Where I got the book: I downloaded the audiobook on my Audible subscription back when The Da Vinci Code was a Big Thing, so I suppose I have to admit I technically bought it. A Bad Book Buddy Read with Crystal Starr Light.

Plot: The Divine Feminine, mystical messages, the Knights Templar, Opus Dei, secret societies, coded paintings, you name it - Dan Brown packs a Discovery Channel-load of what he gets one of his characters to call "pop schlock" around a puzzle to be solved by granite-jawed Harvard Professor of Symbology (still makes me laugh every time I think about it) Robert Langdon, a tweedy brainiac, and French police cryptologist Sophie Neveu, who is touted as brilliant but who spends most of the time playing second fiddle to Langdon's encyclopedic knowledge as they run around Europe (in about a 48-hour time period, I believe) being chased by the Evil Catholic Church, the French police, and assorted other baddies. This Europe-wide clue chase has been set in train by Sophie's grandfather who, while being murdered, somehow manages to set up a ridiculously elaborate trail to lead our heroes to the Big Secret.

Confused? Remember the movie, where Tom Hanks spends 99% of the time with a puzzled frown on his face and the dumbest hairstyle I have EVER seen him wear?

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That frown is reflected on my face as I try to figure out how in the world this novel got to be so popular. I think the answer lies in the fact that if you just give up on any attempt to analyze what DB is positing, don't worry about the writing and just go with the flow, you get a page-turner that hurtles you toward the point where you are mercifully done with the book. That's what that second star is for. And there are tons of people who love all that esoteric-mystery stuff, plus the book came to the attention of a certain type of Christian who is very easy to bait into perceiving any criticism of any aspect of Christianity as A HUGE THREAT, and the resulting kerfuffle must have had DB's publicist offering up heartfelt prayers of thanksgiving.



Nope, I'm still puzzled. On my second time around I really paid attention to the writing, and came to the conclusion that The Da Vinci Code is a truly execrable piece of prose that manages to include just about every mistake wannabe novelists are told to avoid. I particularly love the way you're in the middle of an exciting chase-around and then the action suddenly GRINDS TO A HALT while Langdon launches into yet another of his explanations. And the bits where DB was obviously writing with a map of Paris and a guidebook at his elbow, so that you get turn-by-turn street nav and a guided tour of wherever they happen to be, down to the exact dimensions of the room.

And can you say plot illogicalities? And what about the Moving Body Parts ("Langdon's eyes followed her arm to the structure ahead")? And DB's cringeworthily bad understanding of British, well, everything, as personified in Sir Lee Tebing ('twas an audiobook so the spelling may be wrong, I personally like Surly T-Bing). The other characters, even those who should have known, kept calling him Sir Tebing (it should be Sir Lee) and even, at one glorious moment, "your knightship". And he put clotted cream in his tea... please see this discussion so I don't have to go over it again. Last but definitely not least, there was supposed to be some sexual attraction between Langdon and Neveu but any time DB went there it was as awkward as watching your brother come on to your BFF. There's something eerily virginal about Langdon which, I swear, manages to communicate itself to Hanks. Never have I seen the Tom look less attractive.



This is definitely not the best book to listen to as an audiobook unless you are very, very masochistic. The narrator has to do huge chunks of the story in a French accent and then there's Lee Tebing, who got a ludicrously overblown stage British heehaw voice in my version. Then there was the pronunciation of Louvre as LOOV and Tuileries as TOOLERIES but you know, I've got to hand it to this guy - to wade through a reading of this scab on the body literary must be quite the endurance test.

As a Bad Book read, it's superb. I had to stop about every two minutes in some chapters because there were just so, so many things wrong with this book. See here for the full roundup. I did, however, fall asleep in a couple of places, as I have done EVERY TIME I have attempted to watch the movie.



Finding the Hanks images has been about the only thing that's kept me going through this review. The success of this loose stool of a novel remains one of the Great Mysteries of the Age.

Pure brilliance!

