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The Da Vinci Code

Brown, Dan, 1964- Book - 2003 Adult Book / Fiction / Thriller / General / Brown, Dan 1 On Shelf No requests on this item Community Rating: 4 out of 5

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Call Number: Adult Book / Fiction / Thriller / General / Brown, Dan
On Shelf At: Pittsfield Branch

Location & Checkout Length Call Number Checkout Length Item Status
Pittsfield Adult Books
4-week checkout
Adult Book / Fiction / Thriller / General / Brown, Dan 4-week checkout On Shelf

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon and French cryptologist Sophie Neveu work to solve the murder of an elderly curator of the Louvre, a case which leads to clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci and a centuries-old secret society.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Worst book of the year submitted by MikeS on March 27, 2007, 10:35am I read this because another patron said, "This is the best book ever." To me, it is one of the worst. I don't care about the "controversial" subject matter. It's the bad, bad writing I hate. Also, for anyone wanting to get sucked in to a conjectural story about "Did He or didn't He marry and have children?" The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail is a much better book.

Eh submitted by John J. Madonna on April 4, 2008, 10:41am It's kind of hard to know what to do with this book. It was very popular, though probably mostly for people wanting to see what all the controversy was about than the quality of the story itself. I don't read a whole lot of books like this, that is contemporary mystery kinds of books, but as far as this goes, it wasn't terribly interesting. The characters seemed only halfway developed and mainly there for the purposes of propelling the main draw of the book, the "Truth about Jesus part."

It's the truth part that is most controversial, because even though Dan Brown in interviews will say that it's just a work of fiction, the opening page in the book says something to effect that "All the buildings, paintings, and documents discussed in this book are real," leaving people slightly confused as to what to think.

As I was reading this book, I was actually in a course about the life of Jesus, and I reckon several people in that packed classroom were there solely because they wanted some answers to the question "How could what I believe about Jesus be true if everything in this book is true?" The answer of course being, if I wrote right now, "Jesus was nine feet tall," then indeed a document now exists saying that Jesus was nine feet tall. Of course the reliability of it is quite suspect. After all, it was written two thousand years after Jesus died by a non-Nazarene no less. And that's the fiction part. Sure a book called "The Gospel of Mary Magdalene" might exist, though it was probably written in the second century, at least, long after anyone who might have even been alive when Jesus walked was dead.

And that's the fiction part, taking in a lot of sources with dubious reliability and taking them as fact, or at least, partial fact. Like I said, as a story, this book isn't terribly interesting. The characters are kind of flat, and the twist at the end is kind of interesting, but the real story here is the controversy. The least you could say about it is that it got people talking.

if you have seen the movie submitted by brittanyalmassalkhi on August 10, 2011, 7:13pm be prepared for this book to surprise you. the book explains why there are so many puzzles and has the real genius solve them (not just the high paid actor- as you can tell i was upset with the movie)

read the book. as usual it is MUCH better!

I guess you also have to like Brown's writing style as MikeS has pointed out!

Interesting submitted by smariej on August 31, 2012, 3:52pm Read this when I was in the throes of a major flu. It kept me entertained, and I liked the whole conspiracy/puzzle part. The religiosity of it I could have done without.

Mystery and suspense submitted by steveiew on June 27, 2018, 11:17am The puzzle of this book is really interesting, it keeps the reader guessing through the whole book. While some people are upset about the religious 'controversy' this book brings up, it's important to keep in mind that this book is fiction.

Good, but Not Perfect submitted by ajstemp on June 27, 2018, 2:15pm I enjoy The Da Vinci Code as a quick, easy summer read. It isn't perfect (some other reviews here summarize the issues well), but it is entertaining. If you're looking for something to pass the time, it's one I return to often.

Good submitted by Kanchan21 on July 13, 2018, 10:11am Enjoyed reading this book!

Excellent book submitted by melissahimich on July 13, 2018, 5:21pm This is one of my favorite books of all time. I love the historical aspect and the mystery of it. Dan Brown did a phenomenal job of writing this book. I would highly recommend it

Okay submitted by zmclaugh on July 30, 2018, 1:20pm This was perfectly acceptable as a fluff book, but there wasn't much substance.

Well written submitted by Pooh3238 on August 24, 2018, 6:40pm I really liked this book. It was interesting to hear about actual history mixed in with the story. And reading the words upside down being the same right-side up was really cool too.

great submitted by kevinhe on July 27, 2019, 12:25pm such a complicated story.

Well researched submitted by sangini on June 12, 2020, 2:28pm I really enjoyed the intersection of art, history and mystery writing in this book. It was interesting, engaging and well written.

Great Read submitted by patpatel3025 on June 19, 2022, 12:06am A very suspenseful book. I was eager to finish to see the ending of the book.

di submitted by smr on July 5, 2022, 10:25am di vince code

The Da Vinci Code submitted by SBNB on August 19, 2022, 11:18am I read this when I was a teenager back before the movie came out, and I thought it was good. I remember being drawn in by all the puzzles and really enjoying it. I still occasionally think about certain parts of it. Whether I would still love it almost 20 years later as an adult, I don't know.

Immersing Mystery Novel submitted by MikkiMoscara on June 9, 2023, 11:39pm I've always liked this book. There's a twist around every corner and it makes you think. Highly recommended for those who like history and mystery.

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PUBLISHED
New York : Doubleday, 2003.
Year Published: 2003
Description: 597 p.
Language: English
Format: Book

READING LEVEL
Lexile: 850

ISBN/STANDARD NUMBER
9780307474278

SUBJECTS
Leonardo, -- da Vinci, -- 1452-1519 -- Manuscripts -- Fiction.
Langdon, Robert (Fictitious character)
Cryptographers -- Fiction.