Note: For the six or seven people who haven't yet read this book, this post may spoil it for you.
I just finished reading The Da Vinci Code. Usually I like verisimilar1 books, as long as I can easily distinguish the facts from the fiction. My lack of knowledge of religious history made this difficult for me. I eventually gave up. Once I assumed it was all fiction, the book was much easier to read.
I didn't care for the characters. OK, that's not true. I did care about Sophie. Probably because whenever I was imagining Sophie, I was really thinking of Audrey Tautou...hubba hubba. She can seek my Holy Grail anytime.
I feel like Dan Brown overly manipulates the reader. A good plot doesn't need repeated use of cliff-hangers to keep the reader engaged. Every chapter in his book ends with a cliff-hanger. I found myself rolling my eyes as I read the last three sentences of a chapter.
Near the end of the book I wasn't feeling excitement. I really wanted the story to end. Why did I keep reading? I wanted to be able to answer "yes" to the picnic/party conversation starter: "Did you read The Da Vinci Code?"
The upside is I've saved myself from spending $7.50 and two hours of my time by not going to see the movie.
I know that I'm not in a position to say this...but I'll say it anyway. I don't see why the Catholic church and Opus Dei are upset. Dan Brown exonerates both groups (page 428, 2nd paragraph) by saying that the villains were acting as individuals and that neither organization would condone such activities. I wouldn't be surprised if the protesters at the movie premiere were hired by the Sony Corporation.
1Sherry here's your spoon-fed definition:
veri-sim-i-lar
adjective
Etymology: Latin verisimilis
1 : having the appearance of truth : PROBABLE
2 : depicting realism (as in art or literature)
- veri-sim-i-lar-ly adverb
First of all, I know what verisimilar means, dummy. It has a Latin root, so get off my back. Let's not remember who in the house is the language master, lest you have to fend for yourself in the near future.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, the funnier bit is that the real problem lately with the The Da Vinci Code has been Dan Brown's characterization of albinos as evil doers. Good lord! Seriously? Just because one mainstream novel has a bad guy who is an albino doesn't mean that he is implying that all albinos are evil. But I *do* think we should look into that.
Lastly, on the website where you feed in your photo and it gives you "celebrity" matches, one of my matches was Audrey Tautou. Guess I'll be checking out your Holy Grail.
In other news, Anna Nicole Smith is pregnant. The kid is probably neither an albino, nor the offspring of Tom Cruise.
I'm just saying.
For what its worth, people who have also read "angels and demons" say that "angels and demons" is a much better read.
ReplyDeleteYou know, if you drink from the Holy Grail, you become immortal...or is it immoral.
ReplyDeleteWhen Sherry said "celebrity matches", she was referring to this post on her blog:
ReplyDeletehttp://millhouselitterbox.b...
In that post, she refers to this site:
http://www.myheritage.com/F...
You're welcome.
If you liked Da Vinci Code, Brown has rewritten the book several times. See: Amgels and Deomons, Deception Point.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as a confirmed Catholic I feel obligated to tell you the the book is lies, all lies. That is all.
You should also check out Angels and Demons. Its like Amgels and Deomons, accpet he proof-read it.
ReplyDeleteYou know...you can edit your own comments. Click on the Admin link and you'll find all of your comments are their to edit/delete. This feature is not available on Sherry's blog. JC: 1, Sherry: 0.
ReplyDeleteSWEAT!
ReplyDelete