The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is an international best seller that deals with a major cover up by the Christian church that spans thousands and thousands of years. Typically when you involve religion in the topic, it's bound to get many different types of reactions and feelings from the crowd and this is no different. I mean religion does sell right? This is the perfect example of an author cashing in on that aspect. However, when reading this book, I just took it for what it is and that is a book that is suppose to be highly suspenseful and an action thriller. Oh and of course, discovering the big mystery that is suppose to shake the Christian church to its foundation. The Da Vinci Code I can say without a shadow of a doubt, is an excellent book from start to finish provided that you take it for what it is. This can be very hard obviously if you yourself is a devoted Christian because you'll probably not like what the author says about your religion here in this book even though it's considered a fiction piece of work. If you can get past that though, this book is the ultimate definition of a page turner! The Da Vinci Code basically is about what happens when everything is not as simple as we'd like things to be. We were always told the story of Jesus Christ through the Bible as it is suppose to detail an accurate picture of his life. But what if not everything we read is accurate and that the Bible is an actual cover up for the truth of what actually happened with Jesus Christ? Everyone loves a good conspiracy theory and The Da Vinci Code cashes in on that notion when members of an ultra secret brotherhood charged with protecting some important documents that reveal the actual truth about the life of Jesus Christ are murdered. It's surprising to find out that the entire book takes place within the span of just one night. Not many authors can do this and I believe this author uses the same tactic with his other books as well. The problem here for many is that there just isn't enough time to develop the characters. Therefore, what I read from many reviewers is that due to shallow characters, they don't feel an emotional attachment to the story and that they don't care about the outcome. I usually promote strong character growth as well but I find the story in the Da Vinci Code good enough for me to give it a pass in this case. The writing is superb from Dan Brown and this I believe is the first book I have read from this popular author. I find that the book immediately gripped me right from the beginning. I do admit that I had my doubts in the beginning. Like other readers, I usually find books on the best seller list as overrated but The Da Vinci Code is anything but that. The author really sets an incredible pace and he has a knack for not giving away too much all in one go. He slowly lures you in and you'll definitely be saying to yourself "just one more chapter!". Some might not like this as if I remember correctly, it's exactly at the halfway point of this book that the exact mystery is revealed to the readers. As a thriller and mystery, you're going to get your usual doses of action set pieces and the author gives just enough to satisfy our thirsts without drowning us. What I also love about reading The Da Vinci Code is that the author sprinkles in a bit of historical education throughout the book. Those were definitely a blast to read through because typically, we normally don't relate or think about it from a historian's point of view. And believe it or not, you'll be rushing to your computer throughout the book searching for images that the author talks about. So not only are we getting a fantastic suspense thriller in the book, we are also educating ourselves in the process! Whether you believe in what the author writes here is definitely up to you. Everyone loves a good conspiracy and I'm sure The Da Vinci Code stirred up a hornet's next when it was published. I personally am not a completely devoted and religious person but I do believe in a higher being. I definitely read this book with an open mind and it was pretty shocking to find what the author had to say although many others have reported that Dan Brown basically took the ideas of what other authors/historians have written in other lesser known books and used it here in The Da Vinci Code. Nonetheless, this book was a complete page turner and I could hardly put it down! I think this might take the spot for the fastest book read in my collection.

Great read, good condition.

