The Da Vinci Code (original 2003; edition 2006)

Dan Brown's novel is based in a good thriller which produces a real will in the reader to get fast to the end to know the solution, although many faults at the script like the unnecessary escape from the Louvre are just put there to allow the continuity of the story.

But what really prevent me to score the highest grade is the fallacious historical background.

I don't want to state that a fiction novel must follow strictly the history but this condition has finally to be verified due to the note published by the author at the beginning of the book making claims of historic precision related to documents, architecture and arts presented in the novel. Not even the architecture like the inverted pyramid gives us a correct description.

Its very important that all the readers be aware that Browns' novel is based in the existence of two organizations one of then called, the Prieure de Sion, which is fundamental for the script, is a complete hoax assembled in the late 50s by Pierre Plantard and not originated from the templars in 1099 as Browns wants us to believe.

It is a fact that the Catholic Church has many things to explain since Nicea in 325 BCE but certainly very few related with this book claims.

It is very clear that many of Brown's inspiration are based on real facts occurred during the fraudulent actions done by Plantard on the Prieure de Sion creation from 1956 to 1993, which includes the falsifications of the manuscripts founded by father Bérenger Saunière at Rennes-le-Château. Notice that this is the same name of one of the main characters of the novel, the Louvre curator murdered in the initials pages of the book.

Historical errors are often presented. Two of the more important ones are located on the explanations that the character Leigh Teabing supply at chapter 55 to Sophie Neveu at his studio. On this passage Teabing explain to Sophie that Christ divinity was established at Nicea in 325 at the Council called by Constantine. Nothing more erroneous.

Although the human condition of Christ were discussed at that time the notion of His divinity has initiate since the 4º gospel, John Gospel. Other mistake are issued when the same character issue a statement that the Dead Sea Scroll make references to Jesus.

Finally for a thriller which intend to show the true facts the end goes to a frustrated solution.

Now the same review a bit expanded in Portuguese:

A novela de Dan Brown é baseada em uma boa trama que causa realmente ao leitor a vontade de atingir rapidamente o final para conhecer a sua solução, em que pese algumas falhas de roteiro, como a desnecessária fuga do Louvre colocada apenas para permitir o desenrolar da história e o inverossímil desdobramento do seqüestro de Leigh Teabing na Igreja do Templo.

Mas o que me impede de dar nota máxima ao romance é a sua falaciosa fundamentação histórica. Não que o rigor histórico seja necessário em uma obra de ficção, mas esta condição acabou por ter que ser verificada em função da nota colocada pelo autor no início do livro na qual propala a existência de alguns fatos reivindicando precisão histórica em documentos artes e nas arquiteturas descritas.

Nem mesmo as arquiteturas são descrições precisas como é o caso da pirâmide invertida do Louvre.

È importante que as pessoas saibam que a trama de Brown está apoiada na existência de duas organizações uma delas, o "Prieure de Sion", fundamental no roteiro, se constitui numa farsa montada no meio dos anos 50 por Pierre Plantard e não originária dos templários, em 1099, como o autor afirma.

Portanto, embora a Igreja tenha bastante a explicar desde o Concílio de Nicéa em 325 certamente muito pouco destas explicações tem relação com as demandas mencionadas no livro.

É nítido que muitas da inspiração de Brown para seu romance são originadas das tramas elaboradas durante as fraudulentas ações de Plantard na criação do Prieure de Sion de 1956 a 1993, que incluíram falsificações de supostos pergaminhos achados pelo padre padre Bérenger Saunière em Rennes-le-Château. Observem que este é o mesmo sobrenome do curador do Museu do Louvre assassinado nas primeiras páginas da trama de Dan Brown.

Por outro lado, imprecisões históricas acontecem amiúde. Duas das mais importantes estão nas explicações que Leigh Teabing fornece no, capítulo 55, a Sophie Neveu em seu estúdio. Nesta passagem Teabing explica a Sophie que a divindade de Jesus foi estabelecida em 325, no Concílio convocado por Constantino.

Nada mais impreciso.

Embora a condição humana ou divina de Jesus ainda fosse discutida naquele tempo, a idéia de sua divindade era bem anterior, contemporânea dos primeiros cristãos e claramente indicada no 4º evangelho, o de João. Por outro lado, conforme afirmado pelo mesmo personagem Teabing, os Manuscritos do Mar Morto não se referem em nenhum dos seus textos a Jesus e os documentos de Nag Hammadi eram livros (códices) e não rolos (scrolls).