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Ladies and gentlemen I am before the more complicated review that I have to write, and quite possibly will generate the rejection of much of the Goodreads community. First of all, I apologize to everyone who put him like to my review, thinking that he would him the book of the "Da Vinci Code" a good note. I must admit, that you underestimate to the "Da Vinci Code" thought that a book was very bad, and have come to realize that it is one of the worst books I've ever read. Of course my relationship with this book began long ago, when this book getting hits and had success without any reason. . Everyone seemed to feel fascinated by this book. As I knew, that this book was bad I did know, but I found the misunderstanding of people, who want more my friends. That even though I well informed, despite not having read told me that the book was great, when I retorted them telling them of the numerous historical errors told me, but you have tests, although I would have had them no one would have believed me. This is the first phase the second began when I arrived at Goodreads. I thought that this book would be a short-lived, and would soon be forgotten, but me. So, that most hurt me by misfortune was that large number of Catholic and Christian users put him four, and five star. This review there is to be understood only as a criticism only this book, but certain literary phenomena praised by the public, or which are backed by lobbyists, which we will call the new world order. Is very difficult, which I can understand these people (I apologize to those people who asked me friendship and who does not accept, know now because he does not accept them as friends on Goodreads. Anyway, do not reject their friendship, just not accept them as friends, but, although did not accept them as friends for that reason can follow me, and also write me whenever they want. I will reply to them always with respect, and affection). In this case as the criticism can be long (my intention is to not pass six pages, but I don't think you get it, I will just share links of unknown writers). As a user told me I know that I have all lost, that the books of Dan Brown have triumphed, and has earned a lot of money. If people have not paid attention to the wise words of Anthony Esolen, Amy Welborn, Carl E. Olson, Sandra Miesel, and Michael Coren much less it will lend me a unknown user of goodreads, but as G.K. Chesterton says "there is nothing closer to paradise to win a battle that was believed lost". I do several things first thing is to thank a person who I play, it gave it is true, that she is a fan of this book, and unfortunately not going to like anything that I'm going to say about the book. I hope that you will forgive me for what I say. That which is not worth me the excuse that has been given, that it is true that the book is bad, but intrigue is very good. It has not affected my faith (congratulations, but to others, if occurred them), what he says is a lie, but it also says them. Gentlemen I believe, that is the truth with touch without offending anyone. To me I'm not worth the slogan of the daughter of Fu Manchu "of telling me lies, but tell them to me with sweetness" I would recommend them to read a story by g. k. Chesterton "Curse of the golden cross" because it is the key to everything. Summary it is the story of a murderer, who wants to become a relic, and is disguised as priest and tells a story based on newspapers and novels. That, is what makes Dan Brown guided by the ideology of the new world order, it is inoculated into the reader the politically correct. The first scene of the book shows how bad writing that is. There are times when you do not know, where are each character, and you lose. That, drive very few characters (Langdon, Sophie Neveu, Sauniere, Bezu Fache, Vernet, Silas, Aringarosa, Remy, the editor of Langdon, Remy, Sir Leigh Teabing, and some more police, and still doesn't move them.) The action scenes are very badly written, so that they seem to have died, and then come back, nor I have the temporal structure of the book is very clear to me. The action scenes are very badly written, so that they seem to have died, and then come back, nor I have the temporal structure of the book is very clear to me. A character is in a place, and in some pages will appear in another scenario) I am not a fan of Opus Dei, but it is that Brown says a number of untruths, which, if I ever doubt entered as cash, and read this novel would no doubt enter. None of that tells Mr Brown is new. His sympathetic albino (Silas). It seems to have come out of "The monk" M.G. Lewis. He drinks deeply anti-Catholic books, like good descendant of the Mayflower pioneers. Attacks on Opus Dei are not new, other writers anti-Catholic as Sue in "The wandering Jew", the own Stendhal "Red and black" in Spain we have the case of "A.M.D.G." have already seen how these books were used to attack the Jesuits. Opus Dei has already suffered attacks on its inception in a play inspired in "The Tartuffe" was an attack on Opus Dei. The own Morris West in his penultimate novel "Eminence" part of the plot was to blame the crimes of the dictatorship of Videla Opus Dei. Criticism as excess money, or that they favor among them are more legitimate, but I am in profound disagreement with Mr Brown, they used mescaline, to cause hallucinations, using hair to whip himself (I doubt, that someone use them), and that they bought the acquiescence of the Vatican, and also deeply at odds with the subject of women. There is no regular order of Opus Dei. Another thing, they are not terrorist, and you too has raised the level of influence in the Vatican. As to brainwash other groups I can think of things like the Nmivix that sect, who kidnap women, and prostituted them covered by Hollywood (in fact I am a lover of film, but not the current ideology of Hollywood. We saw in the 1950s, it fell into the McCathysm. It was somewhat contentious, but logical, considering that this ideology has killed 100 million people and is still killing. . The paradox is that we have gone to the extreme opposite in such a way is that if you're not on the left you can do movies, and have seen their bullying recently when Disney which you talked about in his novel, and Netflix threatening mafia way not roll in Georgi a, and Alabama but withdraw their pro-life bills. Mr Brown seemed to me, what he said the Disney was stupid, but seeing as it is attacking what has filled you with money