The Da Vinci Code
 | The Da Vinci Code Dan Brown Date: 28 March, 2006 — $7.99 — Book Rating: |
Review of The Da Vinci Code
Well, the excitement is building. In only ten days, Brown's Da Vinci Code will be on the big screen, complete with big-name actors, big marketing budgets, and big expectations.
I won't be holding my breath.
As a fiction junkie, I am not immune to the allure of the mysterious, the enigmatic, the symbolic. Admittedly, I was hooked in the first few chapters of The Da Vinci Code. A grisly murder, followed by a cross-continental chase to uncover a centuries-old mystery kept me riveted to the pages; it also kept me cross-referencing via Google words such as: Priory of Sion, secret societies, Opus Dei, corporal mortification, the Vitruvian Man, anagrams, the Divine Proportion––among many others.
But then he lost me.
From a writer’s perspective, Brown’s novel is poorly written, its agenda obvious through its rigid dialogue and cliché-propelled plot (girl rescues boy; girl distrusts boy; girl outsmarts boy; boy rescues girl; boy pities girl; boy gets girl). Not that I’m against schmaltzy romance (see my review on Nicholas Sparks’, The Rescue), but the romance in this novel seems as authentic as Jocelyne Wildenstein’s Tiger look. The problem is that while this book can be found in the fiction aisle, it consistently crosses the line by indoctrinating the unsuspecting reader with an utterly false rendition of history––it reads like truth even though it is far from it. My primary beefs are with his account of: 1. Mary Magdalene’s supposed marriage to Jesus Christ and the subsequent birth of their child 2. Constantine’s involvement in the Council of Nicea 3. The alleged early church cover-up of Jesus’ humanity and their false claims of His Divinity4. Brown's troubling emphasis on feminine divinity (I think he’s sucking up to his wife or something)
Why is this book compelling to millions of readers? Because it delves into the unknown, because it attempts to explain through human understanding that which is supernatural and beyond human understanding: Jesus was and is God; always has been, and always will be. The tagline of the movie is “Seek The Truth.” Sadly, many theater-goers will consider themselves to be doing just that. Despite a flat storyline and flimsy characterizations, in terms of enigmas and intrigue, Da Vinci delivers. Regarding truth? Not even close.I give him one star for effort because I’m feeling nice today.
Check out these websites regarding the debunking of the Da Vinci Myth:
Investigating Faith: Christ. Creator. Christianity.
p.s. oddly enough, Jocelyne Wildenstein’s name is also an anagram for: Yelled: New injections!
Hmmm, I will have to read this book. Did you actually go out and buy it or
did you check it out from the library? Do you think it would help to read
the book before seeing the movie? Or forget the movie altogether? Or forget
both the book AND the movie?
Laura,
I recommend reading the book and maybe renting the movie when it comes out,
if at all. Personally, I don't want to put more money in the pockets of the
producers. This book is definitely going to leave its mark on our culture
and we need to be able to discuss/debate with authority.
Blessings,
Jenn
Jenn, I spend a lot of time reading plenty of edifying and spiritual books
full of truth... but I also occasionally read Grisham and I think Stephen
King is awesome. So I must admit I had a great time reading DaVinci Code.
It was two years ago and ironically, I had brought it to read on the plane
to... CBA. I couldn't put it down during the flight, then I remember
staying up very late in my hotel room to finish it! I thought it was a
page-turner.
Hey Rachelle -
So glad you stopped by! Thanks for the comments about the book. Other than
the discombobulating theoloy and history tweak, I liked it too.
i'd just like to say that i'm glad to see i'm not the only one who thought
this book was poorly written and cliched to death.
