Wednesday, January 13, 2016
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. The duo become both suspects and detectives searching for not only Neveu's grandfather's murderer but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, the mystery leads Neveu and Langdon on a breathless flight through France, England, and history itself.
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Hands down, favorite book in the mystery genre. But to assign a single genre to this level of writing would be a crime. It weaves the suspense of a thriller and the intelligence of a good mystery with an amount of religious history unmatched by any book I've read, and Brown does it impeccably. The language he uses, the plot he illustrates is the best I've ever seen. I seriously recommend this book to anyone who wants to revel in the complete paradise of knowledge that this book provides. I learned more in the first few chapters than in any other 30 minutes in my life.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds interesting, would you say the characters are good, or just the story.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you learn in the first few chapters- Deductive reasoning skills, observation skills, life skills? There have been many statements from various different groups of people that the book states misleading and inaccurate information, and is not historically or religiously correct. Have you reviewed the materials Dan Brown used as "research" to see if they are of quality merit, or if they are of biased judgement?
ReplyDeleteBiased judgement, yes, it is impossible to write something like this without a certain level of bias, but a level and kind that propels the information in way completely different from other pieces about similar topics. I did indeed question the information in the first few chapters, did venture into the valid parts of the web on many occasions, and while my findings exploited deviation in some of the information, did not remove any of the weight that Brown was trying to convey. With every book, especially this one, there will always be groups and sects of people who do not agree with the topic or content, but that is to be expected, for that is the nature of religion, nobody can ever agree on anything.
DeleteDoes Brown also focus on character development and give descriptive insight on them out right, or does he rather build a sense of the characters through essence and actions? Do you feel the characters matter as much as the mystery and intrigue of the story or are they a vital part?
ReplyDeleteOther than basic appearance description, hair/eye color etc., he doesn't describe characters very much. Rather, as you said, he uses their actions to paint a picture of who they are.
ReplyDeleteThe story is often gripping enough for me to forget about who the characters are, and I find myself thinking more about the plot than about the characters.
can you see what they are thinking or is it really just their actions?
ReplyDeleteMuch the story is told through thoughts and revelations within the characters' minds. Often, three of the characters are portrayed thinking about a simultaneous problem until one of them remembers or figures out something.
ReplyDeleteAs I reach the end of the story, the action has been slowing down a lot. At first, a series of events progressed, seeming seconds apart, and it was often difficult to hold all of the information in my head. Now, however, the objective and mystery of the story has largely been told, and I am only waiting for the conclusion to this great book.
ReplyDeleteDoes the lack of action make the book feel slow, or worth while to finish? Does it make you want to "speed read" through just to get to the end, or does everything coming together provide enough to hold your attention to get through to the end? Has the book become a struggle to read in its closure?
ReplyDeleteDo you feel if there are other books would you read them or do you think it would ruin how much you liked this book, if they aren't as well written?
ReplyDelete