The DaVinci Code......ick.
May. 17th, 2004 07:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pixiecrinkleOkay, I just finished The Da Vinci Code, which is the book my book club is reading for June. A large part of me doesn't even want to go to the discussion because this thing was crap compared to what it was built up to! If there's one thing I hate from books/movies/whatever, it's feeling manipulated -- and this certainly did it.
I'll first admit that I had a pre-conceived notion that the book was crap. I'll admit a certain skepticism towards genre fiction, especially that of the best-selling sort, but if it's well written I don't have a problem with it. Initially, I thought I'd enjoy it, but then I was told that if you knew anything about art history, it would be predictable. Later though, a few people whose opinions I really respect, including my aunt, who is an art teacher, told me I'd enjoy it and that it wasn't in the least predictable. So when the book club picked it, I went along.
I loved the first few chapters. I was fascinated with all the symbolism in the Da Vinci paintings (much as I became fascinated by Vermeer after reading Girl with a Pearl Earring and Girl in Hyacinth Blue. But after that.....ick.
Our characters include a cryptologist who is unable to solve any code that wasn't presented to her when she was a child, an academic who doesn't know how to do research on a computer, a horrendously inconsistent French police chief, and about a million loose ends. I was annoyed by all the name dropping of impressive sounding words--like "Fibonacci Sequence," and ooohh....wait for it: "boolean."
I know I'm intolerant of mysteries in general (mostly due to reading those horrid Encyclopedia Brown books as a child, where everything wraps up all too neatly) but is it too much to ask to not be figuring out where the next freaking clue is two pages before all the characters do? And then having to listen to them all explain it to each other?
All said, it's not a terrible book, and I did enjoy most of it, but with a good editor, it could have been *so much* better. Cutting down some of the speeches where Langdon drones on endlessly so he can teach us all about secret societies and the Holy Grail would have gone a long way to improving the readability of the book.
I'll first admit that I had a pre-conceived notion that the book was crap. I'll admit a certain skepticism towards genre fiction, especially that of the best-selling sort, but if it's well written I don't have a problem with it. Initially, I thought I'd enjoy it, but then I was told that if you knew anything about art history, it would be predictable. Later though, a few people whose opinions I really respect, including my aunt, who is an art teacher, told me I'd enjoy it and that it wasn't in the least predictable. So when the book club picked it, I went along.
I loved the first few chapters. I was fascinated with all the symbolism in the Da Vinci paintings (much as I became fascinated by Vermeer after reading Girl with a Pearl Earring and Girl in Hyacinth Blue. But after that.....ick.
Our characters include a cryptologist who is unable to solve any code that wasn't presented to her when she was a child, an academic who doesn't know how to do research on a computer, a horrendously inconsistent French police chief, and about a million loose ends. I was annoyed by all the name dropping of impressive sounding words--like "Fibonacci Sequence," and ooohh....wait for it: "boolean."
I know I'm intolerant of mysteries in general (mostly due to reading those horrid Encyclopedia Brown books as a child, where everything wraps up all too neatly) but is it too much to ask to not be figuring out where the next freaking clue is two pages before all the characters do? And then having to listen to them all explain it to each other?
All said, it's not a terrible book, and I did enjoy most of it, but with a good editor, it could have been *so much* better. Cutting down some of the speeches where Langdon drones on endlessly so he can teach us all about secret societies and the Holy Grail would have gone a long way to improving the readability of the book.
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no subject
Date: 2004-05-17 07:30 pm (UTC)I will give him an A+ for pacing though. He doesn't let up for a minute.
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Date: 2004-05-17 07:47 pm (UTC)i haven't read da vinci code and i'm not likely to, so this question is probably totally obvious to those who have read it:
which genre is it supposed to be?
(if it's supposed to be either mystery or sf, please don't give up on the genre because of this one book. recommendations available upon request.)
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2004-05-20 09:59 am (UTC)I was less than impressed when reading the second one because it was the EXACT same story with a different subject! Young bueatiful woman looses father figure, needs Harvard Geek to help solve the puzzle. Puzzle blamed entirely on Catholic Church, but really masterminded by one selfish/vindictive individual.
Yes the symbolisim is fabulous, but if you've read some of the references he cites in this book you can get the same info with out the serial novel aspects.
I also went on a rant (and my expand in my own journal) about what is popular culture *doing* with this information that they are getting? Given the political climate and the climate in the church are people really just thinking this is a nice story and going to church on Sunday? I know my parents do. Grrr.
Our June book is Woman with the Alabaster Jar, and then we are moving on to Middlesex. I'm looking forward to July reading.
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