Book Reviews of The Da Vinci Code

Ignore the hype - this is FICTION after all...very interesting and action-packed story. Loved it!!!

Pure smut, but good, exciting, well-paced smut. It's gotten a bad rap from all the hype it's gotten and arguably the bad transition to movie, but let's remember that this is not supposed to be high literature in any form, nor is it to be a true account. That said, his books are very formulaic, but this is his best one I believe.

I persisted for about half its length but finally gave up. I didn't mind the pasteboard characterizations, and admittedly the plot twists were ingenious, but the constant stopping for mini-lectures was a pain. That and the continuous distortions of Catholic doctrine finally proved more than I could stand and still get any pleasure from the book.

A great read, but if you are an evangelical Christian, you will probably be highly offended. A few times as I read this book, I was afraid was going to get struck by lightning. Zap! As a writer, Brown knows how to keep the reader's attention, but, woah!, he sure isn't afraid of the moral majority!

OK, if you're on this site, you're a reader, so you've probably read this book already.

BUT, if you haven't, I recommend it. Yes, it's historically inaccurate. Yes, it's wildly improbable. Yes, it has THE most mis-matched romantic couple in any book in recent years. But, it's also thrilling, thought-provoking, and pretty fun. This isn't your typical drug-store-purchased beach read thriller.

I won't bore you with a plot synopsis, since you've also probably seen the movie, but the fast pace, snappy dialogue, and keep-you-guessing plot (though I did figure out a major twist early on then congratulated myself for it later when I found out I was right) will keep you up late reading it. I plowed through it in two days and even took it to Home Depot and read it as I followed my husband around the lumber aisles!

Buy into the hype and get a copy. It's worth the credit!

Repeat after me, "IT'S FICTION". This is a great, well written dramatic book. Don't take the "facts" as true facts, without doing your own research. Just sit back, instead, hold onto your book really tight, and enjoy the fast-paced read.

Not my favorite book. However, there are some good points. The entire story in the 100 plus chapters of the book take place in about 24 hours. This is a fast paced, easy to read, page turner that will leave the reader feeling as exhausted as if he had stayed up for the last 24 hours with the characters going through their adventures. It's very hard to put down once begun. That said, the entire premise is based on either very far fetched speculation about historical unknowns, or outright distortions of known historical facts. If the reader is not up-to-date on history, he might not catch these errors because they are so smoothly woven into the fabric of the story. Worse yet, the entire premise makes no sense.

The premise is that Jesus was not God, but the rightful king of Israel. He fathered a daughter who became royalty in the Merovingian Dynasty of France and therefore her descendants are the rightful heirs to the French Throne, but a huge Catholic conspiracy is working to silence this fact. Why?

Does anyone actually believe that the French president or Israeli prime minister or anyone else really cares who is the rightful heir of the French and/or Judean thrones? Unless Jesus is really divine, in which case Brown's premise requires that the Catholic Church is trying to suppress the idea that he isn't. If that premise is correct, so what?

Pretty good the first time around, but then I think that all his books are one-time reads... at least for me. Still, it was very suspenseful, interesting, and kept me up on a 20-hour flight halfway around the globe :)

Gripping and thoughtful, this novel is full of psychological and physical twists and turns. I must admit that I liked it, though my tastes usually run on the "modern literature" side. The tale of Robert and Sophie was surprisingly smart and believable, and despite the uproar, it is a remarkably good read.

Loved this book. I read this book in one day. Now my husband is reading it. Much better than the movie!

I love it when i read it, but i've not had the slightest inclination to read it again. The story was fast paced, well-researched and intriguing, but as with me and most mystery-thrillers, i didnt take much away from it. still, hundreds of thousands of times better than the movie.

Good but not great.

This is a great book! It will definetly keep your attention.

The book, although fiction, addresses life's questions about religion and God. Topics include the Holy Grail, Mary Magdaline, Leonardo Da Vinci and his paintings, etc.

Awesome book! It makes you think!

This was a poorly written novel. I really believe that it's reason for popularity was because it was considered "provocative"...strip that away and you are left with a mediocre read from a very self-aware author.

This was another fascinating read by this author. I didn't feel the need to read it as fast as "Angels & Demons" since I had seen the movie, but that didn't take away from the book at all. It's a story that really makes you think about things that we've been told and how history is written by the "winners" and people with an agenda. The characters in this book are well-written and I really appreciate how Langden is a smart man, but not a know-it-all, so that when he makes mistakes or misses clues it's believable. I hate characters who are the know-it-all types that I've read in some books but always miss the obvious when it counts. I highly recommend this book!

