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celia
I have to add--balancing some of my earlier negative comments (though the fact that I kept turning pages is highly positive and something every writer is delighted to hear)--that it was worth the reading time to me because it reminded me of my childhood visit to Rosslyn Chapel (Scotland). What an amazing place, whatever your beliefs (or lack of them)! I visited the website, and several others, and came away wishing that I had been older than eight at the time my parents took me there. Also have told my husband that we have to put it on our travel schedule as soon as possible! Extraordinary!
Barbara Jackson
It was a great read...but why so many mistakes and errors in research beginning with the title. Da Vinci is not a last name....Leonardo was born in a village called Vinci. Leonardo of Vinci.
So...."Of Vinci Code"??????
Dee
I found this to be a script ready to be made into a movie featuring Pierce Brosnan. The main characters are one dimensional, the only thing going for it is an interesting sub-plot and chapters that are no longer than five pages long.
celia
Ipa, I would not have devoted any of my scarce free time to reading a (generally) poorly written book had I not been interested in the subject matter. I have an open mind where Mary Magdalene is concerned; I think she could have been the wife of Jesus, and that wouldn't bother me a bit. I find no proof though, and I have devoted more of my (scarce) free time in trying to locate some. By the way, are you certain those books one can look up--I've now seen a couple--are strictly factual? Wishful thinking, seems to me. My point about Mary, the mother, is simply that the Catholic church has paid much attention to her, as compared to protestant churches. Not exactly, therefore, an example of the Church's attempt to eliminate "the sacred feminine" would you say? (I'm not a Catholic, by the way.) I have enough knowledge of art history, through my art historian husband, etc., to know that Brown's book is rife with errors about Leonardo and his work. Not exactly a confidence builder. Nancy Drew was fine when I was 9, but I have long since outgrown her--and that sort of contrived chapter ending.
celia
I give credit where it's due: I did keep turning the pages. But I was constantly bothered by some of his writing "tics": the Nancy Drew-ish endings to chapters, the mis-use of certain words (which the editor should have caught), and the frequent repetition of a character's name when "she" or "he" would have sufficed nicely. Brown's plotting is generally good, though I guessed some things early on, and I'm not all that clever. His characterization is poor. None of these characters came alive for me, with the possible exception of sad, rather monstrous Silas. I was bothered by errors about Leonardo and his work and I'm not terribly well informed in that area--so if I caught errors, well.... What kept me reading? Great gaps in my knowledge, I suppose. It's just that I'm not certain I was being supplied with facts. But, yes, this is a work of fiction. One last point: if the suppression of facts regarding the great importance of Mary Magdalene is supposed to represent the Catholic Church's elimination of the sacred feminine, why did the Church so elevate Mary, mother of Jesus?
Joshua
I enjoyed this book for what it is, an intriguing story of fiction. I am a Christian, though I am no historian by any account. I didn't mind the assumptions about Christ's life and the place of Mary Magdelene in it. One obvious facet of The Da Vinci Code is that it does lead to much heated discussion, which actually prompts people to look more deeply into the life of Jesus Christ on their own. As a Christian, I feel that this is a good thing.
I did think Langdon, the protagonist, was a bit...droll. However, I do not know how one would give this type of cerebral character a sharper edge, without pushing the believability too far.
I thought the wealthy, eccentric British chap was a touch more than mildly cliche. I kept getting the feeling of "been there, read that".
As far as the inaccuracies pointed out by others involving the streets of Paris - I'd go so far as to say that I really don't care about that. Even if I went to Paris, I wouldn't make a point of personal verification of these trivialities. The atmosphere of Paris, as a backdrop, seemed appropriate and added to my enjoyment of the story.
I did like the story's pace. I loved the way each section seemed to give a satisfying bit of answer, while posing more ticklish questions. My curiosity went for a joyride in that respect. I realize that most novels these days strive for this balance, but in The Da Vinci Code, I felt is was well achieved.
Overall, thumbs up. Don't take a novel too seriously. You can always do your own research.
don jovanney
This is a moderately interesting book by virtue of the subject matter, but far short of a good book by virtue of the writing. The author recirculates some long-held and largely obscure theories about early Christianity through a well-worn and often tedious thriller structure. He falls victim to the temptation to attempt intellectual standing by piling on marginal historical trivia. The book is selling well and thus giving at least a few people pause in their presumptions of orthodox religious history, which is a small benefit. But the mechanical cops 'n robbers staging and obligatory escapes and chases, along with a heavy-handed tendency to leave nothing to the reader's imagination, reduce it down to the level of another mediocre potboiler.
Reality Check
Am I crazy?
Has the world gone mad? How can people like this book so much? Have they never read a truly great work, a classic?
All I can say is that this is a nice simple book for nice simple people. I was very disappointed. The plot was childish
I think this will be a rare case where the movie is better than the book.
The plot had major potential but the book was wirtten so that it was easy to understand even by children. The characters are paper thin and many of the "twists" are laughable.
I want an apology from the major book reviewers who I suspect were coerced into giving such glowing reviews.
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