Rating: 
Summary: Nothing You Read Is True.
Review: I picked up this book thinking it would be a simplistic and unfulfilling mystery. I was surprised to find it a clever and very well thought out page-turner. The first 100 or so pages are a little slow, but after that it is hard to put the book down. Unlike some books (I'm looking your way Eco), this book doesn't have to pretend about how smart it is. Is everything in the book true? Of course not, but the book does suggest a dozen or more areas which readers can divert to if interested. I think the greatest power a book has is to inspire more reading, and this book does that perfectly.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting page turner
Review: I picked up this book with a little bit of skepticism because of all the hoopla surrounding the book. Two days later I was glad I read it. It is a well written and researched book. It grabs the readers from the very beginning takes them on a wonderful journey. A well designed balance of historical facts propels the book and never lets up. The ending is well thought out and worth the effort to get there. I really enjoyed this book and now understand why others do too.
Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing premise, lack of depth
Review: I picked up this book with the highest of hopes and left thinking the book was.....ok. First off, the plot is derivative, a retread of every dime thriller I have ever read. 50 pages into it I had figured out the ending. However, the plot is, thankfully, not the books main selling point. That honor belongs to its somewhat dubious "intellectual appeal". I did like Brown's provocative take on Da Vinci and Catholicism, but I was left wanting more of his engaging conspirary theories and less of his lackluster story. Furthermore, the tidbits he passes off as "facts" are riddled with conjecture and historical inaccuracy, leaving the reader bewildered as to what information can be taken at face value. For instance, Brown gives a figure of 4 million witches burned in the few hundred years the inquisition reigned. The actual number is closer to a tenth of that (most historians place the number between 100 and 500 thousand). He also takes great freedom with the Knights Templar, warping their origins and twisting established history. These are just a few things I found in a single casual reading, I cannot imagine what further wrongs would be revealed with a little more reseach. All historical faults aside, it is a fairly engaging book.....as long as it is taken with a grain of salt.
Rating:
Summary: It's Fiction & It's Fun
Review: I prefer biographical or legal non-fiction; heretofore, the only two series of fiction I've read are Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe detective novels and the "Left Behind" series by Lahaye & Jenkins. You can imagine why I enjoyed "The Da Vinci Code" so much. If you like history, art, religion, mystery, or puzzles you will enjoy spending a few hours with Robert Langdon.
Rating:
Summary: C + lots of hype, little substance
Review: I purchased this book after hearing rave reviews on NPR (Todd Mundt (SP?) Show). I was pretty disappointed. It's really discouraging what passes for good fiction nowadays. This last winter I read Edith Warton, Eveylyn Waugh, Chaim Potok and Imre Kertesz, really wonderful writing that touches on the human experience. The Da Vinci Code, and much of the top selling fiction, seems to me to be only a step or two above romance novels in the drug store. As a previous reviewer has said, the Da VInci code is a good beach read. Just make sure you borrow a copy. I wouldn't spend money on it.
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: I purchased this book after reading a great review. I'm glad I did. This is a biblical/archeology type mystery with lots of
information about secret societies and the art world. It was hard to put down.
Rating: 
Summary: Over-rated
Review: I purchased this book because a few of my friends told me that it's "The best book ever" and other such comments. I should have read these reviews first... Apparently, those who do not know what it means to be a great book tend to over-rate anything they actually read. As the other reviews have said, you will finish this book quickly because it is very fast paced. And it does have some interesting parts. But, in general, the story is completely ridiculous, which makes it very unsatisfying. I also find it to be shallow. If you read books for cheap entertainment value, read this one.
Rating:
Summary: Would not want my children to inherit this book from me
Review: I purchased this book because I read a review referencing it as a battle between good and evil. It was all evil. This book begins in error and ends in error. I.E.: Brown erroneously states that Jesus was only a great prophet. That Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene. That Mary Magdelene was expecting when Jesus was crucified and gave birth to a daughter, Sarah. Brown gives verbal acceptance regarding the Knights Templar's sexual rituals and referenced those acts as a form of worshipping God. Brown states that the main character is a direct descendent of Jesus. (...)
Rating:
Summary: Worth every bit of the hype!
Review: I rarely give books five stars, but this is an absolutely fantastic read. Dan Brown has provided an amazing lesson in art history as well as a compelling murder mystery which takes place in France and England in a period of roughly twelve hours.
There are many who have criticized this work for its views and criticisms of the Catholic Church and Christianity in general--a local bookstore owner said some who've returned it have referred to "The Da Vinci Code" as "scandalous, "blasphemous" and "sacreligious." My response, as a Catholic and a Christian: It's a work of fiction. Again, this is a book I couldn't put down. Religious scholars and art lovers and historians will find it fascinating, and anyone who enjoys a good mystery will find it fascinating, since Brown brings the sights and sounds of Paris and landmarks like Westminster Abbey and The Louvre to life. The grieving cryptologist Sophie Langdon and her accomplice, renowned symbologist Robert Langdon are easy to root for, but every character of any consequence (especially the eccentric Leigh Teabing) is well-layered and compelling. And the ending, while not perfect, is satisfying--there was probably no other effective way for Brown to draw this instant classic to a close. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: More twists and turns than a roller coaster
Review: I rarely read books of fiction but because of the fact that so many of many friends had suggested this book I thought it would be a good idea to keep up with the current, hot summer reading. As a testament to the fine writing by Dan Brown, I read a good deal of "The Da Vinci Code" by flashlight during the recent power blackout.
"The Da Vinci Code" introduces a large number of primary characters but the author makes them different enough from one another that following them is not difficult and the chapters are by and large very short so that the action never stops. But the book has a kind of Keystone Kops quality to it...the reader can't quite believe how inept some of the law enforcement authorities are and how multiple their mistakes are. And, remembering this is fiction, the entire story takes place in a day or two. The movie can't be far behind. I found that the end of the book was the weakest and most disappointing. Still, "The Da Vinci Code" is well worth the read and the pace will keep you turning pages as fast as the plot twists and thickens.
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