Grant Newman- The DaVinci Code

Grant Newman
The DaVinci Code
Dan Brown
Historical/Action Fiction/Mystery
Just Right
P. 120

1. Right now, Robert Langdon, a symbologist from Harvard University is in the Louvre, a famous art museum in France, famous for having the Mona Lisa. He's in the Louvre because he was summoned there by the French police because they think he murdered the curator of the museum, Jacques Sauniere. Sauniere's granddaughter, Sophie Neveu, a cryptographer, is also present. Robert did not do this, but the captain of the DCPJ- equivalent to the FBI for France- Bezu Fache, believes Robert killed him. He thinks this because his name was left in a cryptic message the dead man wrote as he was dying. He wrote four lines, and the last line said "P.S. Find Robert Langdon". So, he thought that meant Robert killed him. From reading the book, we already know a man named Silas, who is a member of Opus Dei, killed him. Opus Dei is a really strict Christian cult. So, they are running from the government as fugitives and are heading for the US Embassy so they are protected under the US Constitution. Robert deciphered Jacques' code, which included numbers from the Fibonacci sequence, and an anagram which turned out to say Leonardo DaVinci The Mona Lisa. So, they're heading to investigate the Mona Lisa for more clues.

2. I like the book so far. It has a more mysterious quality to it than Brown's other two novels. The characters have to figure out who did it, and go on another historical treasure hunt, but we're not sure yet what they're looking to find. I like the book a lot so far, and it has not been slow or difficult to read. Robert provides flash backs of some times where he's teaching at Harvard that clarify what they're talking about. Dan Brown uses these very well to explain some parts of the book that might be confusing. I like that the book is told from multiple perspectives, which allows it to encompass multiple storylines. The plot is very interesting so far, as all of Brown's are, and it has kept you questioning what will happen. It's very interesting and Brown's ability to write suspense novels is very good.

3. A theme I've noticed so far is obstinance. I see this theme particularly with the French police officer, Bezu Fache. He's unwilling to change his mind and listen to Robert Langdon's side of the story and has pretty much come to the conclusion, without evidence that Robert killed Jacques. So, he's acting very obstinantly towards the case, and Robert in general. It's a little understandable that he's acting this way, as another French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, explains. He has been under fire for the way he's dealt with past cases, so he wants to make himself look good by having a person already arrested. His guinea-pig in the case is Langdon. Fache's unwillingness to change his mind makes him look very obstinant.

4. My favorite character so far is Langdon. There's nothing wrong with him, and he didn't commit the murder like Fache thinks he did. He spoke the truth when he was questioned by Fache, and his composure under this pressure is very good. He's trying to act as civilized as he can in the case, and trying also to help them solve this mystery in the process. His personality is very laid-back and he acts fine when he's being put through all of this. He was woken up at 12:30 a.m. and wasn't irritable. That's not easy to do, and then be able to try to solve a very intellectual case like this one. He's very good at what he does, and is easy to deal with, even though Fache is not being like that.

5. My least favorite character is Bezu Fache. He's a police officer, which is never an easy line of work to be in, so maybe he should get some slack. I don't think so though. He's handling the case very poorly; he wants to make himself look better, and he doesn't really care whether or not he gets the right guy in. He's convinced Langdon is the man he's looking for, which is actually incorrect. He's been very obstinant about changing his mind, as said above, and is not being friendly towards any of the other characters, i.e. Sophie, or his co-worker Collet. His personality is not disarming, and he was called "the bull" by one of his officers. Not a very good title, in my opinion. His overall manner is not friendly, and being incorrect in this line of work is not good. For these reasons, Fache is my least favorite character.

6. I think Robert and Sophie will escape to the US Embassy, and then follow a clue from the Mona Lisa to another location, and go on a treasure hunt over the world to find some lost artifact that the Priory Scion, Jacques Sauniere's group, has kept for hundreds of years.