Da Vinci Code book related reviews
Product: Book Hardcover
Title: The Da Vinci Code
Publisher: Doubleday
Authors: Dan Brown
Rating: 5/5
Title: The Da Vinci Code
Publisher: Doubleday
Authors: Dan Brown
Rating: 5/5
There are obviously two approaches to works such as these...one is the standard approach that most readers assuredly take and that is to enjoy a gifted author penning a marvelous book (hence the reason for this to be on the best-seller list for what seems like forever). The other of course is to approach this with the historian's view...a view toward the astounding revelations that Brown exposes here about Christ and the actions of the Catholic Church. I, with little theology history background to formulate an informed opinion, lean towards the first approach and wholeheartedly recommend "The Da Vinci Code" to any and all readers who enjoy a thrilling novel or who enjoy the capability of an author to captivate the reader and truly define that old maxim "a page turner".
This well publicized story is a good one...a murder at the Louvre is so mysterious that it requires a Harvard symbologist and a polce cryptologist to help solve. Clue after clue are uncovered revealing the existence of a secret society that has guarded a powerful secret for ages that, if exposed, would rock the very foundation of Christianity. There are of course the bad guys who would go to any extreme to keep this information secret and this conflict, with it's many plot twists and turns is Brown's stage. Many new perspectives (at least to me) are added to the base understanding of Christ and the Catholic Church that, although controversial, can surely lead one to further study. None of this would have much meaning however if it weren't for a capable author...one who has a marvelous story-telling and story-writing ability. The reader is truly captivated and will have a hard time putting this down...I'd wager that regardless of which theological side you're on, you'll race through this work to see how it ends.
So for an astounding revelatory read with an historical bent, you'll do no better than "The Da Vinci Code". Brown's controversial classic is sure to continue the ages old arguement on Church and Faith, but, if you're able to get past the controversy, you'll enjoy a superlative literary experience.
Product: Book Hardcover
Title: The Da Vinci Code
Publisher: Doubleday
Authors: Dan Brown
Rating: 2/5
Title: The Da Vinci Code
Publisher: Doubleday
Authors: Dan Brown
Rating: 2/5
I was expecting an intriguing look at the history of the Catholic Church and it's representation in art. What I found was a "Tom Clancy" novel with predictable characters. If you are looking for a page-turning murder mystery, that will make a popular movie - this is it. If you are looking for something deeper and thought provoking you will need to look elsewhere.
Product: Book Hardcover
Title: The Da Vinci Code
Publisher: Doubleday
Authors: Dan Brown
Rating: 5/5
Title: The Da Vinci Code
Publisher: Doubleday
Authors: Dan Brown
Rating: 5/5
It has been quite some time since I cracked open a novel that was as compelling as 'The Da Vinci Code'. This is my first novel by Dan Brown, but I assure you it will not be my last. This story headlines one incredible world-class 'What If' scenario: What if Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and produced children? What if there were a secret society charged with not only keeping this as quiet as possible, but also to protect that seed at all costs? What if the clues to the very existence of the mythical Holy Grail were contained within some of the most famous art work of Leonardo Da Vinci? What if all this WASN'T just the fertile imagination of Dan Brown, but rather a factual group of stories tied together with a fictional premise? Get ready for the ride of your life as 'The Da Vinci Code' opens up the world of Cryptology and Symbology in easily one of THE MOST overall entertaining novels I have read in several years.What is so truly amazing about this tale is the depth of research that Dan Brown so obviously put into all of this Grail Lore and how he convincingly ties it all together. I sat with my mouth open on many occasions as I pondered his phenomenal imagination and how he managed to put it all in one book -- and making it so compelling that you keep promising yourself that you'll stop reading...AFTER the next chapter.One of the curators of the famous Louvre Museum in Paris is suddenly targeted for elimination by shadow forces that aren't what they seem to be as the story unfolds. He is shot and left for dead, but before his life ends, he quickly leaves several clues for Sophie Neveu (his granddaughter) and Symbologist, Robert Langdon to discover. Before he realizes what has happened, Robert finds himself the chief target for this murder and Sophie mysteriously helps him to escape, hoping to fully decipher the riddles left behind by her Grandfather. Maybe I'm just horrible at figuring out these clues, but to my feeble mind they all seemed stunningly clever how they played out and how it led them on an adventure only to discover that the original puzzles left behind were only the beginning of a much larger list of historical clues, all of them REAL clues that have been documented over the centuries, all which lead them on a quest that just might find them discovering the legendary Holy Grail -- but it turns out NOT to be what you might think, in fact it came as a total and amazing surprise to me. Again, what found me so impressed with this story was how all of these seemingly unconnected clues are all REAL and verifiable, and Dan Brown has managed a way to include them seamlessly in his novel.From Paris to the outskirts of London, this well-told tale moves along at a frenetic pace in what I would describe as one of the best stories I have ever found. Dan Brown should be congratulated on piecing together such a highly complicated story, all while making it completely understandable and thoroughly entertaining at the same time. I will be recommending 'The Da Vinci Code' for a very long time to come and anxiously look forward to discovering a few of Mr. Brown's previous novels...in short, BUY THIS BOOK. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Product: Book Hardcover
Title: The Da Vinci Code
Publisher: Doubleday
Authors: Dan Brown
Rating: 4/5
Title: The Da Vinci Code
Publisher: Doubleday
Authors: Dan Brown
Rating: 4/5
First off this is fiction. If you like a good thriller, mystery, adventure I cannot see how you would not enjoy this book. If you are a fundamentalist Christian, or an academic type don't bother (its fiction!) you will only be upset if the book doesn't follow your view of the way the world should be. This is a very good beach read, but ten years from now no one will remember it so chill out! If you like good thriller/adventure/mystery with an archeological bent check out: "A Tourist in the Yucatan"
Product: Book Hardcover
Title: The Da Vinci Code
Publisher: Doubleday
Authors: Dan Brown
Rating: 2/5
Title: The Da Vinci Code
Publisher: Doubleday
Authors: Dan Brown
Rating: 2/5
Brown relies on the theories presented in the book Holy Blood Holy Grail, a work of of very shoddy scholarship. It makes huge leaps in logic and ignores many of it's cited sources. The Gnostic Gospel of Thomas actually presents Jesus as a male chauvist not someone who repsects the "sacred feminine." In it he says women will only enter heaven when they "become like men." It is interesting to note that the UC at Berkely (not exactly a pro-Christian institution) has a course on recognizing bad logic, and Holy Blood (Brown's basis for this novel)is required reading. Check out the university website and see for yourself. There are also many mistakes related to Leonardo and his works; a big one being the portrayal in the novel of the Madonna of the Rocks being on canvas (it was painted on wood). None of this would matter if Brown had not claimed to have researched his facts in order to write this story.
