The Da Vinci Code

The subject matter is great, though not original to Brown. The puzzles are occasionally clever. The mystery is interesting if inexplicably revealed in the middle of the book.

But the prose is horrid. Some of the worst published writing I've ever read. Every sentence is clunky. His vocabulary is repetitive and uninspired. The plot is ludicrous. (Hat's off to a plucky museum curator and all he was able to accomplish with a bullet in the gut!) His characters are thin as paper and almost as transparent. He often forgets he told you things he just told you and so tells you again in the EXACT SAME WORDS.

Dan Brown is the consummate anti-stylist. He is almost artful in his unartfulness.

Nevertheless, I felt compelled to read to the end. Why? I show more cannot say. But there's no doubt The Da Vinci Code is a page turner. I'm sure the 100 chapters, all ending in cliffhangers, has something to do with it.

Perhaps that's Dan Brown's secret. A particularly horrible passage doesn't have time to sink in before you've turned the page and are on to the next.

In summary:
1) The Da Vinci Code is a horrible book.
2) I want to read more Dan Brown.

Do I contradict myself? Very well, I contradict myself. show less

You have to give it to Dan Brown: he knows how to write a fast-paced, breath-taking thriller; in fact you eat up the pages so quickly that you don't realise how bad the writing is or how preposterous and unlikely the plot, and I'm sure that if I had spent any more time analysing the various clues and revelations I would have been able to poke holes in them as big as an Emmental cheese. But that's literary fast food for you: it satisfies an immediate need but you don't spend any more time than necessary on it or thinking how special it was.

With The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown masterfully concocts an intelligent and lucid thriller that marries the gusto of an international murder mystery with a collection of fascinating esoteria culled from 2,000 years of Western history.
A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. The duo become both suspects and detectives searching for not only show more Neveu's grandfather's murderer but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, the mystery leads Neveu and Langdon on a breathless flight through France, England, and history itself. Brown (Angels and Demons) has created a page-turning thriller that also provides an amazing interpretation of Western history. Brown's hero and heroine embark on a lofty and intriguing exploration of some of Western culture's greatest mysteries--from the nature of the Mona Lisa's smile to the secret of the Holy Grail. Though some will quibble with the veracity of Brown's conjectures, therein lies the fun. The Da Vinci Code is an enthralling read that provides rich food for thought. --Jeremy Pugh

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No matter how bad you have heard this book is, it is worse. You cannot actually believe it until you read it. In the spirit of inquiry, I braced myself to do just that.

My husband possibly enjoyed my reading of this book more than I did, because I was soon talking back to it, particularly when the Incredibly Indecipherable Riddles started showing up. "Sofia! Alexander Pope! Apple!" I shouted, and then in each case had to slog through forty pages before the Stunningly Brilliant hero and heroine figured it out ("APPLE, morons!").

This book was mind-bogglingly stupid. I had expected it to be silly and fluffy, but the scope of idiocy evident in both the writing and in the assumed audience was far more than I was ready for. Brown is show more blatantly, openly writing for people who don't know who Mitterrand is, or I.M. Pei, or Saint Paul, or what the Louvre pyramid looks like, or that Leonardo da Vinci wrote in mirror image -- in one scene, I kid you not, two da Vinci scholars faced with the mirror image writing can't figure out what it is. Perhaps the Harvard professor hero has been too busy cultivating the perfect "stubble lining his strong jaw and dimpled chin", or practicing his "chocolatey voice", to, y'know, actually learn anything about his chosen field.

For purposes of exposition, people -- actually just the heroine -- often express ignorance about incredibly basic aspects of the Grail legend, or church history, or basically anything that anyone who's ever seen "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" would know. The heroine is nothing but an audience for the male characters' explanations, and she cries a lot. Also she is a young hot brilliant cryptographer. Who can't figure out these incredibly stupid riddles. Yeah. And the villains are crippled and albino, while the Good Guys are hunky.

It is asinine. It is unintentionally hilarious on every page. I live for the day when it gets bumped off the top slot in my librarything. No, I can't get rid of my copy - have you tried to give a copy to a used bookstore lately? And besides, I keep having to lend it out to people who won't believe me when I say just how bad it is. show less

There ought to be a maxim for the superstar blockbuster novel: The popular ones bring out a disproportionate share of dissenters. That's a wordy way of saying haters gonna hate. Even still, I can't quite believe how many people despise this book. I mean, c'mon, there are some rough edges, but overall Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code is a thrilling adventure. And, as some have already pointed out, it's FICTION people.

Why all the animosity? Do believers have such a precarious faith that The Da Vinci Code can so easily upset? I doubt it's that complicated. Rather, I think that some readers are just too smart for Dan Brown, and it annoys the flip out of them that a book so far beneath their reading level could be so widely popular.

Book Circle Reads 11

Rating: 3 stars of five

The Book Description: An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe. An astonishing truth concealed for centuries . . . unveiled at last.

While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols. As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

Even more startling, show more the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.

My Review: Not one word. I mean it. Not ONE WORD of criticism for this book's three-star rating. It is not Literature, it is not even particularly well-written farb, but it is undeniably a page-turning rip-snorting adventure story that pokes fun at christian religion. Therefore it is A-Okay with me.

Snobs: It's not about you. It's about normal people getting their entertainment from a book for once, instead of a TV or a gaming console. Why are you bitching? Who said you had to read it?

Lovers: It's not about how much you love it. I didn't love it. I read the whole thing in a sitting and I wasn't about to get up until it was done, and that's saying a lot for someone whose life list of books read includes the snooty people's snootiest books. So yeah, three-star review is a huge vote of confidence from this source.

Religious christians: What in the hell are you doing reading my reviews?! Are you daft? I won't be saying anything nice about your imaginary friend any time soon. Pass on!

Environmentalists: Yes, the entirety of Siberia was deforested to print the book in its zillions. I feel bad about that too. Tell you what: Get out there and make hemp paper (better for the environment, plus a smokeable side product!) on a commercial scale. Books will go down in price, forests will be saved, and the mellow quotient of the world will go up. Win-win-win!

Normal people: You've all read the book by now, right? If not, go to a used bookstore (Brown's rich enough) and pick a few up. It's a lot of fun. show less

Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code is a masterful blend of history, art, and suspense that delivers an unforgettable reading experience. Brown crafts a gripping mystery from start to finish, weaving in intricate puzzles and historical secrets that keep readers on the edge of their seats. The fast-paced narrative, paired with meticulously researched references to religious and artistic symbols, makes the plot feel both immersive and intellectually stimulating.

The protagonist, Robert Langdon, leads readers through a whirlwind of clues that challenge conventions and unravel an ancient mystery tied to Western civilization’s most sacred institutions. The twists and revelations are brilliantly executed, heightening the sense of urgency and show more thrill in each chapter. Brown’s ability to make complex ideas accessible without compromising depth adds a layer of sophistication to this thrilling read.

In sum, The Da Vinci Code is a triumph in modern thriller fiction—a page-turner that will leave you questioning long after you’ve turned the last page. show less