the family unfortunately I assume, that at that point he was right. True, if in the dialogue that Bezu Fache and Langdon have speaking of as misrepresents Hollywood reality why it has allowed them to adapt her novels? Let us be honest Hollywood only makes movies for half of the population, and one feels now when he leaves a room of cinema as John Smith "The Brave new world"), and as soon as that may be Catholic terrorists again returns to wrong religion. Or the anvil which is the most extreme is terrorist). Another thing that has displeased me book is Mr Robert Langdon, certainly seems a conceited playboy, and with excess of libido (said that he was inspired by Indiana Jones, but Dr. Jones starts skeptical, and at the end just believing). One of the scenes that has most displeased me book is during the investigation. It is the intelligent who is Robert Langdon, and the fool who is the Catholic Bezu Fache is a mixture of bad of Watson-Closseau, to show the ignorant, and stupid, that we are Catholics. Saunieré leaves a message and already Fache this thinks Langdon is guilty, lousy method of detection. Note that does not know you, how the police. Sometimes the author echoes its provincialism, and their ingrained prejudices, as when in page 29 accused the French of being sexist. I see, that you don't know French women, who are the most liberal of the Earth. Mr Brown, who do not agree as the Me Too, unlike us does not convert the French male chauvinists, but a people with common sense, who rejects the NOM. It is not that he is a very religious people. In fact, since the third Republic France is a secular country, but perhaps because they have seen the ears with may 68 Wolf, now is they have transgressed (However, today the most interesting countries of this decrepit Europe are Hungary, and Poland). Page 52, Mr Brown shows his perfect ignorance, that thing most improper of which may be one of the best universities, as Harvard (where you studied. Certainly, to universities or general studies were created by the sexist Catholic Church) Easter Seals have nothing to do with the Ku Klux Klan. Then you sell us the image of the goddesses, I recommend to read another account of the great "The eye of Apollo" Chesty. The recently deceased Gene Wolfe understood better than you paganism and in one sentence of his novel "A soldier of the mist" captured its essence. If you knew something of paganism, he would know that in reality to the priestess of Astarte and Istar should exercise sacred prostitution. That is what you want our women to become prostitutes. Mr Brown Christianity ended with paganism, as the official religion, but my view did more harm authors as Carneaces Democritus, Epicurus, Aristofenes, Lucretius, Catullus, who laughed at the gods, in such a way, that already the people did not believe in them. Despite the attempt, that made Augusto reform Customs failed, and until the second century they had to prove certain philosophies as stoicism. The problem is that we try to imitate bad paganism and not to the virtuous as of Cornuto, Epictetus, Traseas, Iamblichus. If you read the Iliad, you will notice that the behavior of the gods gives embarrassment. These gods do not deserve to be worshipped. But yet I prefer to the virtuous Pagan, which, to the skeptical pagano, who no longer believe in their gods. Neither ran so they should have recourse to solar deities, that associated as the imperial cult, but of course, if fall emperors, as the imperial authority weakens. Let us be sincere Mr Brown. Today is recalled to Rome, and the Roman Empire because Christians, since those citadels preserved his legacy, and saved texts. Own Chateaubriand in 'The genius of Christianity' shows the superiority in the art of Catholic art against the pagan https://www.goodreads.com/series/1129... as Leonard Da Vinci I disagree with you and Mr Isaacson. I do not deny his homosexuality, but I doubt that as much as the Renaissance is anthropocentric, you worship nature, and rise the classic, yet was still Christian. So Leonard Da Vinci could not be the creator of the Priory of Sion, which is of the Decade of the 50s of the last century. Here we have the real Leonardo. Oh, by the way, that cupcake is not Madeleine, but San Juan Evangelista, and if you don't believe me look at the San Juan Bautista https://www.religionenlibertad.com/cu... The Sacre Couer, is not exotic, but neoclassical style in particular influenced by Byzantine architecture, which influenced Islamic art. On page 158, the Inquisition did not write El Maellus Maleficarum, but two German Dominicans were Kramer and Spranger. It must be said, in Germany there was no Inquisition since in 1236 Bishop Conrad of Marburg was killed. The paradox is that, in Spain, and in Italy where if had Inquisition, despite literature, there was almost no processes of witchcraft, and in countries, where there was who had more processes (not to mention that at the end were Protestants who ultimately burned more Witches). Would recommend you this book "Brief history of the Inquisition" of José Ignacio de la Torre https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... because unlike you, I do not recommend to psychologists and UFOlogists, but historians of truth. By the way, that the Inquisitor, who instructed the process of Zugarramurdi Alonso Salazar and cold. He came to admit, that he did not believe in witchcraft, so the Inquisition, almost not pursued witches, and was a guarantee for a process and a fair. By the way, read a history of the crusades in conditions (here I recommend some historians, Steven Weidenkopf, Thomas F. Madden, Jonathan Riley Smith, Ashbridge and Stephen Runciman, because if not I'm going to think, that Sir Leigh Teabing, and his Robert Langdon them) they gave the Chair in a raffle. Godfrey was not King of Jerusalem, but defender of the Holy Sepulchre. Oh and the Latin King of the second Crusade was not Baldwin II, but his grandson Baldwin III. In addition, I, I'm a big fan of the Crusades, I always thought in my ignorance, that they were to free the Holy places of the Turks, and to defend our Byzantine brothers, and not to protect the memory of the Magdalena. In addition, to me, I love how you change responsibilities Felipe IV and Pepin of Heristal finished with the Templars, and Dagoberto is killed, and make that the Church supports them, and you think that it is the Church who does it. But, how it will help the Church with a King, who contract to a villain, for slapping Pope Bonifacio VIII?) Pope