The Da Vinci Code Review
For The Da Vinci Code book club meeting, we met at my Cambridge apartment, however I have since moved from that location (only a week after the meeting!). All of the women were thrilled about this particular meeting because the book was so enthralling. We had a healthier selection of food this time, perhaps because of the upcoming bathing suit season. All of which is irrelevant, I just like talking about my girl time. This meeting was fun...some of the girls even stayed until 1am while we imbibed in plenty of red wine.
A lot of people assume that this book was sheer genius. I would disagree and say it was very clever. Genius would be the author taking the book a step forward to reveal the true revelations within the grail. I desperately wanted to find out what was contained within and was expecting a more fulfilling ending. I was disappointed because the climax for me was shot down. I wanted to read more and I wanted a bigger ending. Maybe even an epilogue which explained the future and its reaction to the Grail's contents. I wanted to find out how the world would change.
I thought the book itself was fantastic, it was only the end which was a disappointment to me. I was the only one in the group who had these feelings. All of the other women agreed that it was best left unsaid just as the author did to keep your imagination running wild.
While searching on the web I did find a lot of criticism for The Da Vinci Code regarding its convolution of the facts. For example, the Priory was a secret group but only for a short time and not in the same manner. All of the women had the same opinion: how can you critique this book on its facts when it is purely a fictitious novel? That is what fiction is! It is not factual! I think Mr. Brown did absolutely fabulous to take certain known facts about the history of Christianity, Paganism and the Grail Quest and twist them around to make a hypnotic tale. Each one of us read this book in a matter of days. When you can't put a book down, you know it is a good book.
Our discussion of The Da Vinci Code eventually rolled into talks of Christianity and Paganism. How did some of the Christian women in our group fare with the negative points of Christianity written with such ferocity? I have read many books dealing with Paganism and the old religion and I have always found the same major topics, the biggest one being that Christianity was a means to put women in their place as subservient to man. I would rather not let my own opinions on this particular topic be subjugated to public review, but I will say that Goddess Worship does have a certain appeal......
In summation, if you have not yet read The Da Vinci Code I think it is a book you must pick up. This is a book which should be included in every personal library. Read it before you watch the movie!
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