I have seen the movie several times but never took the time to read the book. I finally broke down and read it over the past couple of days. I loved it. Much more detailed than the movie. It amazes me how the author came up with this story in the first place and how he ties everything together in a tight little bow.

I have read all of Dan Browns books and can't wait to see what he thinks up next.

A gripping page turner that's easy to read with good character development.

The reader MUST remember this is a FICTION! This book was written for fictional enjoyment not historical accuracy. This is a wonderfully written, page turning book. I recommend this book to all, even those who do not normally enjoy a good mystery. The "who done it" of this book is compelling with edge of your seat literary excellence. Though the story is fiction, much of the "detail" is correct and that makes this story even more compelling. To think, imagine, see places you yourself may have been at one time. This story is also very thought provoking...would your Christian faith really falter if Christ had married? Would it really make a difference? The Bible never says Christ married, however, it does not say he didn't either. I know my faith would not falter either way, the Bible does not go into much detail of Christs personal life, only his "professional" so to speak. His ministries. He was indeed human, and his feelings and emotions where human, so having a wife would stand to reason. However, this was a fiction and must be read as such. It is a wonderful book and will keep you thinking and guess up until the very last word

This is definitely in a sub-genre that I like - mystery-thriller with secret societies and links to the past - lots of references to art and architecture, etc...
And it was a reasonably well-written, quite entertaining book.

However, before reading it, I expected to be able to dismiss all the (mainly Christian) uproar about the book, much as I dismissed the uproar around The Last Temptation of Christ (which I never got around to seeing, actually...so I can't discuss that.) But instead, I did understand (at least part of the reasons) why people have become upset. Brown has a disturbing tendency to jump from historical fact, to well-known theories debated by scholars, to complete conspiracy-theory baloney, without any transition between the types of material.
His bibliography is a strange mix of respected works and completely discredited ones, again without any division made. I have to conclude that Brown is really incapable of reading critically for his source material.

No BIG SPOILERS ahead, but you might not want to read if you're planning on reading the book soon...










Brown's main theory is that the early church actively suppressed the idea of the "sacred feminine," eliminating goddess worship. There is a great deal of truth to this. When picking "one god," Christianity (and Islam and Judaism) picked a male god. In the past, most cultures had both male and female deities. Today, most have a singular, specifically male god. This is fact. To his credit, Brown doesn't go as far as some modern non-scholarly authors in asserting the existence of some kind of feminist goddess-worshipping paradise before Christianity. However, he then jumps to theories that medieval notions of chivalry and symbols traditionally used for the feminine (and the culture of medieval Europe WAS very intensely into such symbology) are all evidence of a secret goddess-worshipping cult which has survived down the ages to the present day, complete with sex-rituals, etc... This is simply NOT true - but Brown just jumps from one to the other, as if it follows logically.

In another part of the book, Brown talks about Constantine's conflation of older religious holidays and observances with the new, Christian ones. Again, true. But he jumps right from that to an assertion that the Dead Sea Scrolls are books of the Bible that Constantine attempted to destroy for their "humanist" representation of Jesus, and Jesus' relationship with Mary Magdalene. THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS DO NOT HAVE THIS CONTENT! Argh! This is just misinformation! But it's mixed right in the with the information that, in contradiction with Christian "myth," Biblical writings do NOT ever identify Mary Magalene as a prostitute. Which is true, and freely stated by Catholics.
However, Brown jumps on to say that Jesus actually intended Mary Magdalene to take over his ministry after his death, and that Peter just kinda jumped in and took over against Jesus' wishes. Knowing what I do about the culture of the ancient Middle East, I find this to be a highly unlikely theory. A woman just would not have had that kind of authority - and there's no sort of evidence in support of this.

I could go on, but I'm sure many web pages have done so in much more detail... and I don't want to give away some of the fun parts! Overall, I enjoyed the book a lot, but I think it's quite possible to invent secret societies, plots and conspiracies WITHOUT contradicting known historical facts, and I wish Brown had made more of an effort to do so in this book....

This was a compelling book. For anyone that hasn't read it yet, it's worth a read. I don't feel the movie did it justice, but then again they never do. The book is always better then the movie, this one is no exception.

Fascinating premise and fast-paced suspense! Great work of escapist fiction, and all controversy aside, Dan Brown kept me on the edge of my seat.

Not as impressive as people have said. The writing wasn't spectacular, for sure, and the author over-used many words. If on a scale I'd give it 5/10 for an interesting plot.

interesting story but I wasn't impressed with the writing.

