Two things made me actually read The Da Vinci Code, one a �€˜talking point�€™ series done by the BBC on its website. In view of the criticism by the Vatican of the book, BBC invited it�€™s readers to respond with what they thought about The Da Vinci Code. The debate can be found at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/4350777.stm

Secondly, my husband managed to finish this book and surprised me. Since he started playing violin some six years back he has either read music related books or just Calvin and Hobbes. When he read The Da Vinci Code from cover to cover, I decided it is time for me to pick up the book and read it myself.

Before I go into the book itself, let me state I am not a Christian. I am a Hindu and understand very little of either Hinduism or Christianity. Still, I have to qualify as a Hindu, because I was born as one and I am too lazy as far as religion is concerned to do anything about it.

Robert Langdon is a Harvard symbologist on a lecture tour in Paris. While he is sleeping in a hotel room of the Ritz Paris, he is awaken in the dead of the night by a phone call. Due to no reason he could think of, a member of the French detective force is waiting to take him to Louvre.

The renowned curator, Jacques Sauniere has been murdered and more than the murder, the symbols that the curator has drawn around himself in his own blood are baffling the French detective head Bezu Fache. Apparently Robert Langdon can help in understanding the symbols but Fache has a deeper motive in calling Langdon on the scene. He suspects that Langdon murdered the curator. However, those symbols are talking to someone else too, a bright young cryptologist, Sophie Neveu and she knows Langdon is innocent. Sophie decides that Langdon has to run from the French police force and together they have to solve the mystery that surrounds the murder of curator Jacques Sauniere.

The plot deepens when these two try to understand the secret of the Holy Grail and it seems the revelation would shake the foundations of the Christianity. Unfortunately it also brings on their heels the French detective force and members of a religious sect, Opus Dei who make life very difficult for Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu.

What I like about the book is the interesting. It takes up a shocking concept and presents it in a compelling manner. After all, it is bound to create noise if someone talks about an alternate theory of Christianity which involves glorifying sex and a prominent role for women in the scheme of things. One can see it is going to appeal to many in this time and age.

The second thing that I like about the book is the discussion around symbolism present in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci and its interpretation. I also enjoyed the way this discussion helped in the progress of the book.

The third thing I enjoyed about The Da Vinci Code is downplaying of the romantic angle between Langdon and Sophie, as I feel it would have cluttered the narration. It would have been one thing just too much to handle and increased the length of the book from its existing 489 pages.

What I did not like about the book is the part about Lagdon and Sophie on the run and the dangers they face and how they always come on the top, I mean always. They beat the French detective force aided by the Interpol, they beat the members of Opus Dei and what not, I mean it is just too much of beating professionals for a Harvard professor and an attractive cryptologist. This part of the book reads like any second rate racy crime thriller. In fact, it is because of the interesting premise that the book has that one is able to overlook this aspect but only just so.

We do get to know the characters in the book to some extent but some underdevelopment is bound to be present and I am not going to grudge the author because he is busy building up his ideas around symbolism of works of great masters and its relation to Christianity.

I had no problem is finishing this somewhat long book, nor did I struggle to finish it but its language it nothing to write home about. Consider the following paragraph:

�€œThe U.S. Embassy in Paris is a compact complex on Avenue Gabriel, just north of the Champs-Elysees. The three acre compound is considered U.S. soil, meaning all those who stand on it are subject to the same laws and protections as they would encounter standing in the United States.�€

Though, I feel that the language improves when symbolism is discussed.

Why The Da Vinci Code worked for me is because it made me curious, second rate racy parts and plain language notwithstanding. I am not a religious person at all (have not given much thought to it, would not call myself atheist too) but still it got me curious about the Bible and the theory that Dan Brown presents. I should say it tickled an urge to read about the topic by picking up scholarly works, even though the urge lasted just a few days. Dan Brown picks up an interesting subject, mixes some facts with a lot of fiction and leaves me gasping for knowing more. So I would recommend this book to anyone who could just not get too worked up about this work of fiction because of the way it talks about such a popular religion.

Recommended: Yes