction, and doesn't indicate where one ends and the other begins. Not being a Grail Historian, symbologist, Mason, Priory member or other such "scholar", and just a cynical christian looking for more information than any Church provides, I found this work enlightening, as it more clearly conveys the "truth behind the lies" that have taken over christianity as we know it today.
Rating:
Summary: Do Not Miss This Book
Review: I just finished reading this book, and I could not put it down. This is one of the few books that can truly make a person think about the world. Mr. Brown's writing is so intelligent, and intuitive, that a reader can truly have an enjoyable experience. Thank you Mr. Brown for restoring my faith in the literary world.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable light holiday reading
Review: I just finished reading this book. It was the most entertaining mystery/thriller that I read in a few years. It has all the "required" ingridients of the genre: murder, fast paced action, unexpected plot twists, a little bit of romance, and some philosophical and historical discussions (to make it more than just mindless entertainment). The idea behind the plot is hardly new. One story with a similar plot that comes to mind is "Foucault's Pendulum" by Umberto Eco. However, Dan Brown manages to weave a very exciting story around this plot. This book is by no means perfect. In some places the story relies on foresight by the main characters that is hard to believe. In some places the characters manage to have lengthy discussions in what is supposed to be just 15 minutes. However, these holes were not enough to make me stop "believing" in the story. Earlier reviewers make many complaints about the religion in the book. I think the book is fair and respectful towards Christianity. Those who complain that the characters offer their own interpretation of the New Testament should remember that so do all the priests and ministers in the world. This book is not a book on history or religion (fortunately :). Those who think they know the one and only true interpretation of the Bible should have some humility. I enjoyed the book. I hope there is going to be a movie based on it. Since the story is set in Paris and London it would make for a very "pretty" movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful Read
Review: I just finished reading this novel and I enjoyed it from beginning to end. I could not put this book down. I thought it was very provocative and insightful. I am also a Christian, but I am sufficiently secure in my beliefs to understand this is a work of fiction, and it should be taken as so. If you are not mature enough to read a book that might challenge your belief system, or give you an alternate perspective to spirituality, stay away from this genre. This is a mystery novel wrapped around a very interesting historical subject. I have recommended this book to many people and they all have loved it.
Happy reading!
Rating:
Summary: Beware O Close-Minded People!!
Review: I just finished reading this unbelievably entertaining and meticulously researched story...all I could say was WOW! It was definitely a page-turner to the point where, I must admit, I was beginning to wonder if the climax and resolution would live up to my expectations! Without giving anything away, I'll say this...you will be glued until the last page. Any negative reviews of this book seem to be from people offended by some of the ideas presented by Mr. Brown as he does deal with two VERY taboo subjects, namely, religion and politics. Having knowledge of many different religions, however, some of the theories did make a lot of sense to me. I think they struck a chord with my own personal beliefs about the Bible. Whatever your religious stance, this book is definitely not for the close-minded! Loved it!
Rating:
Summary: When does the movie come out?
Review: I just finished the book and have to say it was a real page-turner. That being said, I also kept getting the sense that I was reading the script for a movie. The suspense is definitely there but reality was really being stretched as the story unfolded. Some of it also tended to be predictable. I figured out the text under the rose on the box immediately and ran to my bathroom mirror to decipher it before reading on. Brown definitely has done a lot of research on the subjects of the Holy Grail, Mary Magdalen, Opus Dei, and the Vatican and has used the information well to write this fast-paced book. But it seems too incredible to believe that all of this story and all the coincidences could fall successfully into place in a 24-hour period. Would I recommend the book? Yes, absolutely. If for no other reason than to pique your interest into finding out more about the Holy Grail, Mary Magdalen, Opus Dei, etc. The Truth is Out There....
Rating:
Summary: Better than average, BUT....
Review: I just finished the book. It is definitely a page turner, kind of like John Grisham novels. Unfortunately, it also has the same drawbacks as Grisham's novels, not mysterious enough. The book is a tad too predictable. I must admit, I didn't solve all of the mystery before the end, but I saw enough of it coming to make reading this book a tad annoying. Now, did I enjoy it? Yes, aboslutely. I think Brown did a very good job researching the facts and the characters were mostly well developed. I liked Sophie Neveu and Robert Langdon. They could very well develop a la the characters from Iain Pears' art history novels. I liked the puzzles, I loved the historical aspect of the story. Yes, I started to look up the Opus Dei and Priory of Sion, as well as the Louvre and all the other sites. BUT, I believe the history of the knights templar via a novel form was better told by Umberto Eco in Foucoult's Pendulum. Eco didn't go into Mary Magdalene either. The parts on the Gospel according to the Gnostics was intersting to me because I started to read the Gospel of Thomas a while ago. Overall, I liked the book, but not enough to give it 5 stars. It does, however interst me enough to read more of Dan Brown.
Rating:
Summary: Great plot, but questionable history
Review: I just finished this book last night. It's extremely captivating and well researched. It does have anti-Christian overtones however, which aren't well disguised.
Rating:
Summary: An exceptionally told thriller...
Review: I just finished this whirlwind of a book last night, and I am completely speechless. I'm not even sure what to say here except that The Da Vinci Code has to be the best, most intellectually written and fascinating thriller I've read...ever! Kudos to Dan Brown for creating this exceptional, brilliant tale. The Da Vinci Code is a richly layered mystery involving codes, symbolism, historical theories, and secret societies. The curator of the Louvre museum in Paris, Jacques Sauniere, is found murdered inside, but before his final moments, he was able to leave a hidden message behind. Authorities call in reknowned American symbologist, Robert Langdon, to help decipher the code. But Sauniere, a master code writer himself, did not make this an easy task, even for an expert. Langdon thus embarks on a roller coaster ride, sending him on a feverish chase throughout Europe, into churches and chateaus, in a desperate search for answers. I loved this book and couldn't wait to see how it would end. I was glued to my seat for hours on end because I absolutely couldn't make myself stop reading. I learned a lot about Da Vinci, as well, and now my interest in him and his paintings have been piqued. A lush, vivid landscape and an eerie tone throughout, The Da Vinci Code wins hands-down as my favorite book of the year.
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