Clement V wasn't inductor, a puppet named by King Felipe IV for their purposes. Oh also the Popes in France were at that time, and not in Rome. As for the Pope, already Zevaco invented that, and Katherine Neville was ahead of you with the cupcake in his novel "The magic circle". In terms of the divinity of Christ all the fathers of the Church Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Tatian, Saint Clement of Alexandria, origins, and Tertullian defended it. Therefore, it wasn't a Constantine caprichito, and what was decided in Nicea, is not whether Christ was God or not. In that were agreement all Catholics and Arians, but if Christ was the son of God, or not. No one doubted his divinity, and the books were already determined. The Gospels of Philip and Mary, you cite, on the contrary, apart from very misogynist. Since they make cupcake man. As for the idea that Christ is not God, I will paraphrase C.S Lewis ' call you crazy, blasphemous, or you kneel, and worship him as a God, but not to consider a teacher of morality, because that is what is not " . Those ideas, apart from that are labels, like the world. Renan, had already proposed it and Gnosticism Anatole France. Precisely the reason, why those books were discarded was due to that they wrote in late, and also instead of emphasizing the humanity of Christ, enhanced his divinity. What the spouse of Christ, already occurred to the great, although a little unorthodox Anthony Burgess and not married to Christ, cupcake, but with such a Sarah, that Sir Leigh Teabing became his daughter. As for what's the lineage Benjamite is telling me, that Madeleine is a descendant of King Saul. I see it, difficult, since except for Mefibal all descendants of Saul were killed. In addition, without sin, you snob, and classist. We live in a democracy, who cares which one is son of King. But, what a coincidence that the descendants of the Magalen praises, and emparenten with the lineage of the Merovingians, just highlight Merovech, Clovis, Chlothar. By the way, that they were known for their religiosity, and not worship the great goddess. That leave it to Robert Graves. It was also the last King Chilperic II. Please read this book "Stories of the Merovingian times" https://www.iberlibro.com/buscar-libr... by the way, you will know which was on the verge of going to pique that dynasty, by a civil war between two women, Fradegunda, and Brunequilda. Thus I could not it as an example of how wonderful female. By the way, feels that we are like the bonobo, and that here everything arranged with sex. Man is a social animal capable of controlling his emotions. The Church does not pursue sex, they condemned the abuse, or lack of it, many heresies were banned by condemning it. The Miss Neveu sees his Grandpa behaving as a satyr, but be lenient with him, because it serves to the goddess, and the eternal feminine. Mr Brown, will pay for treatment to people who suffer venereal diseases with the benefits of his novels? Because you said them, you have to imitate Tom Cruise in Eyes Wide Shut. Everything has a risk, and it does not seem right that you us to convert in a satyrs and nymphs. Also have seen the negative effects of pornography, and as it is destroying families? I know what I mean, because I suffer this addiction. By the way, even if you consider it a trickery, don't think, that this rather than congratulate Neveu, not have nor idea of theology, and more when you passed by the mouth of his characters quoting Bible verses. Now let's get to what less I liked the final part which has seemed so cowardly as the inheritance of the wind. At the end is getting into my church policy, and makes what the NWO wants. That is, the progressive to become. It is sad, but in my opinion it is sad, that the alleged villain Aringarosa is right. The keys of the faithful have been due to modernism, and progressive trends. Much of the paedophilia scandals have since little suitable for that Ministry, the famous levada walks people have gotten thanks to the Liberals. What I say is false, you look at the case of the Anglican Church. He did everything that requests that the Catholic, and is now a relic. In addition, those people loves very much power, very little belief in God, and I don't have a church dominated by the new world order. No more interference from the secular power in the Church please. No sincere Catholic goal on its lists referring to Pope, Bernini, and William Shakespeare. This It is as in "Cold fire" as Holly Thorne, that chance that all geniuses of mankind were the Priories, also Christian Newton, I tell him, that he did not believe in the eternal feminine. It is not necessary to be the Club Bilderberg, Freemasonry, nor the Skulls and Bones there are more cults, but only the wealthiest people. The real conspiracy is that cupcake is married to Jesus, and our Church has lied to us, but a group of plutocrats use to this gentleman, to submit to its control, and change the domain of our Church by nothing benign tyranny of some Gates, Soros, Rockefeller, Ford, plutocrats that chance, that those are the ones who dominate the world, and no one attacks them. Precisely, I do not think that the worst book of Mr Brown is this. In "Angels & demons" prequel it this, I said, that the Church could exist, provided that the NOM be progressive. In "Inferno" shows us the requests of the plutocrats. Not to have children, because if not shall the world.. Instead of opening the dead would have been more useful, as the journalist Pablo J. Ginés holds a Marshall plan for the countries of the third world already in 'Origin' commitment to atheism. Unfortunately I think, that his following novels will try to make to humanity (my friend Alfonseca and I talk a lot of the Antichrist. I believe that a person, and he will be an ideology, his theory is true. This would be the Antichrist. The solution is not to ban books like these, nor burn them, but read good books, or do not wish Mr Brown the fate of Salman Rhusdie. This it was talking to Manny and Madeleine people who has free will, not should be banned anything but against bad books I recommend to read good books. In a post I'll recommend some, but they are the di in my review of "King receives" who want to can order me the complete list https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ). I am not a fortune teller, and can't predict the future, but there will come a day that books like these will be relegated to oblivion. This book will not survive the passage of time.

