"The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown

Ok, so it took a little longer than promised to get this book review up, but, after a brief delay, it is here. Expect to wait a bit longer for a review of Places Left Unfinished at the Time of Creation by John Phillip Santos as I am still not done with that.

So, The Da Vinci Code. It has been a bestseller for something ridiculous like 95 weeks. It has got it fair share of rave reviews and stark criticism. The book has also sparked a bit of controversy. Currently, everyone's favorite Opie, Ron Howard is getting set to make a movie based on the book. Right now Tom Hanks is slated to play the lead. So what the heck is all the hubbub about?

But first, the good ole synopsis. This time around, I am just going to steal (gasp!) what was put on the book jacket. No copyright infringement intended, blah blah blah. "While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci -- clues visible for all to see -- yet ingeniously disguised by the painter. Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion -- an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others. In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who seems to anticipate their every move. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory's ancient secret -- and an explosive historical truth -- will be lost forever."

Whew. That was rough. You got all that? Good. So at first I was a bit intimidated by the advance praise ... "This is pure genius" said Nelson DeMille (no, I don't know who he is). That little snippet and words like "intellectual" and "intricate" seemed to suggest that this book is one of those that the less brainy would not get. Further adding to the smarts of the book was a big ole FACT section right at the beginning of the book. Apparently Opus Dei and the Priory of Sion are real (nope, never heard of either till I read the book -- you can google them like I did, convenient search bar located above) and the description of art, architecture, secret rituals and documents are accurate. Either I am brainier than I thought or that was a silly suggestion. The book was an easy read (well, except for the bits of French) and was even divided up into chapters suitable for the reader with ADD (not that those with ADD are not brainy).

So all that being said, I repeat, what's with all the hubbub, bub? Well, it is a good book! Like I said before, the best books are the one that make you keep reading till the end. I was more anxious to reach that last page with this one than I was with The Secret Life of Bees ... and that's saying something. The book is fast paced, full of action and best of all piques curiosity. There's a bit about Da Vinci's The Last Supper that made me pause and look up some images of it on the web. The "secrets" and information that Brown revealed to the reader is enough to make him or her do a little extra research and find out more.

Now, I mentioned before that the book has sparked some controversy (once again, a simply google query will satisfy your curiosity). Two things have stood out. First, a lot of people have taken this work of fiction of absolute truth. These people have cited Brown saying as much on a talk show of some sort. Second, Catholics are none to pleased about the portrayal of Catholics (especially Opus Dei) in the book. Do I have something to say about this? You betcha! 1) Either Dan Brown is naive enough to believe that it is absolute truth OR he is cunning enough to know that saying it is truth will spark interest in his book ... and thus more sales. Hmmmmm. 2) Ok, so Opus Dei and the Vatican don't look so hot. We Catholics ought to be used to harsh portrayals and criticism by now. I don't think we should take it so personally. It is just entertainment for goodness sakes. If it is not true, then it is not true. Let it go. At least people are reading.

Anyway, on to the last words ...

Last Words: It is a good read, I recommend it, a copy sits in my modest library!