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Title: The Da Vinci Code by DAN BROWN ISBN: 0-7393-0204-3 Publisher: Random House Audio Pub. Date: 18 March, 2003 Format: Audio CD Volumes: 5 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.48 (2899 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Much More Than A Super Suspense Thriller!!
Comment: Once I began this extraordinary book, I could not put it down. "The Da Vinci Code" is so much more than a gripping suspense thriller. Dan Brown takes us beyond the main plot and leads us on a quest for the Holy Grail - a Grail totally unlike anything we have been taught to believe. With his impeccable research, Mr. Brown introduces us to aspects and interpretations of Western history and Christianity that I, for one, had never known existed...or even thought about. I found myself, unwillingly, leaving the novel, and time and time again, going online to research Brown's research - only to find a new world of historic possibilities opening up for me. And my quest for knowledge and the answers to questions that the book poses, paralleled, in a sense, the quest of the book's main characters. What a trip! What a read!
A violent murder is committed in the Louvre Museum. The museum's chief curator, who is also the head of a remarkable secret society that has existed since the death of Christ, is found dead and gruesomely positioned on the floor near The Mona Lisa. In the minutes before he died, this very complex man was able to leave clues for his daughter to follow. The daughter, a brilliant cryptographer, along with a famed US symbologist, follow her father's codes and leads, hoping that he will, through his death, finally tell her what he wanted to confide in her while he lived. The secret society included members such as: Leonardo Da Vinci, Boticelli, Gallileo, Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, Jean Cocteau, etc. These folks really Did belong to this society, which Really existed! This is when I first began my online search.
The mystery, or mysteries, take us through England, France and far back in time. We learn about the secret of the Knights Templar, and the symbolism in many of the world's most treasured paintings, as well as architectural symbolism in some of history's most sacred churches. Of course, we also learn who committed the murder and why - although this is almost secondary next to the real epic mystery the novel uncovers.
If there are flaws in the plot, I was too busy reading to discover any. That is probably the sign of a terrific book! The writing is excellent and the characters are a bit on the super-hero/heroine side, but who cares? Is what "The Da Vinci Code" proposes true? Well, the research is correct. The historical events and people explored in the book are real. But no one knows the Truth...nor will we ever, probably. I think that some things are meant to be a mystery. With all the world's diverse religions and each individual's belief in what is Divine - the Truth would have to destroy the beliefs, hopes and lives of many of the world's population. So, perhaps, in the divine scheme of things, there are many more Truths than one. Don't take the book too seriously. Just read it and enjoy!
Rating: 2
Summary: Lightning Bolt Quickly Loses its Sizzle
Comment: One official book description says:
"THE DA VINCI CODE heralds the arrival of a new breed of lightening-paced, intelligent thriller...utterly unpredictable right up to its stunning conclusion."
I disagree. I'm no sleuth but long before events unmasked "the bad guy," I had figured out who the mastermind was.
I would rate the book 2½ stars out of 5 because it is a page turner. I read it pretty much in 2 sittings, staying up late to finish it. Being a page turner however, was not enough. After I had expended the energy required to turn 400 pages, I was left with a feeling of dissatisfaction.
An aside: I noticed that my local bookstore in Upper Westside Manhattan is promoting The Name of the Rose on the same display table as The Da Vinci Code; the sublimnal message: If you liked The Name of the Rose you'll love The Da Vinci Code. Or, The Da Vinci Code is comparable to Eco's brilliant thriller. The latter suggestion does not hold water. Dan Brown's writing cannot hold a candle to Umberto Eco's, and unfortunately, nor can his plot line.
Brown's book held great promise in the opening chapter and at times I enjoyed the writing. What I found sadly lacking was depth. Lots of facts thrown in-so many, in fact, I found their presence irritatingly pedantic. I felt as if a school professor was trying to sweeten the taste of rote fact learning, using his story line like a juicy fruit in which to hide the dry pill of factual research. Under the guise of revealing secret societies and their rituals, what I felt I was really looking at was Mr. Brown's ability to research to death-which I suppose is appropriate for a murder mystery-the etymology of words, phrases, rituals, pagan and Christian rites, symbolic meaning (albeit the surface meanings) hidden in art, film, writing, etc.
