the da vinci code

[chrispy]

forgive me if you;ve discussed this before, here or on DiS, but what did you guys think of the da vinci code? i only jus got round to reading it. a great read, and a real page-turner.

[John Brainlove]

Haven't read it. Good? What's it all about? eh?

[tafkac]

Isn't it about Ruth Kelly taking over the world or something? I get the constant urge to take a megaphone onto the Tube so I can scream "Stop reading the da Vinci Code!!!!" into the ears of commuters.

[Smileadelic]

tafkac said:

Isn't it about Ruth Kelly taking over the world or something? I get the constant urge to take a megaphone onto the Tube so I can scream "Stop reading the da Vinci Code!!!!" into the ears of commuters.

It's not just me then...

Ron Howard is making a film of this book. I guess it was only a matter of time. In fairness I've not actually read it. It's just... y'know... "Harry Potter" syndrome kicking in again. I did read that, and it was shit.

[chrispy]

Smileadelic said:

It's not just me then...

Ron Howard is making a film of this book. I guess it was only a matter of time. In fairness I've not actually read it. It's just... y'know... "Harry Potter" syndrome kicking in again. I did read that, and it was shit.

yeah, i thought that too initially. hated the hype arnd da vinci code, so avoided reading it for ages. it's good for entertainment value- nothing deep or profound, just a good little adventure.

[tafkac]

To be honest, I imagine its enjoyable enough if that many people are reading it, but snobbery must surely extend to other media than music? Sotto voce jibes about third-hand Umberto Eco are probably the appropriate literature snob response.

[Smileadelic]

Oooo, literary snobbery is a lot worse than music snobbery. Literary criticism is still, in essence, a very academic discipline. The popular music world takes for granted that new forms can be validated through alternative discourse (like this!) and grass-roots participation. Not so with the novel...

[John Brainlove]

I tend to alternate between enjoyable pulpy contemporary stuff, and things I think I 'should' read.

[Monpot]

It's arse. On fire.

Spose the ideas are almost interesting in a conspiracy theory sense -although the Tony Robinson thing on tv recently showed it up to be nonsense.

The 'author' Dan Brown really can't write either. First off he apparently stole all the ideas from an earlier 'non-fiction' book, the 'facts' are revealed in exactly the same sequence, and one character in the Da Vinci Code's name is even an anagram of the 2 guys who wrote this source material. I also got the feeling that Brown had one eye on Hollywood as he was writing. The way the information is revealed, and the way it's all done in this scene by scene way is just so filmic. It just doesn't feel like literature basically, more like a treatment.

I really don't understand how it's been the #1 bestseller for so long either, surely everyone who would have read it, would have read it by now?

I do despair.

[Senses]

I think you summed it up well there Chrispy when you say it's an enjoyable read.

It's not amazingly well written and Brown falls back on tired cliches in places but the value of the book doesn't lie in his mastery of language but in the action and subject matters. Most people like conspiracy theories and when it's drenched in art, religion/mysticism, symbolism and cryptography it very appealing.

I have read some of his other books and it's clear that Brown, like Dean Koontz, uses a formula for his stories - It works OK for Disney films too!

It has however made me want to visit some smaller, less known places (that will no doubt be swamped with people who have also read the book) when I am in Paris.

It is a real page turner though - one thing Brown does well is keep the various story therads going well with the use of switching between them, thus making you want to read on!

[chrispy]

Senses, spot on. yeah, it's not greatly written and definately not some breakthrough novel. it is very filmic, that's why i said it's a book for entertainment value alone. i think brown keeps pace well, and his switching device is good- if slightly too filmic. and yes, there are tired cliches. it's just a good book if you wana escape for a bit.

i agree that it doesn't deserve to be number 1 for this long. actually, i hardly read bestsellers so i dunno what the public really digs.

i gotta admit, the only reason i read this is cos a mate recommended and leant it to me. i guess i liked it cos i was in the mood for a bit of light reading and fun entertainment, having watched too many dvds this past week. (even though this was like watching a film! argh!)