The Da Vinci Code Part 2
After reading the end of the book, I am becoming slightly annoyed that every single one of the 106 chapters end in cliff-hangers; even though some of them are quite good, most of them aren't necessary at all (in some ways, I believe, because some of the cliff hangers are so unnecessary, that the author was eager to move onto the next chapter, which could be a good thing if there is a significant twist in the tale) .
Anyway onto the book. The main themes in the books include the subjectivity of history-the book implies that most history books (including the greatest history book of them all the Bible) do not speak the truth, only waht those writing them want to hear- as well as sexism (Sophie Neveu through out the book is underestimated just becuase she is a woman, Opus Dei (a fanatical religious organisation) separate the men and the women at all times and force them to do extra work which isn't as pleasant as the men's for no pay - and conflict between faith and knowledge because (WARNING SPOILER ALERT. IF YOU WANT TO READ THE BOOK WITHOUT ME RUINING THE SUPRISE FOR YOU, CONTINUE READING AFTER THE BOLD TYPING FINISHES) according to the book, the christain church has also enforced igonorance about Jesus, Mary Magdalene and their descendants so their faith can still stand (at one point in the novel, Robert Langdon believes that the secrets of the grail should be preserved to ensure the survival of the christain religion to prevent its cruel destruction).
These are the main themes of the book. It has also come to my attention that I do not like the language used in the book. It is so simple that when reading the text there is no mystery whatsoever and I like a little bit of uncertainty in the text when reading it because for me it builds further tension and I believe it to be a very effective tension device. The most positive thing about the book though is the plot becuase of the sheer amount of time it must have taken to write such a beautifully detailed piece of writing (the effort clearly shows!).
Overall opinion of the book:
Plot: Sublime and excellently crafted.
Text: Too simplistic (just states the facts and doesn't drop any hints or anything similar of what is to come in the story).
Score out of 10: 6 (a lot less than expected but still a good read)