Scan barcode
pkonno96's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
dullshimmer's review against another edition
3.0
This is my second time reading The Da Vinci Code. The first time I read it I wound up enjoying it quite a bit, but this time around I found myself less invested in the story. I was kind of surprised about this, but I do think I understand some reasons why this is the case.
For those who don't know The Da Vinci Code follows Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor whose field of study is symbology. After the murder of the curator of the Louve, Langdon is believed to be the murderer due to the fact that he was supposed to meet the curator earlier that evening, but the meeting was cancelled. There is also the fact that the curator, Jacques Saunière, left a trail of clues for Langon and his grand-daughter Sophie Neveu who is a cryptologist working for the French police. These clues lead them on a scavenger hunt of clues leading to the Holy Grail.
I think one of the main reasons I found the book hard to get into were how many exposition dumps there were. This is particularly involved in the information pertaining to the Priory of Sion and the related conspiracy level topics that come up in the book about the Holy Grail. So much of the middle of the book is describing about these topics in order to get one of the characters up to speed and in order to solve the various riddles and codes that are leading Robert and Sophie to the next clue. I can't say why this didn't bother me the first time, but I found it really hard to get through this time.
This is also exacerbated by the fact that Brown tries to present all of these exposition dumps as the truth. Now, I get that this is fiction, but Brown tries to muddy the water more than he maybe wants to admit. The book starts with a blurb titled fact, and then says how "all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate." Only his fact isn't really a fact as the Priory of Sion is questionable at best and more likely a hoax in the first place.
What's frustrating is that there is an element of truth to what Brown writes about, but it makes it all the harder to separate truth from fiction. Here's an example. There are archaeological finds known as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammandi texts, but the Da Vinci Code makes it seem like these are contemporary collections of documents and that they both contain Gnostic gospels and writings about Christ. The problem is that the Dead Sea Scrolls are from the 3rd century BCE while the Nag Hammandi are believed to be written in the 4th century AD or CE. So the Dead Sea scrolls would be Jewish in origin and not be about Christ as all. Having things like this niggle at me in the big exposition dumps just didn't help my enjoyment.
I also just didn't like the ending very much. Mainly because you have all these smart people trying to figure out this last riddle and it's a fairly obvious one. I figured it out chapters before the character did and it wasn't because I remembered it from the last time I read. It just seemed kind of stupid to be honest and was kind of disappointing when they had figured out more obscure hints before this.
All these things made the Da Vinci Code not a lot of fun to get through this time. It's okay and I don't think it was really worth the controversy it caused when released, even though I do understand why that happened. I think with the world seeming to put a lot of stock in conspiracies these days, I'm not sure that an adventure centered around this big conspiracy was as fun as it might have been when it was first released.
For those who don't know The Da Vinci Code follows Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor whose field of study is symbology. After the murder of the curator of the Louve, Langdon is believed to be the murderer due to the fact that he was supposed to meet the curator earlier that evening, but the meeting was cancelled. There is also the fact that the curator, Jacques Saunière, left a trail of clues for Langon and his grand-daughter Sophie Neveu who is a cryptologist working for the French police. These clues lead them on a scavenger hunt of clues leading to the Holy Grail.
I think one of the main reasons I found the book hard to get into were how many exposition dumps there were. This is particularly involved in the information pertaining to the Priory of Sion and the related conspiracy level topics that come up in the book about the Holy Grail. So much of the middle of the book is describing about these topics in order to get one of the characters up to speed and in order to solve the various riddles and codes that are leading Robert and Sophie to the next clue. I can't say why this didn't bother me the first time, but I found it really hard to get through this time.
This is also exacerbated by the fact that Brown tries to present all of these exposition dumps as the truth. Now, I get that this is fiction, but Brown tries to muddy the water more than he maybe wants to admit. The book starts with a blurb titled fact, and then says how "all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate." Only his fact isn't really a fact as the Priory of Sion is questionable at best and more likely a hoax in the first place.
