The Da Vinci Code

A Novel

By: Dan Brown

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

#1 WORLDWIDE BESTSELLER • 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.

“Blockbuster perfection.... A gleefully erudite suspense novel.” —The New York Times

“A pulse-quickening, brain-teasing adventure.” —People

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.

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©2003 Dan Brown (P)2003 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"In this gleefully erudite suspense novel, Mr. Brown takes the format...to blockbuster perfection." (The New York Times)
"Brown solidifies his reputation as one of the most skilled thriller writers on the planet with his best book yet, a compelling blend of history and page-turning suspense." (Library Journal)
"Many notches above the intelligent thriller; this is pure genius." (Nelson DeMille)

Abridged version  misses a lot

My wife listened to the book and was disappointed in what she had heard from friends and family versus what she listened too. She is now going to read the book, but is frustrated since the book cut out a lot of the material that her friends have talked about. I wish I would have seen the word "abridged" before purchasing the title.

Anti Christian Nonsense

Unfortunately, what starts out as an intriguing mystery ends up being a vehicle for some outlandish new age, mother earth propaganda. If you are not a person of faith, and are not bothered by the fact that Christ is slandered and christianity is mocked, then all you have to contend with is a mediocre plot and terrible narration.

Too bad one star is the lowest I can rate this

The book was extremely predictable, furthermore the reader failed to convey any emotion into the voice of Sophie. That is all I can complain about without giving the plot away. In short don't buy this one, what a waste.

horrible accents

What interest I had in discovering the secret to the Da Vinci Code, was destroyed by the truly horrible French and British accents. The annoying accents made me not care what happened to Sophie, one of the main characters. I lived in France and love the sound of the French speaking English, however, the reader sounded like cartoonish stereotype.

Also, I agree with another reviewer's recommendation for the unabridged version.

this is what I think

good book until you get to the end, the end sucks, which in turn ruined the book for me, so I can't recommend this book.

Disappointing!!!

This book was a huge disappointment. While he had a great idea (and obviously did his homework researching facts), the author did a very poor job telling the story. It practically screams CHEAP PAPERBACK!!!

Davinci Code

Thin....way thin.

Gripping but Lame

I couldn't stop listening, it was that gripping. AND, I picked up some interested historical tidbits. But, unfortunately, the ending was rather predictable, and full of holes. This reminds me alot of a Clive Cussler novel: so much promise, so much suspense, only to be let down terrible by a silly ending.

Ugh - rehash of half truths

FIRST, A DISCLAIMER - I believe the Bible is the truth. With that in mind, the mish-mash of myth, rumor, old rehashing of cult beliefs from the 1 century (Nostics), and a rambling story line make this story annoying. I liked the beginning where there was the beginning of a pseudo-historical semi-nonfiction story line with some interesting facts about Davinci. Then it swayed way off course into fringe theories about Mary Magdoline and the "blood line of Jesus." I read the whole thing, but it hurt my brain.

Thumbs Down

Just could'nt get into the story at all. All my friends that read novels said you gotta read this one. Well I listened and listened for a good while, and I just could not follow Mr. Brown's book. Glad I didn't waste more time reading it.
Sorry Mr. Brown, I was one of the few that did not show a thumbs up.