یچیزی که همیشه سوالم بوده اینه که چقدر احتمال داره چیزایی که ما به عنوان نماد مخفی توی نقاشی، شعر یا معماری پیدا میکنیم واقعا عمدی کار گذاشته شده باشه و اتفاقی نباشه؟ ما اینجا نشستیم و داریم میگیم اوه آره؛ این حتما یه نماد سرّیه که داوینچی با ظرافت تمام توی این تابلو پنهان کرده و داوینچی ازون دنیا انگشت به دهان مونده که اینا چی دارن میگن ؟!
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خوندن این کتاب برای من جالب بود، به عنوان کسی که کاملا بی‌طرفانه به تئوری های براون درباره مسیحیت و کلیسا گوش میدادم میتونم بگم که حرفهاش منطقی به نظر میومدن. دوست داشتم کتاب کوتاه تر بود و خیلی قسمتای "اضافی" کتاب که شامل تکرار یسری حرفا بودن حذف میشد. جام مقدس نمادی از مریم مجدلیه ست ، راستی یادم رفت بگم که جام مقدس درواقع نمادی از مریم مجدلیه ست، حالا که بحثش شد باید بگم جام مقدس نمادیه که برای مریم مجدلیه به کار میره. We get it sir, let go

n  **3.5 stars**

“History is always written by the winners. When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books-books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe. As Napoleon once said, 'What is history, but a fable agreed upon?”n

