Reviews tagging 'Islamophobia'

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

7 reviews

enbylievable's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

DNF. idk, I was pretty excited to read it and other people told me they really remembered liking this book but I got so turned off by the constant racist portrayal of the sexually deviant stereotypic Arab antagonist, and then the entire climax is just the threat of sexual assault against the female supporting character acting as a motivator for the male protagonist. The plan was to read The DaVinci Code after this but I think I'll just look up a synopsis on youtube, really not enticed to read Dan Brown again. I was really interested by the theorization of religion as a social institution and I loved all the info about the Roman architecture and the rituals of the Vatican but it wasn't enough to keep me going with this one

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Torture, Sexual assault, Racism, and Islamophobia

Moderate: Sexual harassment

Minor: Addiction

The main antagonist of this book is an Islamophobic non-specificly-Arab caricature who is depicted as sexually depraved and as primarily motivated by the opportunity to sexually assault the female supporting character. This threat of sexual assault is then framed as a strong motivating force for the male protagonist.

crazytealady's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

A great comfort read! 

I just love Dan Brown’s writing style. He is so descriptive - you really dive into his world and it feels like you’re there. I’d also have the urge to write down every place in the book so I can visit/revisit them - like the Vatican Necropolis! 

I’m probably biased since I love stories about a) Italy b) the Vatican c) mysteries or who-dunnits d) symbolism - this was my cup of tea. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Kidnapping and Blood

Minor: Ableism, Death of parent, Islamophobia, Racism, Sexism, and Fire/Fire injury

notartgarfunkel's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Torture, and Death of parent

Moderate: Vomit and Medical content

Minor: Fatphobia and Islamophobia

malignant_gnome's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Violence, Body horror, Death, Blood, Chronic illness, Islamophobia, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Torture, and Physical abuse

Minor: Rape

cocacolor's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

The breadth and depth of architectural and physical detail is good but the science is iffy, which normally wouldn't be much of a downside except that the author clearly went to a lot of effort to make it as accurate as possible--I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume it might've seemed more accurate twenty years ago. I'd say the twists were pretty predictable, except that somehow, even though I suspected

the camerlengo ever since Chartrand mentioned the walk they'd taken together, Janus's true identity still caught me off guard because the author had spent the last hundreds or so pages advancing the Kohler-is-Janus theory

, so kudos for that. Vittoria is, unexpectedly, a better developed and more capable character than Langdon, so ally points for that--and then a whole slew of them taken off because the Hassassin and Kohler are, respectively, absolutely skin-crawling racist, Islamaphobic, and ableist stereotypes. On a pure narrative level, it's mediocre; in its representation, worse than mediocre. Also, more malapropisms than a Bush speech. There have to be better "solve-conspiracy-puzzle" thrillers out there. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia, Suicide, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Violence, Racism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Torture, and Ableism

Moderate: Racial slurs

purplehulk713's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

The Catholic Church’s circus tent is about to come crashing down. Dan Brown is incredible at creating a fast-paced while still multi-layered thriller that at the same has the spectacle and religious esotericism as an Indiana Jones film. (Robert Langdon is effectively Indiana Jones without the aesthetic) The religious and artistic history entranced me like hypnosis—Christians stole the practice of “god-eating” from the Aztecs after conquering their empire. Some of the plot points seemed a little unnecessary though—why does Robert go into the helicopter? I did the love the fast pace but slow burn of the reveals, like the dead Pope actually being the camerlengo’s father and not just his foster father, and the camerlengo’s reveal as Janus. Vittoria and Robert are a cute couple, and they are definitely a good match—she’s determined and flexible (literally and figuratively) and he’s quiet and compassionate. The scientific theory, though advanced, is clearly and concisely explained to the non-scientific mind. The backstories (for Langdon and Vittoria especially) are incredibly compelling, like how Vittoria came to meet and grow up with the man that would adopt her. The Hassassin’s deadly inspiration and glorious delight in his cruelty weave a spell-binding villain. But the one of the most significant elements of the story is the fact that you can truly walk this Path of Illumination—from “Habakkuk and the Angel” in the Chigi Chapel in the cathedral of Santa Maria del Popolo (Earth—Terra) to the “West Ponente” relief in St. Peter’s Square (Air—Aria) to “The Ecstasy of St. Teresa” in the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria (Fire—Fuòco) to the Fountain of the Four Rivers in front of the church of Saint Agnes in Agony in the Piazza Navona (Water—Acqua) and finally to the Church of Illumination within Castel Sant’Angelo. The path is real though the story may not be. Let angels guide thee on thy lofty quest…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Islamophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Rape

nina_a's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Murder, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Colonisation, Xenophobia, Suicide, and Islamophobia