The Da Vinci Code

After 3 days of fast reading, I finally finished The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. My first reaction when I read the last page of the book was almost a gagging reaction. It was very cheesy and very predictable, similar to a self-help book I read many moons ago called The Alchemist which was a more entertaining, a shorter read, also a similar disappointing ending.

The reason I read this book is because this novel is a worldwide bestseller and I wanted to see what the fuss is all about.

Plot
This book is about the quest to find the holy grail, much like Indiana Jones but without the whip or the hat or the handsome Harrison Ford. The quest is more like a scavenger hunt: collecting clues to find more clues, and finally, the holy grail. It was engaging and full of suspense, just like any good novel should be.

Content
I would have to be critical of the content. Dan Brown, on the 7th page of his book, claims that all his descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in the novel are accurate. But as the reader, I can't tell if what I'm reading is a fact or just part of the story. For instance, Opus Dei in this novel was going to be cut off from the Catholic Church because according to the Pope, this group was just an embarrassment. Is this true? I had to do some research and found out that this is actually FALSE. And many more examples like this.

The descriptions were not cited; I don't see a bibliography at the end of his novel. Well, I understand that this is a novel and thus, should not have a bibliography. It would be nice to know his sources so people do not mistakenly interpret fictitious things as facts. I hope none of his readers believe that the fictional parts are true.

It seems that he is also fond of attacking the Catholic Church. Well, I guess everyone has a right to voice his/her opinions.

Writing Style
When I started reading this novel, I thought I was reading a book by Sidney Sheldon. But I find that Dan Brown's writing style is worse. Once in a while, the story line would come to a halt. It is time for Dan Brown to boast, show off his knowledge of artwork and architecture. Some people might find this helpful, but I find it boring and annoying because he seems to state them as mere facts and not stir them well with the rest of his story.

He did not describe his characters well. It almost feel like that they do not have any personalities, which allowed him to give us surprises throughout the novel. You could not possibly predict what his characters are going to do if you don't know them.

Conclusion
Overall, I think this book is pretty entertaining. I would categorize it as a commuters' book. A light reading material that you can read while you're on the bus, subway, or train, but not when you're driving. I do hope that people are treating this novel as a work of fiction and and do some research before believing any part of novel.