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I'm thinking about reading " The Da Vinci Code ".....

Pauliesonne

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Pauliesonne
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Jan 2, 2006
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Now, I watched a documentary about the book on BBC4 last night and I learned about the book and they completely debunked the book's supposed facts, while showing that the people who believe the book to be factual, badly misinterpeted the book.

Anyway, I believe as long as I don't take it as fact, it could be a thrilling yarn along the lines of " Indiana Jones " and things like that.

So what do you think?
 
Sure, why not? I'm planning on reading it myself at some point, although I will be borrowing it from the library rather than buying a copy.

And if you've already seen the documentary, at least you know in advance what to take with a pinch of salt.

Remember, it's in the fiction section, always has been.
 
As it should be.

It's a quick read, it's a quick plot, it's quickly digested.

It's all in the marketing and hype.
 
Pauliesonne said:
Now, I watched a documentary about the book on BBC4 last night and I learned about the book and they completely debunked the book's supposed facts, while showing that the people who believe the book to be factual, badly misinterpeted the book.

Anyway, I believe as long as I don't take it as fact, it could be a thrilling yarn along the lines of " Indiana Jones " and things like that.

So what do you think?
Click to expand...

I don't know why there is such an uproar about this book. I read it. I enjoyed it. I will see the film.

But it's a work of fiction! There is nothing to "debunk".
 
I read it, to see what the fuss was about.

I'm still wondering.

One of the most pedestrian books I've read for a while, but it does make you realize how an almost cynically formulaic approach can yield amazing dividends. It was, to my mind, totally unremarkable and quite poorly written.

That said, as others have commented, it passes the time pleasantly and is certainly engrossing. Just don't expect anything deeper than a competent thriller.
 
The Central Scrutinizer said:
But it's a work of fiction! There is nothing to "debunk".
Click to expand...

But there is when the author states in the preface that things are fact when they are not. (It was at this point that I hoped to link to that preface page from the Amazon website but it skips from the copyright page to the main text)

And also when friends say "could you believe Francois Mitterand insisted the pyramid be made with 666 panes of glass?!" when there isn't that number. He tells us he's taking hard facts and working a story around them when in fact it's mostly all fiction. I don't have a problem with that as long as the author is clear about it. Dan Brown is not.

With that said...I thought it was a very exciting and fun read.
 
I was disappointed to have read skeptical commentary first. It really pulls you out of the narrative... :(

that said, it's fun enough for a popular novel.

Enjoy!
 
The Central Scrutinizer said:
I don't know why there is such an uproar about this book. I read it. I enjoyed it. I will see the film.

But it's a work of fiction! There is nothing to "debunk".
Click to expand...
quite so, however I have met several people who believe that it is fact, and the argument that "it's in the fiction section" doesn't usually sway them from their delusions.
 
I enjoyed it. Totally formulaic, yes, but setting most of the story in one night was a good move. You really do have to turn your brain off, though.
 
HarryKeogh said:
But there is when the author states in the preface that things are fact when they are not. (It was at this point that I hoped to link to that preface page from the Amazon website but it skips from the copyright page to the main text)

And also when friends say "could you believe Francois Mitterand insisted the pyramid be made with 666 panes of glass?!" when there isn't that number. He tells us he's taking hard facts and working a story around them when in fact it's mostly all fiction. I don't have a problem with that as long as the author is clear about it. Dan Brown is not.

With that said...I thought it was a very exciting and fun read.
Click to expand...

I see your point. I guess it's where you draw the line. And maybe in this case, it's hard to draw. And I suspect Dan Brown likes it like that.

But when he says there are "facts" in the book, I took that to mean that, The Knights Templar are real. The places in the book are all quite real. Jesus was real(?). DaVinci really painted the Mona Lisa. Etc...

Of course he might have to fudge a bit to make the story, i.e artistic license. For example, the Mona Lisa does not hang in the same gallery as some of the other pictures he describes. In fact, it is in a gallery by itself. So is that fact or fiction?

In the end, who cares? I enjoyed it. And the woos will continue to be woos. Nothing Dan Brown could possible say would change that.
 
As thriller novels go, DVC is pretty average. Nearly average.

If you want to read a novel that has fun with the Catholic church, try The Road to Gandolfo by Ludlum.
 
I thought the book was generally pretty good. Nothing to write home about but a fast read for a rainy day.

Try to find one of the editions that contains pictures of some of the major references, e.g., the Mona Lisa, Last Supper, Rosilyn Chaple, etc.

I wasn't familiar with many of the details of (mostly) the paintings and being able to see them made reading the book more fun.

Pretty pedestrian as "thrillers" go.
 
Look, odd-woman-out, here, but I really liked it for the puzzle aspects. It kept me turning pages, trying to figure out the puzzles. I found it a fun romp, and I didn't notice the writing was too horrible. Okay, it could have been better, but I have read worse work by better authors.

I was really disappointed in one part, though. I won't give it away, but that particular puzzle was so easy to me, and the characters spent a good two or three pages agonizing over it. I rarely scream at books (though I do shout at the TV a lot), but this was one time I was hollering.

Read it. I also read "Holy Blood, Holy Grail," about 20 years ago, and that was the book that really got me thinkng hard about what I believed, and why.....yes, that book helped me choose atheism, but it was only one factor of many.
 
Personally, I think Dan Brown books are poorly written works of fiction. There are countless books which use similiar themes with better plot lines and are written without using obvious cliches and gratuitous info-dumping that (unfortunately) will never get the acclaim or recognition that Brown has received. The very fact that it has ridden the hype-wave is sad, but hell, it's what happens.

That said, it is indeed a lazy, mindless read. I'd never suggest somebody never reads a book; if you're interested, borrow a copy and read it, by all means.

As for the claim at the beginning of the book about 'facts', I think that was a poor decision made by an author who is far too self-congratulatory on his research efforts and wants everybody to know it.

Athon
 
It's not Brown's fault people misinterpeted what the " fact " part in the book means.

To quote Forrest Gump; " Stupid is what stupid does".
 
Pauliesonne...

Yes i am thinking about it too...

its true...

DB
 
I'm quite anxious to see the film. A guy murdered in the Louvre? The fast pace, the puzzles, the narrow escapes, symbology, an assassin, a conspiracy? Cool.

Tom Hanks? hmmm. He's not the Langdon I had in mind, and I'm just tired of seeing him. And Audrey Tatou is not my mental image of Sophie, but she's such a great actress, let's see.

Lots of popcorn and a nice adventure movie. Can't be wrong.
 
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