Quote:
|
Originally Posted by ARTelevision
IMO it's a bad book.
To bring a one-to-one symbological perspective to works of art - da Vinci's for example, really does a disservice to the artist, art history, and more broadly, the open-ended significance, ambiguity, and potential meanings available in works of great art.
IMO, the only way to defend this book is to see it as a light time- passer, good for reading at the beach or on a plane trip, but nothing serious enough to merit anything resembling meaningful discussion....
....The fictional treatment here is not a work of literature but a work of rank popular writing.
|
Well said.
For me a true test of a book's quality is if it can withstand multiple readings. Although I enjoyed parts Da Vinici Code and thought parts were clever, the book just had too many scenes that were unintentionally funny, but mostly just silly. And on a second look these scenes become unbearable. Bad enough to drag the story down, and, yet, not bad enough to get some kind of "Plan Nine From Outer Space" humor out of them.
This book is simply poorly written. Cliche after cliche pile up leaving of interest only the historical "facts" which he lays down with a heavy hand (as I've seen someone mention, you think Langdon's going to whip a chalkboard out of his jacket whenever he starts on history, and try taking a shot everytime one of the characters mentions the "sacred feminine" you'll be wrecked by the end).
I've heard people mention that they finished the book quickly. That's not a good thing. These types of books are meant for mass consumption. A quick read designed to get you onto the next book as quickly as possible. Sure, it may foster interest in some historical tidbits. But googling The Last Supper and arguing with your friend wether or not the figure next to Jesus looks like a woman or going all the way to the Louvre just to see the Da Vinci Code points of interest both seem a tad superficial. But they'll hold people over until the next Dan Brown novel.
Now, I don't think there's no place in this world for page turners. In fact, they'll probably continue to dominate the bestseller lists. But when someone mentions the Da Vinci Code and three other people in the room pipe up and say "Oh I love Dan Brown, I've read all his books, I love the historical parts" it's a little disheartening.
And for those who've mentioned that they're waiting for paperback, don't want to spend too much money. Don't you want value for your dollar, more bang for your buck? Why not pick up Foucault's Pendulum or In the Name of the Rose? Or how about some classics: Moby Dick? The Sound and the Fury? Sure, these books will take a lot longer than a few days to read (unless you have a lot of time on your hands, and even then), but the deeper meanings you get from these works are far more satisfying.