The mystery surrounding the death and resurrection of Christ which poses the question of whether Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and how a mysterious group has tried to block this information through the centuries.

An excellent, excellent book!

Couldn't put it down.

This book is amazing. I read it in 2 days - couldn't put it down.

Really Good

Great book, couldn't put it down.

I doubted this was a good book for over a year but when I finally picked it up... WOW! Very good book that was very well written. I would recommend this to everyone.

I love this book, read it all in one day.

Really engaging, the plot was creative and interesting

Awesome!!

Good thriller that is better than the movie.

Loved this book. A wonderful book of fiction and must read in my opinion.

One of his best!

Good fiction - NOT TRUTH!

Pretty good for a generalized introduction to medieval mystery and secret societies.

over-rated, but an entertaining read!

A unique thriller. Brilliant book. This was a book that,even though I am a fast reader, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

I enjoyed the book very much. He's an author I would read again. He writes about characters I would like to see in other books.

I know I am in the minority on this one, but I couldn't see what the hype was all about. The writing itself was mediocre at best. Anyone with a minimal amount of knowledge in history and art history would be able to predict the coming events in the story long before they occurred. When the controversy began I had heard much about how much intense study all over the world Brown did in preparations for writing his story. Where all that research was placed, I am uncertain, as it wasn't part of the story.

The hole's in Brown's story trail are vast. I was disappointed with the misinformation he placed in the story. In addition, the information he did include (forget accuracy) doesn't make sense. I certainly can't understand the monk characters being members of Opus Dei. National Treasure had more factual basis than this book. The biggest let down, Brown didn't need to travel the globe to research teh information he put in his book. He could have gotten what he needed from the internet in his own living room.

At any rate, can be read in a weekend, but don't set yourself up for a let down.

Quite possible the worst book I've ever had the misfortune to read-- its only possible rival in sheer badness is the Left Behind series. I couldn't just put it down, I felt morally obligated to hurl it across the room with as much force as I could muster. The fact that this book is as popular as it is leaves me with very little faith in American literacy.

The writing is execrable-- I wasn't offended by the "theology," but I was by the prose. The book reads like a bad pulpy radio drama, complete with end-of-the-chapter "Little did they know what would happen NEXT!" The "handsome, literate, well-respected" protagonist is clearly a stand-in for the author, who is seemingly unaware that "symbology" is already an academic discipline called semiotics. Sophie is a cryptographer who apparently can't solve a simple substitution code or recognize a Fibonacci sequence for chapters at a time.

The half-baked conspiracy theory that was supposed to be so provocative and subversive is honestly laughable, at best. If Jesus was no more than human all along, then why do we care about his bloodline? How precisely is Mary Magdalene honored by being Jesus' Babymama instead of an apostle in her own right? What is a monk doing in Opus Dei-- a LAY society? The mind boggles.

To tell you the truth, I never finished this book. To me, it was very boring and dull in the beginning and didn't grab my attention...I liked the movie better. I would suggest it to other people, only because I have heard that it was well liked by friends that have read this. I think that it just may not have been my style of writing.

I read this booked and liked the characters but it was too complex

This is the second book featuring Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon. Unlike the movies, 'Angels and Demons' actually comes first.

As far as action thrillers go, this book was good but not great. Yes, it kept me reading. It was interesting enough to keep me engaged. But there was also a lot about the book that I hated.

I understand that this book is fiction. And I would have no issues with the religious animosity and blatant anti-Christian propaganda if this book were strictly claiming to be just a work of fiction. But it's not. Brown clearly states in the opening pages that everything in the book (minus the actual fictional characters and plot) is fact. He attempts to present his fictional story around what he claims to be well-researched, documented, historical and religious fact. People who hate the book because of its anti-Christian content are told, "Lighten up, it's only fiction!" while people who love the book because of its anti-Christian content proclaim, "Look at what the Church has never told us! And all of it's true!" Brown has expertly played both sides and it seems that he has the book sales to prove it.

For anyone with even the slightest understanding of early church history (or any early history at all) they will find the claims in this book to be laughable. Sadly, millions of people have taken this work of 'fiction' as gospel truth (and have used it as 'credible' ammunition when rejecting the real gospel as truth.) Brown's hatred is obviously directed specifically at the Catholic church. I'm not sure why the multitude of Protestant denominations were left unscathed...perhaps he is saving their inclusion for a future book.