Product: Book Hardcover
Title: The Da Vinci Code
Publisher: Doubleday
Authors: Dan Brown
Rating: 4/5
Title: The Da Vinci Code
Publisher: Doubleday
Authors: Dan Brown
Rating: 4/5
I don't think anyone who tryies to take this book as "gospel" will enjoy it. I don't think that is the intention of the book. I really enjoyed the story and found myself captivated by the plot. It was very well read. For those who enjoy a murder/mystery - you will enjoy this book.
Product: Book Hardcover
Title: The Da Vinci Code
Publisher: Doubleday
Authors: Dan Brown
Rating: 1/5
Title: The Da Vinci Code
Publisher: Doubleday
Authors: Dan Brown
Rating: 1/5
Exasperating... this is the only word I can find to describe this insult to the writing art. It could be forgiven only if it was the work of a budding 14 years old aspiring writer.. The characters are stereotypical mannequins monstruosly bumping aroud in a shallow, totally unrealistic plot devoid of any originality. The Harvard professor is shy and reserved, the english lord is snob and the french cryptologist.. well she is hot! Inconsistencies and blunders are scattered all over the place, and leave you in this strange state when you don't know if you want to throw the book away in a fit of rage or have a great laugh at such an helpless author. The Harvad professor and the cryptologist together have the brain of a turnip, fighting hard to solve little riddles that would be a joke for kid. But what made really burts with laughter was the choice of the super secret passord that should have securely guarded the cryptex (basically a bycicle lock) containing the precious Holy Grail secret.. the Gran Master chose his grandaughter's name! Anyone who has even a slight familirity with security knows that a loved person name is the first and most obvious and stupid password choice of a dummy! :)
Another comical side is the attitude of Langdon and Sophie towards feelings and sex... when you read that Sophie has interrupted all contact with her beloved grandfather you imagine all sort of violent things..murder.. pedophily, ..rape and it finally turns out she just caught him giving a "ride" to a middle aged plump lady? Coooooome on!!!! And ok, you had to have a couple to make the story just a bit more stereotypical.. but at least make something reaistic, comlex and deep happen! No, by the end of the story Langdon and Sophie share only a timid kiss "full of promise". Is the author a teenager or just trying to win the favours of the neo-con prude wave?
And the final blow.. at the end of all that road, the little secrets and passords and riddles.. there is nothing like the Grail but just a happy family reunion! In the best tradition of old telenovelas....
Citing a really trashy italian TV show I could yell "Carramba che Sorpresa!".
Product: Book Hardcover
Title: Secrets of the Code: The Unauthorized Guide to the Mysteries Behind The Da Vinci Code
Publisher: Perseus Books Group Rating: 4/5
Title: Secrets of the Code: The Unauthorized Guide to the Mysteries Behind The Da Vinci Code
Publisher: Perseus Books Group Rating: 4/5
The code broken? Hardly. But a readable guide to what some might find troubling or intriguing in Brown's novel. It is especially suited to thiose who found the novel too short.
While this book is an interesting follow up to the Da Vinci Code, neither it nor Dan Brown's novel suggest Brown's fiction merits the title of an "alternative theology." THAT is wishful thinking, and nothing more.
Product: Book Hardcover
Title: The Da Vinci Code
Publisher: Doubleday
Authors: Dan Brown
Rating: 1/5
Title: The Da Vinci Code
Publisher: Doubleday
Authors: Dan Brown
Rating: 1/5
I read 2 good books recently; I couldn't put either down. One fiction, one non-fiction. This, obviously, is the great work of fiction; the great work of non-fiction is Make Every Girl Want You by John Fate and Steve Reil. Dan Brown's book had me mesmerized. I love the way art, another passion of mine, is intertwined in this novel. Mr. Brown is a genius the way he developed "hidden" clues in the work of Mr. Da Vinci! Clues that anyone could hypothetically see, but hidden by Da Vinci. I also am a religious man, and love how Brown weaved Jesus, Mary, and the holy grail throughout the book. The book was a fast read, and I couldn't put it down. Excellent combination of religion, suspense, & mystery! Kudos to Dan Brown!
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Cracking Da Vinci's Code: You've Read the Fiction, Now Read the Facts
Publisher: Cook Communications
Authors: James Garlow
Rating: 1/5
Title: Cracking Da Vinci's Code: You've Read the Fiction, Now Read the Facts
Publisher: Cook Communications
Authors: James Garlow
Rating: 1/5
Don't read the book even if it is the only book left on the earth surface. It was a total waste of time. Nothing new was offered in the book. It was written to ATTACK Brown's The Da Vinic Code. Nothing more. Why spending time attacking something fictional. The Da Vinic Code was a good, entertaining read. Readers should be able to tell facts from fictions.
