I read this on a recommendation, and while it was mildly entertaining, I just didn't finish it with the same kind of feeling as I do other books. It was an interesting story written in an easily understood writing style, so I breezed through it really. I personally prefer more of a challenging book.

Again, I remember reading this in a single sitting, gripping enough for an easy beach read.

If you liked The DaVinci Code, then you will LOVE Dan Brown's Angels and Demons. This was actually written before The Davinci Code and Robert Langdon's character, professor of iconology at Harvard University, is introduced in this novel. I have now read all of Dan Brown's books and although I agree that they are formulaic, they still hook me, every time! By the very end I had a good suspicion as to who the killer was, mainly because after reading The DVC I had a good idea where he would go with this one. I still loved it, though. Love the science, history and religion intertwined in the mystery!

3.5

This book is a very interesting case. In one sense it’s terrible and in another it’s absolutely brilliant

If yo were to judge this book on writing style, story structure, character development and the use of motifs / cliches you’d reach one conclusion: this book is terrible

On the other hand the level of creativity, research, the time put into the puzzles and the atmosphere in thus book is fanatic. Never have I had a book I’ve had to put down and look into the interesting references, facts and historical information quite like this one. Now that I’m finished I am eager to look into so many new bits of history and life that I wouldn’t be aware of if I didn’t read Angels and Demons.

This is my first Dan Brown book but I think it’s fair to presume none of his work could ever qualify aa elegant prose and this his books would probably make an average English teacher reel in horror. Nevertheless I would highly recommend this book despite it’s very obvious faults.

I couldn't put it down, but that was years ago before the movies...if you haven't seen them this is a good choice for a beach read.

This was so close to being four stars. I was aware of the historical inaccuracies and cheesiness going in, and I was ready for it. All I wanted was a light, entertaining read. I got it - it was gripping, I read it at every opportunity. It even had passages of (simple but thought-inducing) discussions about the tensions and compatibilities between science and faith, which I was surprised by and found enjoyable. The sexism (see: the sexualisation of Vittoria Vetra) and islamophobia (see: the depiction of the Hassassin) was off-putting, but weren’t the main reason for lowering it to three. It was the anti-God dogma. Dan Brown pulled the same trick as the camerlengo in reverse - created a story that would give us faith and awe, then shattered it by revealing deceit and scandal. Hope then horror. I am onboard with organised religion being manipulative - but I’m not onboard with that being made equivalent to being anti-faith. Anti-faith was what this was - Robert Langdon had moments of faith then went home assured that God was not real, despite the events of the book having no consequence for God’s existence. Atheists love to cite logic yet make illogical jumps to persecute faith. Basically: an engaging story used to emotionally manipulate readers into lack of faith. Ironic, isn’t it?

Some quotes/ideas:
“...I did not ask if you believe whay man says about God. I asked if you believe in God. There is a difference. Holy scripture is stories... legends and history of a man’s quest to understand his own need for meaning. I am not asking you to pass judgment on literature. I am asking if you believe in God. When you lie out under the stars, do you sense the divine? Do you feel in your gut that you are staring up at the work of God’s hand?”

Christian rituals have borrowed from other religions - sun worship, canonization from Euhemerus ‘god-making’, communion from Aztec ‘god-eating’, Quetzalcoatl idea of a young man dying to absolve the sins of their people.

You may have the power to prevent pain but choose not to interfere so the person learns their lesson - resolution to omnipotent and benevolent God who allows suffering

Science as out of control and unconstrained by any morality (but is it science or capitalism?)

“Who is more ignorant? The man who cannot define lightning or the man who does not respect its awesome power?”

On creation: “Is it really so much easier to believe that we simply chose the right card from a deck of billions? Have we become so spiritually bankrupt that we would rather believe in mathematical impossibility than in a power greater than us?”

Remarkable solutions to impossible problems - gurus call higher consciousness. Biologists call altered states. Psychologists call super-sentience. Christians call answered prayer.

“Each of us is a God, Buddha had said. Each of us knows all. We need only open our minds to hear our own wisdom.”

“God is the energy that flows through the synapses of our nervous system and the chambers of our hearts. God is in all things.”