In all, if you can completely suspend all sense of accuracy when it comes to history (this is fiction after all, right?) then this book is an interesting read on an Indiana Jones/ conspiracy theory/ international scandal type of level. But the moment you take it as more than fiction, it sinks into poorly veiled ideological propaganda and the story itself becomes nothing more than a means for Brown to attempt a rewrite of otherwise well-documented history.

It's no surprise that so many books have been written in response to this one. Since Brown claims that everything in the book is true, it's only fair for others to point out the difference between what is true and what is embellishment, fabrication, and blatant misrepresentation of fact. For a solid, well-researched, well-documented counterpoint to The DaVinci code, I recommend 'The DaVinci Hoax' by Carl E. Olson and Sandra Miesel.

page turner!

A fast, fun read

This book is my all time favorite...in my personal opinion the BEST book I have ever read. I loved the controversial storyline, the art history, the biblical implications and the secret society/hidden messages theme. You may choose to believe the premise or not...but it is a fascinating thought provoking book. Angels & Demons a close second, but this is just the best. Highly Recommend, & keep an open mind!

What a page turner!

I love this book,it has twist and turns and mixed with history you don't know fact from fiction.

It's a dumbed down version of Umberto Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum".

Loved it. Skip the movie, though!

Great book although I enjoyed Angels and Demons more.

This book was terrific. It opened up a whole new way of looking at religion and has made me stronger in my own.

Page by page mystery that keeps you challenged in the complexity of the plot.

loved the concept of this book. very interesting

An excellent book and a great read. It certainly provoked thought and intrigued me enough to do further research. Truth involved or not...it challenges your imagination and your mind. I highly recommend this book.

Intriging, and mind-boggling.

Great book.

LOVE IT! I have read it several times, and still find something I missed before.

If you liked this book.... then also check out "The Eight" by Katherine Neville.

I'm sure as you have read from others, this novel is truly intense. I couldn't put it down until it was finished. I won't side with the religous fanatics about its religious questions, but if nothing else it is a good fiction novel.

Very fast-paced and full of intrigue...there is hardly time to breathe between revelations. If you're looking to slip away from the world for a while, The DaVinci Code is the way to do it.

This is a great boook. Full of action. I finished this book in 1 day, couldn't stop reading it.

5 stars of course!!!!

Great new ideas of what could have been. I like the idea of not everything being cut and dried as people would like us to think. Great book IF you have an open mind.

This is the controversial Dan Brown book. Not a bad storyline, but written like a movie script. Character development is absent, but it is definitely a page-turner.

Just as good as all of the hype, 10000 times better than the movie! An intense work of fiction integrated with intimate knowledge of symbolism, Christianity, and European history. A suspenseful read that will have you thinking.

An engaging read.

Awesome story.

The hot bestseller in a fresh hardcover. There must be someone who hasn't read it yet. Isn't there?

the da vinci code...nuff said

Everyone knows what this one is by now :).

Better than the movie, much more detailed.

Best thriller I've ever read.

Love ALL of Dan Brown's books.

Fantastic, but not such a great ending. But read it anyway! It makes you think a lot!

A good book, may not live up to the hype (depends on your susceptibility to hype. Mine = high)

I have not finished reading this book because i found it horribly boring in the beginning

The movie was good but the book really illuminates so much more about the symbolism and history behind the groups in the story.

Enjoyable fiction

While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, a baffling cipher found near the body. As Langdon and a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci- clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter. The stakes are raised when Langdon uncovers a startling link:The late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion- an actual secret sociaty whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others. Langdon suspects they are on the hunt for a breathtaking historical secret, one that has been proven through the centuries to be as enlightening as it is dangerous. In a frantic race through Paris, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu find themselves matching wits with a faceless powerbroker who appears to anticipate their every move. Unless they can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle, the Priory's secret- an ancient truth- will be lost forever.

Thriller. Takes reader on a ride through Europe. Fun to read, if you are not too concerned about the theology.

A very interesting mystery. Will Keep you reading to the end. Much better than the movie.

This is a wonderful book that's hard to put down!

Heart pounding story that takes you through a multitude of countries and periods of history.

It was a great book, better than the movie for sure and had me wanting to hurry to the end to see what was going to happen next and what the codes were and how they were used.

da vinci code- need more be said?

Great book. Fast reading and lots of action.

This is one of those books that You just can't put down!

Great book, everyone should read this.

I was disappointed. I have not seen the movie yet, but this was not a book that lived up to any of the hype that was going on.

Perfect for history bluffs. I had a difficult time persevering.

LOVE THIS BOOK! I could not put it down and have read it many times over. Trying to figure out the puzzle with Robert and Sophie was half the fun!