What's frustrating is that there is an element of truth to what Brown writes about, but it makes it all the harder to separate truth from fiction. Here's an example. There are archaeological finds known as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammandi texts, but the Da Vinci Code makes it seem like these are contemporary collections of documents and that they both contain Gnostic gospels and writings about Christ. The problem is that the Dead Sea Scrolls are from the 3rd century BCE while the Nag Hammandi are believed to be written in the 4th century AD or CE. So the Dead Sea scrolls would be Jewish in origin and not be about Christ as all. Having things like this niggle at me in the big exposition dumps just didn't help my enjoyment.
I also just didn't like the ending very much. Mainly because you have all these smart people trying to figure out this last riddle and it's a fairly obvious one. I figured it out chapters before the character did and it wasn't because I remembered it from the last time I read. It just seemed kind of stupid to be honest and was kind of disappointing when they had figured out more obscure hints before this.
All these things made the Da Vinci Code not a lot of fun to get through this time. It's okay and I don't think it was really worth the controversy it caused when released, even though I do understand why that happened. I think with the world seeming to put a lot of stock in conspiracies these days, I'm not sure that an adventure centered around this big conspiracy was as fun as it might have been when it was first released.
so_casually_cruel's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
feelotti's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
carocarovk's review against another edition
3.0
for such a popular book i expected a bit more. just your average thriller and he is a terrible writer
bluejay31's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
xbyia's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.25
georgia_hadj's review against another edition
4.0
Μια καταπληκτική συνέχεια του "Αγγελοι και δαίμονες (πεφωτισμένοι)", με τον μοναδικό τρόπο γραφής του Dan Brown. Ενα ανακάτεμα απο ιστορικά, θρησκευτικά και πολιτικά στοιχεία και με πολύ δόση περιπέτειας. Βιβλίο που σε κάνει να αναρωτηθείς για αρκετό καιρό ακόμη, απο την τελευταία σιυ ανάγνωση. Πιστεύουμε όντως ότι μας δίνουν? Δεν ψάχνουμε αποδείξεις για να μην απογοητευτουμε και αρκούμαστε πως ετσι είναι, γιατί έτσι λένε τα βιβλία? Η ανάγκη να ξέρουμε πως υπάρχει κάτι ανώτερο απο εμάς αρα η το πεπρωμένο είναι εξαρχής προδιαγεγραμμένο? Οτι και να είναι για τον καθένα, καλό είναι να φιλτραρουμε πάντα ότι πληροφορίες μας δίνουν. Εξάλλου όπως είπε και ο Ναπολέων, "η ιστορία δεν είναι πάρα ενας συμφωνημένος μύθος".
libraryforspooky's review against another edition
4.0
The Da Vinci Code is a thrilling masterpiece that blends intrigue with historical references, challenging readers with its well-rounded characters and unpredictable plot twists. Let’s delve into the enigmatic world of this iconic novel: The plot of The Da Vinci Code imprisons your attention from the very prologue and hangs you over a cliff at the end of every chapter. While it begins with a murder, it doesn’t leave you guessing about the murderer’s identity. Instead, it grips you with turns, near-capture escapes, and revelations. Harvard professor Robert Langdon is urgently called to help investigate a murder with symbological evidence. From there, we’re thrown into an incredible story that expands into a manipulated battle between the Opus Dei and the Priory of Sion. The novel challenges religious facts and historical moments we thought we knew, making readers wonder if its theories hold logical truth.
Dan Brown deconstructs the traditional interpretation of Leonardo’s artistic works, reconstructing a symbolic system of the artistic and religious world. The novel delves into Jesus’ descendants, secret societies, and hidden truths. Christians, even while knowing that the theories presented may not be true, found themselves researching the claims made.
Dan Brown deconstructs the traditional interpretation of Leonardo’s artistic works, reconstructing a symbolic system of the artistic and religious world. The novel delves into Jesus’ descendants, secret societies, and hidden truths. Christians, even while knowing that the theories presented may not be true, found themselves researching the claims made.
anjcgd's review against another edition
5.0
banned in our home country. what meaningful way of seeing things.
Was part of my early adolescent years
Was part of my early adolescent years