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A review by lasesana
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
4.0
Brown’s extensive research on Dante’s Inferno, Florence, and the science is woven into the story in a way that does not stop the action, but keeps it going. The book is well structured, with the action and research providing a good counterpoint to each other.
Maybe because I personally researched Dante’s Inferno last year for an unrelated project, I felt that Brown’s links and ways of incorporating the classic work into the novel could have been done better. It could have also been done worse.
Brown uses a pretty transparent tool of metafiction by ending the book with the exact same word as Dante ends the three parts of his Divine Comedy. However, I have to admit that even though Brown is a bit heavy-handed with this device, I smiled when I read it. I felt complicit with the writer, which is kind of the goal of this device, to make you feel like you and the writer are sharing something that others may not have caught if they were not as bright or observant or well-read. Again, a bit heavy-handed, because he mentions it several times in the book, but demonstrates a clear concern, awareness, and evolution of style on the part of the writer.
Even though Brown has been criticized for “his overwriting, his overuse of clichés, his paper-thin characterizations, and his impenetrably murky plots,” his books are still enjoyable, easy to read, and entertaining. This book in particular shows how Brown is progressing as a writer in terms of style and structure.
Read my full review: http://bit.ly/14f6aOG
Maybe because I personally researched Dante’s Inferno last year for an unrelated project, I felt that Brown’s links and ways of incorporating the classic work into the novel could have been done better. It could have also been done worse.
Brown uses a pretty transparent tool of metafiction by ending the book with the exact same word as Dante ends the three parts of his Divine Comedy. However, I have to admit that even though Brown is a bit heavy-handed with this device, I smiled when I read it. I felt complicit with the writer, which is kind of the goal of this device, to make you feel like you and the writer are sharing something that others may not have caught if they were not as bright or observant or well-read. Again, a bit heavy-handed, because he mentions it several times in the book, but demonstrates a clear concern, awareness, and evolution of style on the part of the writer.
Even though Brown has been criticized for “his overwriting, his overuse of clichés, his paper-thin characterizations, and his impenetrably murky plots,” his books are still enjoyable, easy to read, and entertaining. This book in particular shows how Brown is progressing as a writer in terms of style and structure.
Read my full review: http://bit.ly/14f6aOG