I read this cover to cover in one sitting...5 hours! Be prepared to finish it once you pick it up, very fast pace reading-- fun!

A fun read, but certainly not worth all the hype.

A good beach read, not worth all the hype

A very good read. Fast paced and very provacative.

Very good, thoroughly enjoyed. Quick read.

A mind-bending 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.

Terrific, page-turning religious thriller. Very suspenseful and thought provoking manipulation of various symbols and theories about religion. Reminded me of Foucault's Pendulum by Umerto Eco, but written with a lighter touch.

Yet another book that is vastly better than its movie. An enjoyable overview of material covered in other, earlier books by other authors (notably Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Woman With The Alabaster Jar), with an intriguing mystery tossed in to keep the book from being a complete re-hash. Not as good as Angels & Demons, but worth reading. I agree with the previous PBS reviewer who suggests reading Angels & Demons first. The events in DaVinci Code follow chronologically the events in Angels & Demons, and a few plot elements are dependent on that earlier book's plot.

Great book. Even better movie.

Very good book. Suspenceful. Couldn't put this book down.

Very interesting book.

Great book!

Such an amazing book! If you havent read it yet, you must!

GREAT!!!!

The book is much better than the movie.

This was a wonderful story!! I can't wait to read Angels and Demons!!!

You won't be able to put it down!

Loved the book. I figured out who the bad guy was early on but I change my mind several times. In the end, I was right but it keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I enjoyed this book as well as all of Dan Brown's books.

Loved the book. Very interesting. Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Much better than the movie.

This was one of my favorite books so far. I read it twice.

Great book. After reading this...you tend to go and study subjects that were discussed in the book. This book makes you just want to learn more!

The best book that I have ever read....fast paced. And, being Catholic, I went in knowing this was fiction.

I loved this more than Angels and Demons and I thought that would be hard to do!

I have two copies...haven't read it yet!

I really enjoyed this book. It is a fiction book and is just that. I don't believe the theories in the book but it was still a good book. The plot and suspense were wonderful. However, I really found the end lacking. Those of you who have read it know what I'm talking about! :)

the infamous book

Excellent book! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a great mystery and I loved all of the religious controversy interwoven into the story line. It was very interesting and a definite page-turner!

This book was pretty good, although I preferred Angels and Demons.

I don't care about the facts, I just loved this book.

Controversial, but a great work of fiction! D. Brown's second book with R. Langdon. Strongly recommend reading Angels & Demons before reading this book.

Awesome read

Absolutely stunning.

The mystery and search for the Holy Grail.This is a much talked about book. One either likes it or they dont.I found it interesting . It is fictional.

Really fun read!

Great thriller, a real page-turner.

I love this book. The clues and sources for the code are amazing

I loved this book. The author builds and builds on the suspense throughout the story to keep the reader interested. I found the ending a bit predictable, but overall really enjoyed the story.

This is the first Dan Brown novel I have read, and I am looking forward to reading more of his. Every single page was suspenseful.

I enjoyed this book. It was hard to put down and a must read.

Loved every second of it.

This book will keep you guessing and at the edge of your seat. I think the story can be a bit offensive for some Christians, but it's a good read overall.

This book is NOT a hard cover, but a soft cover. But there was no way to write that. Funny.

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 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.

This is exactly what all the reviews say! It is an exciting adventure that makes you wonder if it is really fiction or is it nonfiction.

This is a hardback copy in almost brand new condition. It raises a lot of interesting questions and I learned a lot about the Catholic religion that I never knew before.

Very Interesting

Riveting! Very fast moving!

Wonderful!

Fantastic! Absolutely great read.

Well worth your time.

Just awesome! This book goes into history in a puzzling way and will keep your attention!

Interesting thoughts.

Hardback full size! In Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon recives an urgent late-night phone call. A mind-bending code hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci.

great read, couldn't put it down

Not a bad read...and while I'm Pagan myself, I just don't think this was as grand as all they hype about it. A great thriller/mystery and a thoroughly entertaining read!

Good book. I liked Angels and Demons better.

Once it gets started It really does move!!!!

finished reading 9-27-05

Great read!

loved it read it 3 times

I borrowed this book from my mother, and when I was done I didn't want to give it back! One of the best books I've read in a while.

Excellent story, many mysteries but easy to follow. The best of Dan Browns books.

Couldn't put this book down!

This book is a good entertaining book even if the character development is a bit weak and the plot is highly unplausible. I still found it a pleasurable quick read.

I understand why this book has been on the bestsellers list for as long as it has. It is awesome. I couldn't put it down.

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