Dan Brown has written quite a few books over the years, and I know the years are past when he was my favorite author (probably for being amongst the selected handful I had read)…but this one still has a place quite close to my heart. I can’t think of a more definitive reason, except that I had read it in one sitting

Caveat Academics!!!
I won't belabor the obvious, as it's been done quite well by other reviewers, but I just couldn't stand not to add my own "hear hear!" to the fray. If you're going to create a character who is an expert, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure you check your facts! Whoever edited this drivel ought to be sewn in a sack with a rabid raccoon and flung into Lake Michigan.

And just as a matter of good taste - your expert should not be an expert in everything under the sun. That's one of the hallmarks of poor writing.

Even if I were not a practicing pagan, I would find it stretching credibility that every single item the characters run across is a symbol of goddess worship. Five pointed star? Goddess worship. Chalice? Goddess worship. Porcelain toilet bowl? Goddess worship. Pilot ball point pen? Goddess worship. You get the general idea. Not only is every item part of the mythology of the divine feminine, but every number is also part of the divine feminine. Hello? Is a cigar NEVER just a cigar?

And some of the claims of symbolism are just plain wrong, as the editor would have found out if he'd bothered to do some fact checking. Remember those military chevrons that, because of the way they were pointed, represented the female divine and those poor slobs of soldiers had been running around all these countless centuries with goddess symbols flaunted on their uniforms without knowing it? The only problem with that premise is that the chevrons facing in their current direction is relatively recent - according to my military historian husband, they faced the OPPOSITE direction for quite some time before being reversed (for what reason, I have no idea...unless the generals all got together and decided they didn't have quite enough goddess symbols on their uniforms and needed it fixed post haste).

My theology professor ended up traveling around the country giving talks about this book to thousands of interested people. He loves the book if only because he's now giving pretty much the same information that he used to give to dozing freshman and sophomores to packed theaters of interested listeners. He tells a story about being somewhere in southern Ohio and making a joking remark about the celice being something that all Catholics wore and how now the secret was out, and there was a lady in the back row who elbowed her husband and said "See? I told you so!" The increased interest in history is about the only positive thing that's come out of this book. Honestly, you don't need to make anything up about the Catholic church to point out that it's been the source of some horrible things.

I could go on about the poor research and editing in this book, but others have done a pretty thorough job of finding the problems with it.

If you want a decent page turner, go for it. If you want something well researched and accurate, give this one a big ol' pass.

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"كثيرون هم الذين اتخذوا من الأوهام
والمعجزات الزائفة وخداع البشر تجارة لهم"
-ليوناردو دافنتشي
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قد يستغرب البعض من كوني أعيد قراءة رواية شيفرة دافنتشي للمرة الثانية، فيسألني سائل: أولستِ تعرفين نهاية الرواية وتعرفين هوية الشخص الذي يُسيّر أحداثها، فلماذا تعيدين قراءة "رواية محروقة النهاية"؟ فأجيب: بلى أعرفه، وأكثر ما يهمني ليس الشخص الخفي أو الغامض وحل اللغز وإنما يهمني بشدة الفكرة التي تتناولها هذه الرواية والرحلة الشاقة في كشف الرموز والأحاجي، والسفر في التاريخ. فلا بأس من إعادتها ما دمت أشعر بنفس التشويق والإثارة في معرفة خبايا الماضي البعيد.

تبدأ الرواية في متحف اللوفر في باريس، حيث تقع جريمة قتل غريبة، ويتم استدعاء أستاذ الرموز في جامعة هارفارد، روبرت لانغدون لمساعدة الشرطة الفرنسية في حل لغز تلك الجريمة. وهنا تبدأ الأحداث، فتظهر الرموز الخفية في بعض الأعمال الفنية التاريخية، وتظهر جمعيات دينية سرية غامضة، وجرائم قتل متوالية، وأسرار وأساطير من الماضي البعيد للبشر، ذلك الماضي الخفي المكتوب بالدم والنار، فتغرق بدوامة من الأحداث المتسلسلة المشوّقة والتي تحبس الأنفاس. تزور متاحفًا وقصورًا وأضرحة وكنائس، وتتأمل لوحات فنية تخفي في أعماقها أسرارًا مخيفة، نعود إلى تاريخ المسيحية القديم، صلب المسيح ومريم المجدلية، الحواريين، الأناجيل، الإمبراطور قسطنطين، الأنثى المقدسة في الديانات القديمة، والكثير الكثير من الأحداث والأساطير. لن أكشف أحداث الرواية حتى يتسنّى لكل من لم يقرأها بعد أن يغرق بهذه التحفة الرائعة.

