Opinions on the Da Vinci Code - SPOILERS!!!

Badgers

I’m interested in other people’s opinions on this book. I've recently finished reading it and am quite surprised by the fuss it's generating. Maybe I've been a victim of all the marketing behind it but I thought it read like a poor John Grisham and in fact was so poorly written in places that I am amazed it was published without some changes.

I'm not talking about the art history elements (the whole Mary Magdalene in the Last Supper debate) but rather the actual writing and the characters.

On one level the bestseller status is understandable as the elements of a fast-paced thriller are all there and I did finish it about as quickly as expected. However, some aspects of the novel just jarred badly as I read it. Among them the way the author tried to add in modern cultural references (Disney, Eyes wide shut etc.), it done so badly in a mock-lecture style supposedly as part of the main character's thought processes, that it made me cringe every time.

Combined with the fact that two supposedly highly intelligent minds were each puzzled at varying stages by problems so obvious and so tightly connected with their areas of expertise (not to mention intricately linked with events that occurred mere hours before) just beggared belief. The identity of the evil mastermind, while technically explained by the author, just ended up appearing too much like an attempt at throwing in yet another twist to surprise the reader.

Overall it was not a bad book, just one that is (I think) being marketed as a well written, intelligent thriller and one that I found hilariously badly written in places.

What does anyone else think?

Trojan

Interesting book.

On the one hand, I found it impossible to put down. I had to finish it in the first sitting, which made work difficult the following day despite copious amounts of coffee. I found the subject matter amazingly interesting, so much so that I looked up Opus Dei and some of the art referred to in the book.

On the other hand, I completely agree that it's badly written and the plot is simply pathetic in places.

So being undecided about it, I guess there are those two issues:

1) The subject matter is fascinating. Whether it's factually correct is another matter - google the title: there is a lot of general information available and many technical refutations out there.

2) The writing is quite poor in places, and the plot weak, but these problems may be made up for by the fast pace of the book. I'm still amazed at how difficult it was to put down. That's not a rare case either - my housemate borrowed the book and found exactly the same thing.

Al.

Badgers

I finished it really quickly too, I think probably because the whole book is set over a period of about 24 hours and the characters are constantly being chased.

As I was reading it I kept thinking of how ideally suited it would be to a good (as in entertaining) movie, along the lines of the 39 Steps....something essentially ridiculous but highly watchable all the same. However, it's probably the first time I also hope that the movie makes some big changes in the adaptation.

It'll be interesting to see how the film turns out.

I'm also interested in film version of The Crimson Petal and the White which I've also just read and enjoyed.


Currently reading the Dante Club which is interesting if a little hard to follow at times.


Next up after that is Birdsong.

thetis

Having gone slightly bonkers and bought nine books at the same time, I was saving this one up for the end and was disappointed by it also. On the one hand, the factual references (such as the art) were fantastic, but on the other, I thought the characterisation was awful and the plot extremely thin. However, I'd recommend it to friends as a train or plane book. So, go figure.

Manach

When I got this book, after the 1st chapter, it appears it is a sequel to "Angels and Demons" so I'll have to read this first?

chabsey

I read Da Vinci without having read any other Dan Brown books. It was enjoyable if somewhat overly-hyped and not exactly very well written.