When it happens, it feels like winning the lottery. An email arrives out of the blue, from one of my publishers or a festival director or a member...
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1. As a symbologist, Robert Langdon has a wealth of academic knowledge that helps him view the world in a unique way. Now that you've read The Da Vinci Code, are there any aspects of life/history/faith that you are seeing in a different light?
2. Langdon and Teabing disagree as to whether the Sangreal documents should be released to the world. If you were the Grand Master of the Priory of Sion, would you release the documents? If so, what do you think their effect would be?
3. What observations does this novel make about our past? How do these ideas relate to our future?
4. Other than his fear of being framed for murder, what motivates Langdon to follow this perilous quest? Do his motivations change?
5. The novel's "quest" involves numerous puzzles and codes. Did you enjoy trying to solve these puzzles along with the characters? Did you solve any of the puzzles before the characters did?
6. If you could spend a day in any of the places described in this novel, where would it be, and why? The Louvre? Westminster Abbey? Rosslyn Chapel? The Temple Church? Somewhere else?
7. Historian Leigh Teabing claims the founding fathers of Christianity hijacked the good name of Jesus for political reasons. Do you agree? Does the historical evidence support Teabing's claim?
8. Has this book changed your ideas about faith, religion, or history in any way?
9. Would you rather live in a world without religion or a world without science?
10. Saunière placed a lot of confidence in Langdon. Was this confidence well-placed? What other options might Saunière have had? Did Saunière make the right decision separating Sophie from the rest of her family?
11. Do you imagine Langdon should forgive Teabing for his misguided actions? On the other hand, do you think Teabing should forgive Langdon for refusing to release the Sangreal documents?
12. Does the world have a right to know all aspects of its history, or can an argument be made for keeping certain information secret?
13. What is interesting about the way this story is told? How are the episodes of the novel arranged and linked? In your discussion, you might want to identify where the turning points in the action are where those moments are after which everything is different. Did you anticipate them?
14. What is the novel's theme? What central message or idea links all the other components of the novel together?
15. For most people, the word "God" feels holy, while the word "Goddess" feels mythical. What are your thoughts on this? Do you imagine those perceptions will ever change?
16. Will you look at the artwork of Da Vinci any differently now that you know more about his "secret life?"
AusTexFudy, February 26, 2013 (view all comments by AusTexFudy)
I love this book... I love this Author, I have ADHD and with the way this book and others he has written, the books have my attention... I read this book 5 times and I still own it.
You'll notice you read faster and faster as the story goes and you'll wish you could read much more quicker to reach the end sooner... it's thrilling, it's well written, it's got everything a good book's supposed to have.
And, of course, there's the movie... you just *have* to read the book to fully enjoy the film (see the discussion at http://www.finetalking.com/auditoria/philosophy-religion/1494/da-vinci-code.html to prove it) :)
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"Review"
by The Washington Post Book World,
"Read the book and be enlightened."
"Review"
by People,
"A pulse-quickening, brain-teasing adventure."
"Review"
by The Denver Post,
"Thriller writing doesn't get any better than this."
"Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"[A]n exhaustively researched page-turner....Brown has assembled a whopper of a plot that will please both conspiracy buffs and thriller addicts."
"Review"
by Janet Maslin, The New York Times,
"[A] gleefully erudite suspense novel....Not since the advent of Harry Potter has an author so flagrantly delighted in leading readers on a breathless chase and coaxing them through hoops."
"Review"
by Charles Taylor, Salon.com,
"[A]n ingenious mixture of paranoid thriller, art history lesson, chase story, religious symbology lecture and anti-clerical screed, and it's the most fun you can have between the sort of covers that aren't 300-count Egyptian cotton....[A] hugely entertaining book."
"Review"
by Frank Sennett, Booklist,
"Despite being hampered by clunky flashback sequences and place descriptions that read like tourist brochures, the story is full of brain-teasing puzzles and fascinating insights into religious history and art."
"Review"
by Scott Brown, Entertainment Weekly,
"By pulp thriller standards, Code is brainy stuff....[I]t ain't Clive Cussler. But it's not Umberto Eco, either...a straightforward, code-cracking mystery quest for the Sunday Jumble set. (Grade: B)"
"Review"
by Jim Fusilli, Boston Globe,
"[A] dazzling performance...a delightful display of erudition....Brown delivers a crackling, intricate mystery, complete with breathtaking escapes and several stunning surprises. It's challenging, exciting, and a whole lot more."
"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
In an exhilarating blend of scholarly intelligence, relentless adventure, and cutting wit, Robert Langdon (first introduced in Angels & Demons) and his new adventure combines the punch of Robert Ludlum, the intriguing historical touch of Umberto Eco, and the nonstop suspense of Michael Crichton.
"Synopsis"
by Random,
An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci.
A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe.
An astonishing truth concealed for centuries . . . unveiled at last.
While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols. As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.
Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.
"Synopsis"
by Libri,
An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonar
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