تبقى الأسرار أسرارًا ما دمنا لم نعرف الحقيقة بعد، وربما لن نتمكن من معرفتها قط.
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السلام لروح مريم المجدلية


رواية ممتعة إلى حد لا يمكن وصفه.
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Believe it or not, my BOSS lent me this book. He said it was so great that I HAD to read it, and he pressed it into my hands. I said thanks in surprise, because that was about as personal as my boss ever got. well, imagine the awkwardness when I didn't really like the book. what do you say to the man who signs your paychecks when you think his book is nothing more than a creative version of what I call the man's romance novel--boring, average man (okay, in this book very smart--but not special looking) finds incredibly beautiful and often smart woman to follow him through thick and thin and all manner of ludicrous plots and danger for some unknown reason. It's just a religious conspiracy version of the Bourne Identity or any other book like that. What average guy wouldn't love to believe that a hot woman would follow him around, as he impresses and saves her from all kinds of dangers.
except I don't get much out of that myself, not being a guy, and I didn't think there was much to the whole plot of religious conspiracy, having majored in Biblical studies in college, and knowing how hokey and unrealistic some of this stuff is. and don't even get me started on weak arguments and faulty logic. (SPOILER ALERT: "don't worship Jesus because He was a normal guy who married a woman and had a kid--no, but go ahead and pray to his fully human wife who's DEAD!" yes, clearly a good argument.)
but, hey, my boss likes Jennifer Aniston a lot too, and she doesn't do much for me either. ;)

L’UOMO DI VITRUVIO


Il film omonimo è diretto da Ron Howard. È stato un grande successo paragonabile a quello del libro, che ha venduto oltre 80 milioni di copie.

Parigi, il Louvre, un dipinto di Caravaggio, probabilmente La morte della Vergine, un vecchio ferito a morte, allarme che scatta, grate di ferro che scendono, l’assassino che rimane fuori e sembra non riuscire a completare l’opera, il vecchio si denuda e stende per terra per assumere la posizione del celebre Uomo vitruviano di Leonardo da Vinci, che tutti quelli che usano l’aeroporto di Fiumicino hanno imparato a riconoscere. Quando arrivano i soccorsi è troppo tardi, il vecchio è passato a peggiore vita. Ma ha lasciato un testamento prezioso scritto col sangue, alcuni numeri e il nome di Robert Langdon.
Un inizio al Fulmicotone.


Robert Langdon è Tom Hanks, la giovane alle sue spalle è Audrey Tautou.

I vangeli apocrifi, i rotoli del Mar Morto, Maria Maddalena incinta sotto la croce che sposò Gesù resuscitato, una setta con duemila anni alle spalle per custodire il mistero del Santo Graal, i Templari, l’Opus Dei, Merovingi, Priorato di Sion, codici vari, simbologia (il protagonista, Robert Langdon, è celebre proprio per la sua capacità di interpretare segni e simboli), e molto altro, con ritmo incalzante, mozzafiato, mescolato agitato e frullato.


Il film è uscito tre anni dopo il romanzo, nel 2006. Il Louvre, come nel libro, è un set importante.

Per quanto Dan Brown lo presenti come basato su fatti storici reali, documentati e comprovati, e per quanto si sia fatto a gara invece a demolirli e contraddirli, risultano coerenti e verosimili; per quanto io lo abbia a suo modo divorato steso in spiaggia ad evitare l’ombra; e per quanto sia rimasto affascinato per il tempo della lettura – e solo per quello, non un attimo dopo – dal ritmo, dal montaggio alternato, da descrizioni , snodi drammaturgici e colpi di scena, al momento di chiuderlo e metterlo via mi sono accorto che stavo sorridendo e non avevo creduto in nulla di quanto avevo letto.
Opera di pura immaginazione e fantasia.
Alla quale purtroppo manca anche un minimo pizzico di ironia, che avrebbe potuto renderla memorabile: al contrario, è romanzo che si prende dannatamente sul serio.