Finalmente, para uma trama que pretende apresentar a verdade sobre mitos tratados como se história fossem, seria natural que o desenlace acabasse por tender para uma solução de certo modo frustrante.

Contudo o romance é instigante e faz as pessoas buscarem as reais explicações o que já é um grande mérito. Portanto, vale os reais pagos na aquisição. ( )

The hype and controversy surrounding this novel caused many to read this book. I skeptically began reading and could not put this book down. Yes, this novel follows the same basic formula of Brown's other endeavors. What sets this apart is the wildly inventive speculative history intertwined with a first rate thriller story. Regardless of religious opinions, this novel is an exciting, fast paced read. ( )

Formulaic, cardboard characters, and full of factual mistakes, despite the claims of accurateness by the author itself. Nice fluff. A dime a dozen. ( )

I don't get it - what was the hype about this book? I learned most of this 'mystical grail stuff' in art history classes years ago. Not the best thing I've ever read that's for sure. ( )

A quick read, and hard to put down. Exciting from start to finish. Very cleverly imagined in the realm of "what if". ( )

weak and anti-Catholic to boot ( )

Dan Brown obviously did a lot of research to make this book such an excellent read. Yes the characters are fictional, but the mythology and historical facts behind the story are what make it so interesting. I learned a lot from this book - mostly things the Catholic church would prefer that you don't know. It's amazing the lengths that people (and organizations) will go to, to keep ugly secrets safe. ( )

a good book...loved it ( )

The DaVinci Code was one of the best books i have ever read. When i was reading it i didn't want to put it down and it was great from start to finish. Just when you thought you knew what was happening the book through a suprising turn that made you want to keep reading.
This story is about a man named Robert Langdon who tries to crack Davinchi's code and solve the mystery of the holy grail before the church can find it. He runs into a few problems in the story as well as running into a few intersting people. The other main character in the story Sophie Neveu has a suprising connection to the grail that will leave you wondering and she is also on the same path as Langdon trying to crack the code.
This was a very well written book by author Dan Brown. I reccomend this book to any body looking for a good read and i especially reccomend this book to anybody who has seen the movie because the book is ten times better.I would rate this book five stars out of five stars. This book is filled with many suprises and at times leves you asking what just happened? You may learn a thing or two from this book as well. If you do read this book you will realize it takes a team to overcome many obstacles to succeed in their goal.

I remember a time when this book was the absolute talk of the town and I wondered what was so revolutionary about it that it had people split into camps either rejecting or embracing its ideas. I haven't even heard of Dan Brown back then and only became interested enough in his work to wishlist the book on PaperBackSwap after watching the movie by the same name with Tom Hanks playing Robert Langdon. When it arrived it was no mere mass market paperback. It was an illustrated special edition hardcover with glossy pages and color pictures of the things and places described in the book. It was fascinating. It was like reading a history book that actually did something other than bore me to the point of stupidity. I blew through the thick volume in no time at all, immediately wishlisted the other books by Dan Brown and went back to savor the illustrations one more time - I have to admit, they added to the experience.
One thing about Brown's Langdon and the rest is that they are likable. Even the villains are sympathetic because they are misguided in one way or another but for the most part they are motivated by faith or thirst for knowledge as opposed to greed or prestige. I actually felt sorry for Silas, the albino priest, because he really believed that he was doing God's work and suffered for it.
What wasn't very apparent when I first read the book but is more so now that I've read two more by Brown is that strong female leads are a staple in his novels. While Langdon is the fount of knowledge who comes up with ideas as for the location of the subject of their search and can gain access to otherwise off-limit places because of his renown it is the women who protect the professor and figure out the logistics of getting him out of jams. Sophie Neveu is no exception and it was great fun reading about a woman with such an unusual profession and life.
Pacing in this book is characteristic of other Brown's work - Langdon and Neveu are always on the go in their mad race against time and the police and that's a lot of action even for a hefty volume such as this. It sucks you in and I haven't met a person yet who hasn't been reading faster than usual to get to the bottom of the mystery, impatient to find the characters at their destination. Because of this there isn't too much character development but we do get a sense of who these people are when the events happen, what motivates them and what their backgrounds are, which is more than adequate for an action thriller.
The only thing that slowed down the story were the explanations connecting the pieces of the puzzle into one whole. While necessary, they sometimes went on for too long and kept me from finding out the location of the Holy Grail and I was really tempted to skip over those passages but read on because I didn't want to miss anything important.
As far as the controversial subject goes I really didn't see what all the fuss is about. Yes, it is a very non-traditional take on Jesus and his disciples and it is very convincingly written but this is a novel and anyone who starts taking it particularly close to heart should remember that a novel is by definition fiction, make-believe if you will, and has no claim on historical accuracy. Its purpose is entertainment and here it is masterfully fulfilled. Thumbs up to Dan Brown for writing a book I couldn't put down. ( )

