Da Vanci Code - Cheap Writing

theBruiser500 · #1 03-05-2005, 04:45 AM

Okay so everyone who has read this book has recommeneded it so I figured I'd give it a try. I was a little deterred when I read the back cover though, "Louvre has been brutally murdered... police have found a series of baffling codes... As Langdon and a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu..." and put the down book for a couple of weeks, read a couple of really great books and now just came back to read it. My instincts were of course right all along, this book sucks.

"brainy thriller" is probably written about 200 times in the reviews of this book on the inside pages but this book is brainy in only a very superficial sense. The same with "grand pere" who is supposedly so brillant. All his cool codes seem clever to me, but necessarily seem like the mark of a genius.

My main complaint of this book is that it sucks. It's really gimmicky cheap writing. Take for example the code they need to unluck the little cryptoplex or whatever the hell it's called, the code says he needs to find a giant orb this is missing from Newton's tomb. "Thus far, Jacques Sauniere had proven himself a meticulous code writer, and Langdon had to believe this his final password would prove to be not only symoblically fitting but also crystal clear. If this solution were anything like the others it would be painfully obvious when it dawned." NO [censored] [censored]. And it talks about how Langdon is looking outside at trees and can't think up what the answer to the riddle is, I get the feeling that Dan Brown is trying to make the reader figure out what the answer to this riddle is before he says just so the reader feels smart.

Or how about Sopheu Neveau. Her grandfater was like a father to her and they had a great relationship for 15 years and then she sees him doing something which makes her never speak to him again. What do you think that something is? I figured she saw him raping 20 little boys at once. No, all he was doing was having sex with someone. What the [censored]??

This book goes at the same "thriller" pace for the entire 600 pages. How can someone be excited for that entire time? I wasn't. In conclusion this book sucks . BTW if you haven't read this book yet and I ruined some of the "mysteries" in this book for you, thank me because this book is a waste of time.

Lazymeatball · #2 03-05-2005, 04:49 AM

[ QUOTE ]
My main complaint of this book is that it sucks.

[/ QUOTE ]
ha, i like it.

daryn · #3 03-05-2005, 04:49 AM

haha.. i like this post.

slickpoppa · #4 03-05-2005, 04:49 AM

I might be able to take your critique of his "cheap writing" a little more seriously if you didn't use the word sucks and expletives several times. Before you critizice other people's writing, how about you learn to be more eloquent yourself.

daryn · #5 03-05-2005, 04:49 AM

whoa.. same opinion, posted at the same time. nice.

daryn · #6 03-05-2005, 04:50 AM

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In risposta di:</font><hr />
I might be able to take your critique of his "cheap writing" a little more seriously if you didn't use the word sucks and expletives several times. Before you critizice other people's writing, how about you learn to be more eloquent yourself.

[/ QUOTE ]

i hear you, but his point was clearly made.

Lazymeatball · #7 03-05-2005, 04:51 AM

One does not have to be held to the same standard as what they are criticizing.
That's like saying I can't tell Ashlee Simpson that she sucks just because I am a worse singer.

Daliman · #8 03-05-2005, 04:54 AM

I rarely read fiction, and I liked it alot. Yes, a lotta machinations strictly set up for "aren't I clever" value, but still, verygood. Was hard to put down. The Sophie leaving her gramps WAS pretty weak though.

P.S. I think Angelina Jolie would be perfect as Sophie. Kept envisioning her, but mebbe the French name did that.

slickpoppa · #9 03-05-2005, 04:55 AM

Daliman, shouldn't your location say heels over head?

rgreenm90 · #10 03-05-2005, 05:02 AM

yeah its cheap, but so is most fiction you find. basically, you're supposed to be wowed by the research this guy did--writing, or eloquence, isn't the focus. the point is that he found out about all this priory of sion/jesus christ/merovingian business, then made a clever little book that everyone could feel clever about reading. its like interactive nonfiction.