Did you read the DaVinci Code

[Red]

I loved it. What did you think?


I'm really interested in some of the history now and am looking for other books to help me do some research. Anyone know of any? The librarian couldn't help me!

[familylove]

I thought it was a very entertaining book! I loved the way the linked, what seemed to disparate ideas.

If you're interested in further research, I would try googling Opus Deis (very scary if you ask me.) I would also good Leonardo DaVinci and see what pops up. ( I love the internet, if you can't tell ) Also, Smithsonian magazine recently (last couple of mos) did a piece on Mary Magdalene that was, in part, inspired by all the DaVinci hoopla. They're always a reliable, interesting source of info.

I'm a little shocked that your librarian couldn't help??!!!

Let me know what kinds of interesting things you find.

HTH

[Alkenny]

Though I didn't care for the book itself, I love the premise behind it. I read a book called The Holy Grail, but it was more research behind ALL theories of what the Holy Grail was.

[alsoSarah]

Maybe try cross-posting to the religious studies forum?

alsoSarah

[LadyMarmalade]

I enjoyed it, but I didn't think it was well written. I thought it was on par with a Mills&Boon in terms of style. A good author needs more than one technique to keep people reading - every chapter doesn't need to end with a cliffhanger!

We all know it's fiction and it didn't bother me that he tried to make out that it was non-fiction, but it bugged me that he changed things to suit what he needed (ie the Lourve's glass panels don't number 666). That's a pet peeve of mine, though - lots of other books have stated incorrect information and it always makes me grind my teeth.

I'd recommend The Confessor, by Daniel Silva. Much, much, MUCH better than The Da Vinci Code (it was written before it, and has the same style).

[bobica]

i thought it was lots of fun!

[lisac77]

I also enjoyed the book, although I hate Dan Brown's writing in general. I've read all of his books, and The Da Vinci Code is the best of the lot, believe me!

I just read another book kind of in the same vein called The Last Cato, by Matilde Asensi. It was written in 2001 in Europe and was translated into English this year. It is excellent, and highly recommended. I did an immediate re-read of the book, which is rare for me.

[Red]

LadyMarmalade, well now I'm bugged! I totally fell for the bit about the 666 panels! I realized it was fiction, but I didn't think he'd make such a silly claim. I'll get The Confessor next visit to the library.

familylove I was a bit surprised the lilbrarian couldn't help too! She asked me to let her know what I could find elsewhere!:

[DebraBaker]

I enjoyed it, and if YOU enjoyed it, check out the book, Angels and Demons, I enjoyed A & D even more than TDC.

[chersolly]

I enjoyed TDC, but I have literary snob friends who think the book is junk. Who cares! It was a fun read. Now there is a whole cottage industry for TDC. They have illustrated books, "unlocking" the code books, etc. I'd really like to read the illustrated version, depicting all the art work and sites visited.

[MomInFlux]

Originally Posted by DebraBaker

I enjoyed it, and if YOU enjoyed it, check out the book, Angels and Demons, I enjoyed A & D even more than TDC.

:

[Stone Fence]

I...

hated it and couldn't wait for the movie to come out so all the hype would die down

[hazeldust]

i liked it mostly for the information it contained. it was very suspenseful but i thought the end was a bit too tidy, iykwim.

did you know tori amos is really into this stuff? she has a book which she co-wrote called piece by piece and she talks alot about this and gives alot of references to other books on the subject. i read it last summer and it was the first i'd ever heard about Mary Magdalen being married to Jesus and all that. one of the books she referenced was called, the woman with the alabaster jar, i think, which i read awhile ago.

I have to say i am totally taken in by all this. it just makes so much sense to me, it really clicks inside of me, this idea of the lost feminine, and the proof is all around us. fascinating!

[mattypeterson]

didn't like it much

[kazmir]

I splurged at Costco last year and got the Davinci Code and Angels and Demons Illustrated versions in a boxed set. It was a fun read with the pictures and diagrams right on the same pages. I haven't seen the movie yet and will wait for it to come out on Netflix.

I want to read the Woman in the Alabastar Jar and there are some references to these theories in Mists of Avalon series.

[JaniceT]

Maybe your librarian was a right-wing Christian!

Try these:

The Woman with the Alabaster Jar : Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail by Margaret Starbird
Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent
The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ by Lynn Picknett
The Goddess in the Gospels : Reclaiming the Sacred Feminine by Margaret Starbird
The Gnostic Gospels (or anything else) by Elaine Pagels
Magdalene's Lost Legacy: Symbolic Numbers and the Sacred Union in Christianity by Margaret Starbird

[ZeldasMom]

I thought it was an easy read and a page turner. A very different book I couldn't put down was Fast Food Nation, which I liked more.

About the librarian not being able to help you, try a different librarian or a different library. A good reference librarian should be able to help. A lot of libraries have online chat based reference. Give that a go.

Good Luck!

[kymholly]

I just finished this book & LOVED it! TBH, I didn't think that I would like it at all & so I put off reading it until a friend of mine handed it to me.:

A lot of it (ok... almost all of it!) really spoke to me, too, I agree that the ending had a very "wrapped up" feel to it.

I'm surprised that there aren't more/longer threads about it here, tho! I guess I'll keep searching... probably most of the threads are quite old!

[Nora'sMama]

Originally Posted by LadyMarmalade

I enjoyed it, but I didn't think it was well written.

Yeah - that's what kind of bugged me. The plot was interesting and kept me reading, but I was groaning at the hackneyed prose. Definitely not great literature! But, entertaining enough that I read it at one go.

[Imogen]

I enjoyed the book and considered it light entertainment with an interesting theory at the heart of the story... but I absolutely hated the film. I have NEVER been so bored during a cinema viewing in my entire life. I was so tempted to just get up and walk out. No, I lie, there was a Steven Siegal film I watched in the early 1990's that provoked the same reaction

The Da Vinci Code is one of those books that I thought would have translated better as a mini-series on TV, too much information was absent or changed in the film.