In a nutshell: Mr. Brown attempts to boil the ocean in revealing the potency of the Divine Feminine but fails to reach the boiling point-or, to use a metaphor that is perhaps more fitting for his book: an orgasmic climax. Marion Zimmer Bradley did a superior job in The Mists of Avalon revealing the Divine Feminine and its connections with the Grail.
What makes the book problematic, in spite of its grand themes and at times interesting plot? This question haunted me after I finished reading it.
First, the characters lacked depth because they lack sufficient history. We have glimpses of their backgrounds but nothing that's satisfyingly "fleshed out." The reason J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter appeals to adults as well as children is because readers sense each character has a complete history, even if it isn't presented in the books.
Second, the structure of the book peeters out. Mr. Brown starts by giving the antagonists and protagonists equal weight; one chapter for the ps, one chapter for the as. Obviously if this were to continue throughout the book, its predictability would become tedious for the reader, or smart readers would skip every other chapter if they just wanted to get to the heart of the matter. But Mr. Brown sells out on his characters-all of them-to create a page turner of plot alone. We get caught up, or served, with only Langdon and Neveu; the other characters are left far behind by about half way through the book. The kind of structure this book attempts and fails to deliver was mastered by Philip Pullman's The Amber Spy Glass, in his "Golden Compass" ("Northern Lights" for U.K.) series.
I am mainly disappointed The Da Vinci Code became so predictable. I'll give Angels and Demons a try: perhaps Mr. Brown's earlier writing has that quality of originality of thought that makes the work of writers like Rowling, Pullman, Eco, et al, stand head and shoulders above The Da Vinci Code and its author's foray into the world of symbolism, ritual and Truth.
Rating: 5
Summary: A superb thriller!
Comment: Symbologist Robert Langdon is in Paris on business when he receives a startling phone call...one that will change his life.
Renowned curator of the Louvre Jacques Sauniere is found murdered, and worse is the shocking clue found at the murder scene.
Robert Langdon is not sure why he has been summoned to the scene of the crime, considering he never met the dead man, but upon arrival it becomes clear...Sauniere has left a bizarre message mentioning Langdon's name. As the investigators question Langdon, a gifted cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, enters to help sort through the clues and the riddles, but within minutes she is explaining to Langdon a shocking tale of conspiracy.
Langdon and Sophie are now on the run trying to uncover a mystery that links Jacques Sauniere to the Priory of Sion, a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and DaVinci, among others.
The race for answers will take Langdon and Sophie through the cathedrals and castles of Europe until they discover the shocking code hidden in the works of Da Vinci, a discovery that will unearth a secret that has been concealed for centuries.
'The Da Vinci Code' is THE must read thriller of the year. This novel cooks with layer upon layer of secrets, rich detail, a creepy secret society, devil worship, and a meticulously plotted mystery. The cover of 'The Da Vinci Code' should come with a warning...Caution beginning this novel will result in the loss of sleep. From page one you are thrust into an intrigue filled thriller that does not let up for a second, it's as smart as it is suspenseful, and readers will be hard pressed to not finish it in one sitting.
Dan Brown has crafted one of the most intelligent and original thrillers in years.
Fans of smart, fast-paced thrillers should dive into this one. There is no doubt that 'The Da Vinci Code' will sky rocket up the bestseller charts and make Dan Brown a household name.
A MUST read!
Nick Gonnella
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Title: Angels & Demons by Dan Brown ISBN: 0671027360 Publisher: Pocket Star Pub. Date: 26 June, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Life of Pi by Yann Martel ISBN: 0156027321 Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd ISBN: 0142001740 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 28 January, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Deception Point by Dan Brown ISBN: 0671027387 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 26 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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