In the "Poetics," his famous study of Greek dramatic art, Aristotle compares tragedy to such other metrical forms as comedy and epic poetry. He argues that tragedy, like all poetry, is a kind of imitation (mimesis), but adds that it has a serious purpose and uses direct action rather than narrative to achieve its ends. Aristotle holds that poetic mimesis is imitation of things as they could be, not as they are (i.e., of universals and ideals). Consequently, poetry--that is to say, all literature--is a more philosophical and exalted medium than history, which merely records what actually happened. Aristotle was defending poetry as much as explaining it because there were those in ancient Greece who were deeply offended that anyone should create works of fiction. That would seem to explain some of the reaction to Dan Brown's bestseller, "The Da Vinci Code," that has enraged many theologians who have denounced it as anti-Catholic. Brown takes some credible theories about the early Christians, mines the paintings of Leonardo for helpful symbolism, and creates a series of codes left behind by a dying man, to create a thriller with Biblical implications. However, along the way there is a consistent and compelling critique, not so much of the Catholic Church of today, but of the early history of Christianity. The person who takes the biggest drubbing in the book is not the Pope (either one of them that figure in the story), but the Emperor Constantine. The idea that "The Da Vinci Code" constitutes a revisionist view of Christianity is pretty ironic since it was Paul's transformation of the teachings of Jesus into something more palatable for the Gentiles of the Roman Empire, the history of Christianity has been one of transformation. The big question then becomes whether or not "The Da Vinci Code" is a theological argument dressed up as a mystery that should have been advanced as a scholarly treatise. The position that Christianity fueled a patriarchal society at the expense of Mother Earth permeates the novel, but ultimately it is part of the rationale for solving the mystery, existing more as a function of narrative than a rhetorical stance. Then again, I have no problem with the idea that Jesus will always be an important historical figure, regardless of what information might be discovered or revealed in the future. By the same token, speculation about a possible marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene does nothing to distract from the power of his ministry. On the other hand, I fully realize that such a position will be regarded by a great many as heresy, so I grant that the very premise of Brown's novel will be considered offensive by a great many people. All I can offer in response is the belief that Brown was not intending to challenge such beliefs, but wanted to take some interesting ideas and creatively filling some gaps to make a compelling mystery. The key supporting evidence for this idea would be that most of the key characters take all of this for granted, so that they are always explaining rather than advocating these various ideas. Of course, there will be those who are disappointed to find out that everything in this fictional novel is not true and who will be upset that this is indeed a work of fiction. But so what if Leonardo Da Vinci did not hide clues about church secrets in his paintings? All Brown needs is a willing suspension of disbelief on the part of his readers (which may be another reason that true believers are grossly offended by the theological "politics" of this novel); from the perspective of symbolists you can "find" lots of things in any artwork from Da Vinci to Degas to Dali to Dr. Seuss. The idea that that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute is a potent one because it speaks to the power of redemption, where even a fallen woman can be saved. Opus Dei and the Priory of Sion are real organizations, but unless you were well vested in such things it would not have mattered if Brown had made up names for the two groups. But clearly Brown wanted to keep his story as close to the real world as possible, for obvious reasons. If you want to separate the truth from fiction with "The Da Vinci Code," then just wait patiently: I am sure several books claiming to do just that will be published in 2004 (and all of them together will probably sell one-tenth as many copies as Brown's novel). It would especially be nice to have a book that collects images of all the works of art and places that are so pivotal in the novel. "The Da Vinci Code" is a quick and engaging read, where the storytelling matters more than the writing, especially when we are involved in breaking the various codes and making the pieces fit. Actually, I was rather surprised that the cast of characters remained rather small, but the scope of the conspiracy has historical depth rather than contemporary breadth (turning the novel into a screenplay is not going to be difficult: i.e., no characters of subplots have to be eliminated). The characters exist to play the games, solve the riddles, and break the codes because very few readers are going to have a chance to do any of that. I know that Da Vinci wrote backwards in his notebooks and that there are strong similarities between the face of the Mona Lisa and Da Vinci's self portrait, so I was ahead of the curve on a few points, but overall I was just along for the ride (I also knew a bit from playing "Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned"). The ending made sense to me from both a narrative standpoint, especially in terms of what ending you could hope to get away with in the context of keeping the story as "real" as possible. But there is also the attendant irony, given the controversy over the book's "attack" on the Chruch, that the ending constitutes more of a matter of faith.

Great product

Boek kwam binnen maar is niet voorzien van een vorm van bescherming (zoals plastic seals etc). Hierdoor is het boek als nieuw verkocht aan mij maar binnengekomen met de nodige beschadigingen.

I am so happy I got the highest quality delivered

It's an excellent book by dan brown, never fails to enthrill us, but got a used book by amazon sellar, that's why i'm giving it 4 stars

Very captivating book. Quest for holy grail makes you wonder about it whole the time.