Il cattivone è un attore che mi piace molto, ma riesco a vedere troppo poco: Paul Bettany.

are u kidding me is this shit fukken real… I need to talk to a historian or something neow

Every summer I tend to enjoy reading action and adventure thrillers. The genre seems perfect for the hot weather outside as all of the action builds to a heated crescendo. Last week I participated in a diary called the Pepys Project in one of the groups I am part of, the reading for pleasure book club. The diarist relays pertinent literary information on a daily basis to ones peers. It happened that author Dan Brown celebrated a birthday last week, and as I had never read his best selling DaVinci Code, the diary reminded me that the summer was a good as time as any to partake in this thriller.

World renowned Harvard professor Robert Langdon is in Paris to deliver a lecture about his latest findings in cryptic symbology. As Langdon addresses his speech, nearby at the Louvre museum an albino monk on orders from his teacher brutally murders curator Jacques Sauniere. These two events are not mere coincidence as Sauniere had been planning on meeting with Langdon later in the evening. As he lay dying, Sauniere penned cryptic codes to both Langdon and his granddaughter Sophie Neveu. It would be up to the pair to crack these mysteries before the church uncovered the secrets that Sauniere had worked his entire life to guard.

Once Langdon and Neveu meet up, together they discover that Sauniere had been the grand master of the Priory of Sion, an ancient society which believed in an alternate true history of Christianity. Sauniere left the duo a trail of clues to find the true resting place of the holy grail, that is before Catholic fanatical sect Opus Dei beats them to it and destroys the information. Through a intricate web of surveillance and bribes, however, Paris of chief police Bezu Fache believes that Langdon and Neveu to be guilty of Sauniere's murder. Ensuing, is a race through Paris and London to ensure that the grail and its secrets do not fall into the wrong hands.

Brown details centuries of religious symbols and information as he has Langdon and Neveu quest to keep the Priory's secrets safe. Along the way they meet a number of characters, never knowing if one is friend, foe, or double agent. As a result, the action is fast paced, intriguing, and even brain exercising as I thought alongside the pair to crack open the codes that Sauniere left for them. In a structure of short chapters and changing points of view, Brown created a story that grew more thrilling as it went on. This created for an entertaining denouement which read quickly to the end.

While it remains to be seen if the mysteries outlined in The DaVinci Code are fact, fiction, or somewhere in between, Dan Brown has created a fun concept that makes for thrilling summer reading. The novel grew to be an international best seller and later made into a movie starring Tom Hanks. Even though movies are usually not as good as their novel counterparts, Brown's thriller should translate well onto screen as it is all action. The Pepys Project lead me to a summer reading adventure, which I rate 3.75 stars. I look forward to Dan Brown's next installment starring Robert Langdon.

You know how people are always asking you which famous person you'd like to invite to your fantasy dinner party? I think I'd like to invite Dan Brown.

You know how, in the first season of American Horror Story, Constance makes those cupcakes with the spit and poison in them for Violet, and brings Vivian uncooked pig pancreas under the pretence that it'll help keep her unborn babies healthy?

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Okay, okay. Maybe that was faintly harsh. Sorry, Dan Brown. Just refund my time and I'll be on my way. Oh - oh, you can't? Well, then, that changes things, doesn't it? Because here I am, cracking open a book that I've been told is eye-opening and thought-provoking when in fact it's like peeling open a date and finding fly eggs inside it. Not only does it turn your stomach, because it's motherfucking disgusting (and so is the capitalist fakery that saw this book flying off the shelves by the truckload) but it makes you feel cheated, too. It does, doesn't it? You were ready for a good date, or for a good book, and you got insect carcasses. Or, more appropriately, you got a convoluted waste of paper that a chimpanzee could have written if it had sat down on a typewriter.

Never again, Dan Brown. You hear me? Keep your books - your fucking rehashed, recycled, pointless, soulless, money-grubbing piles of pure fail - the hell away from me.

Oh, and to anyone late to the party who's thinking of giving this a shot? Don't say that like 4633546573847934758 people didn't warn you.