Da Vinci Code
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
- lady_charlie
- Posts: 1572
- Joined: 01 Jan 2013, 19:19
- Favorite Book: The House of the Spirits
- Currently Reading: Very Valentine
- Bookshelf Size: 19
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lady-charlie.html
- Latest Review: The Magician's Secret by Charles Townsend
Re: Da Vinci Code
I for one was taught in school that Columbus thought the world was flat.
Fascinating book and I learned a lot of things that are real.
It gave me a lot to think about.
-
- Posts: 11
- Joined: 11 Apr 2013, 08:15
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lydia51.html
- tiajanay
- Posts: 8
- Joined: 18 Apr 2013, 00:11
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- Happily Candied
- Posts: 176
- Joined: 22 Apr 2013, 16:56
- Favorite Book: The Stolen Child
- Currently Reading: Harry Potter
- Bookshelf Size: 0
General thoughts
I read The Da Vinci Code because I was interested to see what all the hype was about after its initial release. The time in which I read it played a critical role in my opinion of the book, mostly because it was during my personal transition from Roman Catholicism to agnosticism. After being raised under the beliefs of the Church for over 18 years and attending Catholic grade school and high school, I was at a very interesting place in my life. The knowledge I'd learned throughout my schooling and my teachings at home came to great use while reading. My new grasp of a more generalized belief system helped me form a unique take of the plot.
Sad to say, Brown's book was one of the only pieces of literature I've ever had to force myself to finish. My attachment to Robert and Sophie was lacking and I found I didn't truly care about their mission or cause. What was frustrating about this realization while reading was that I wanted so badly to care about everything. After all, many literary ingredients were there for the using: a unique topic, characters with a clear mission, elements of mystery, rich history and so on; but in my opinion, they just weren't successful when woven together by Brown.
Just 50 pages in, I remember being greatly disappointed. I thought that the topic at hand was interesting and I thought that Brown's attempt at telling a thrilling story about Catholicism's history was present, but the execution of the work as a written piece was just too poorly done for my liking. As a work of adult fiction, it was overly simplistic in form (the chapter length comes to mind) and prose. I felt as though I'd read books in teen fiction more complex and intriguing. And now, as a more experienced adult and reader, I still hold that opinion.
By the end of The Da Vinci Code, I felt like I had been led on a long charade by the book's die hard fans. The best way I can explain my thoughts is by making a comparison of popular books to blockbuster movies: Finding Nemo, being one example. Its makeup was simple in form and it contained an interesting story for people of all ages. (The fact that The Da Vinci Code focused on a controversial subject-- religion-- gave it bonus points.) Basically, the reason why I felt this particular book was a bestseller was because it could sell to, and be understood by, a wide range of audiences.
Aftermath & realizations
As low as my opinion of the book might be, I do feel like some good came out of its popularity: Both Christians and non-Christians were finally made more aware of the religion's history. The Da Vinci Code caused people to think and to perform their own research because of stories in the fictional book, which in turn, helped bring forth many truths about the religion to the surface. Throughout my early life, I had been dumbfounded by fellow Christians around me who didn't know both basic and misunderstood (or hidden) elements of their own religion. It was refreshing to see people publicly discussing the realities of Catholicism, whether they were spoken of under a positive or a negative light.
- heatherprzybyla
- Posts: 37
- Joined: 01 Sep 2013, 13:09
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-heatherprzybyla.html
-
- Posts: 51
- Joined: 07 Aug 2013, 01:53
- Currently Reading: The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- Bookshelf Size: 124
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-whero.html
- Latest Review: "The Maestro, The Magistrate & The Mathematician" by Tendai Huchu
- Reading Device: 1400699894
- Garett Kelly
- Posts: 10
- Joined: 05 Sep 2013, 14:38
- Bookshelf Size: 0
-
- Posts: 55
- Joined: 20 Sep 2013, 15:26
- Bookshelf Size: 4
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mcs1040.html
- Latest Review: "Somewhere Upriver" by Patrick Loafman
-- 21 Sep 2013, 11:03 --
Great plot, bad writer.
-
- Posts: 588
- Joined: 25 Sep 2013, 05:21
- Currently Reading: American Psycho
- Bookshelf Size: 1970
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-l-therese.html
- Latest Review: The Middle Ages by Jane Chance
- ShubhamAgrawal
- Posts: 2
- Joined: 01 Oct 2013, 12:55
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- Brexen
- Posts: 5
- Joined: 06 Oct 2013, 23:29
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-brexen.html
-- 08 Oct 2013, 07:45 --
oh and the movie was disappointing!
- soupdragon1984
- Posts: 7
- Joined: 09 Oct 2013, 03:00
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-soupdragon1984.html
-
- Posts: 36
- Joined: 15 Mar 2013, 12:39
- Bookshelf Size: 6
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-r123.html
- Latest Review: "THE WOMAN" by Tommy Morgan
-
- Posts: 44
- Joined: 08 Oct 2013, 10:27
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-feyindie60.html
The writing is well done. He is certainly well educated and well informed. I feel like I have traveled to Italy since my reading Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. I certainly know more about the Vatican. I have a better understanding of symbols from reading his works.
I have to say people around me have dampened my enthusiasm. In public that is. I no longer shout out loud how much I like these books. But behind closed doors I read them every couple of years just to remind myself there is still a little mystery to work on in this world.