Great book! I believe some of the things in the book are true and factual. Jewish men had to be married at the age of 25, 2000 years ago. I really think that Christ was married to Mary of magda and that the church chose to leave this out of the Bible. ( )

This is the worst book I have read all the way through. The story is complete nonsense and the writing is shamefully bad. ( )

I love this book. As I kept reading, the more I was getting more interested in the idea that the Holy Grail is actually a woman. ( )

The content of this book would have been better suited to non-fiction or conspiracy theories/religious cover-ups. The fact that the theme of this book was put into mass market fiction seems to have just been a way to get the theory out there faster in an effort to kindle a widespread fire of controversy. The proof is inside the cover just before the Prologue and just under the big bold word, "FACT:"
I don't take sides on this, so my review is not coming from a biased place.

Religious themes aside, the writing style was not that spectacular and was incredibly repetitive. Thought patterns that the characters were thinking through would be repeated again, just in case the reader forgot what was happening....very similar to a reality tv show repeating the last 5 minutes of the program that took place prior to commercial break. Some plot themes were so built up in this book that they fell flat upon execution. All of the riddles and unveiling of past events were painfully predictable. For the most part the characters fell flat, and they took the story with them. ( )

Read this when all the hoopla was going down. Not the worst book I've ever read, yet there are hundreds of writers scattered throughout the fiction section that are as good or better. Struck a chord though, evidently. This is my wife's favorite book. I married her anyway. ( )

Looks like a book but reads like a movie. The author was probably grinning like an idiot throughout the entire writing process. "This is gonna make me millions!" I suppose that it's good for entertainment, but if you want something intellectually stimulating, grab something else like--oh, I don't know--something by Dr. Seuss. And one other thing--and this is a pet peeve of mine: Why do the two main characters have to be so sexy beautiful? Why can't they be average-looking? You know--like the rest of us.
I tried, but I just couldn't like this book. ( )

Truly an epic. If you've read it then you know. If you haven't then you should because you're missing out on a true classic. ( )

I never got the urge to throw the book across the room, but it wasn't exactly a gripping tale. The characters kind of reminded me of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign I once played - we couldn't quite figure out why they traveled together, but they stuck to it anyway. ( )

This book is a real treasure hunters treasure hunt. I love the mystery and intrigue of the book and where it takes the reader. The adventure that you go on makes it feel like a real treasure hunt and when you get to the end you feel like you've found it. The amount of work that went in to creating the book must have been substantial as it shows through in the final product.

pathetic. the so-called 'intricate codes' were hardly ingenious. i spotted the bloody things a mile off and presolved it before halfway into the book. especially as i'd already read similar such 'codes' in other books by other authors before dan brown even came into the scene. sigh. to this day i am beyond flabberghasted that people hailed this as pure genius. for god's sakes READ MORE BOOKS FIRST before deciding. i'm sorry but there it is. ( )

Dan Brown has embarked us on another journey through a day in the life of Robert Langdon, and he has yet to disappoint us. In this #1 Worldwide Best Seller, The Da Vinci Code takes us on a journey through perhaps two of the most marvelous cities of today: Paris and London. This novel is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat and it is no-doubt a pleasure to read.
In The Da Vinci Code, Robert Langdon has flown to France to visit arguably one of the greatest curators of all time, Jacques Sauniere. Much to Robert's surprise, he has come to find Jacques Sauniere murdered in a corridor of the Louve, the grandest museum in France. (Jacques Sauniere curates here.) Robert Langdon is being framed for the death of Jacques Sauniere by the Judicial Police, due to a message written in ultraviolet ink that Jacques Sauniere had written himself, next to his lifeless body. Jacques Sauniere's last words went as followed: P.S. Find Robert Langdon. Little do the Judicial Police know, that "P.S." stands for Princess Sophie, meaning Sophie Neveu, Jacques Sauniere's granddaughter who had lost touch over the years.
Sophie Neveu knows Robert is innocent. While trying to prove Robert's innocence, she discovers a set of clues that have them traveling from France all the way to London. Clue after clue, Sophie and Robert uncover the map to one of man's greatest mysteries of all time: the Holy Grail. Sophie and Robert embark on a journey for the long lost Grail. While on the journey they learn that Jacques Sauniere was the grandmaster of a secret society, known as the Priory of Sion. Robert and Sophie journey through Paris and London, meeting old friends, being betrayed, and being wanted fugitives along the way.
Dan Brown has never failed me with any of his novels that I have stumbled across. Once again, Dan Brown has met my standards, leaving me content with yet another one of his fabulous novels. With every page I turned, I found myself becoming more and more hooked into this wonderful adventure novel.
I give praise to Dan Brown for successfully throwing history into a novel, without tearing all life out of me. The bits of history thrown into this novel only had me begging to read more. Once again, this novel had made me spend my free time researching the historical events and facts that were mentioned in this novel. I found myself learning more and more with every page I had turned to. I give my utmost respect to Dan Brown for keeping me hooked while expanding my knowledge. Few novels that I have read have done this successfully.
I am aware that most people in our modern-day society do not wish to sit through a boring history lesson, but this book is quite the contrary. The combination of action scenes and history bits had kept me on the edge of my seat. I was even thrown off a couple of times with the twists and turns that Dan Brown had added! This novel is the perfect combination of action and history. Dan Brown has once again successfully brought two worlds together in one novel.
While reading this novel, there was simply nothing I would have done differently. The action sequences and the transitioning that had came to follow had moved along at exactly the right speeds. The novel was not rushed, nor was it too slow to a point where I had just wanted to drop it completely. This novel was possibly one of the best novels that I have read in my entire life. I give praise and my greatest respects to Dan Brown for writing such an amazing novel. ( )

The Da Vinci Code's reputation is so great that even the people who haven't read it recognize the name right away. I am here to tell you that its reputation proceeds it. The amount of twists, betrayals, and puzzles was amazing. Best of all were the codes, which is slightly hinted at in the title. The kicker though, is the fact that all of it takes place in the course of two days.

When I skim my local library, I'm not looking for mystery books like The Da Vinci Code. But, after hearing so much about it, I felt obligated to read it. Rightly so, because after opening up the first page and witnessing a murder, I was hooked. Not because im a psycopath, but because no mystery is good without action and/or murder.

Ignoring the fact that the book obviously contains a good amount of action, the dialogue and narration ran incredibly smooth with one another, allowing me to like it more and more every minute. The only thing that seemed to get repetitive was the fact that the main character, Robert Langdon, was held at gunpoint about six or seven times throughout the book. Other than that, I saw nothing wrong with this book, which makes me happy to give it five stars.

Reading this book was like having passionate sex with a creep. I raced through it but I didn't respect myself in the morning. ( )

The Da Vinci Code's reputation is so great that even the people who haven't read it recognize the name right away. I am here to tell you that its reputation proceeds it. The amount of twists, betrayals, and puzzles was amazing. Best of all were the codes, which is slightly hinted at in the title. The kicker though, is the fact that all of it takes place in the course of two days.

When I skim my local library, I'm not looking for mystery books like The Da Vinci Code. But, after hearing so much about it, I felt obligated to read it. Rightly so, because after opening up the first page and witnessing a murder, I was hooked. Not because im a psycopath, but because no mystery is good without action and/or murder.

Ignoring the fact that the book obviously contains a good amount of action, the dialogue and narration ran incredibly smooth with one another, allowing me to like it more and more every minute. The only thing that seemed to get repetitive was the fact that the man character, Robert Langdon, was held at gunpoint about six or seven times throughout the book. Other than that, I saw nothing wrong with this book, which makes me happy to give it five stars. ( )

When I first open the book, I could not put it down, I read it in 2 days tops! He makes you think! Love it! ( )