Another Dan Brown Review
Another Dan Brown Review
By Addison McClure
After finishing The Da Vinci Code, I was sort of pressured to read Angels and Demons, which is the book that came before. Angels and Demons has an extremely similar plot structure and characters. The main character is Robert Langdon, who is featured in many Dan Brown books, and he has an intelligent female sidekick who very much resembles the female sidekick in The Da Vinci Code. In both books there are also the anonymous villains who have gotten men, who are into some strange things, to do their bidding. The plot also incorporates the Catholic church just like The Da Vinci Code did.
The book opens with the murder of a physicist, named Leonardo Vetra, who is employed at a research facility known as CERN. Harvard symbologist, Robert Langdon is called to the facility by another employee to examine the case. He is called before the authorities because the attacker left the Illuminati symbol branded on the victim. Robert than meets up with the physicist's daughter, named Vittoria, and learns of the dangerous project her father has been working on. To the surprise of both Robert and Vittoria, they also discover that the extremely dangerous project has been stolen and is now threatening Vatican City. So obviously, Robert and Vittoria hop on a plane and head to Vatican City in attempt to save it.
One thing I find funny is how the author always describes the female characters. I feel like he makes it seem as though neither he nor Robert Langdon has never seen a girl before. The author uses a lot adjectives about Vittoria's appearance such as "radiating luminescence of Mediterranean flesh that had enjoyed longs hours in the sun" when describing her skin. He also focuses in on her gaze. So far I have yet to read about a male character having a "watery-gaze". Vittoria is a accomplished physicist who's father has just been murdered, but the only thing Robert Langdon focuses on is her slender torso and her chest. I get that you have to give the reader an idea about what the characters look like, but I just find it interesting how many ways Dan Brown can describe a female character's body.
Just like The Da Vinci Code, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the murder mystery genre. I myself do not recommend reading both books back to back unless you really enjoy them. It is not a terrible book, but because the plot is so similar to The Da Vinci Code, I do not feel as intrigued. I have not finished the book though so I do not want to judge it to much. So far, I prefer The Da Vinci Code over Angels and Demons.
Overall, the blog does have a few minor problems but you illustrated your points well. I chose to comment on this blog since my most recent blog post was also on this book. However, if I hadn't read this book I would still not have a clear image in my mind of what the plot of the book is about. I feel as if the blog would have talked a little more about the Illuminati and their intentions, I would have a better idea of what the story was about.
ReplyDeleteI think this blog post had a concise summary about the plot which was useful for my further understanding of this blog post. As someone who has never read Angels & Demons before, I thought this blog post was easy to follow. I appreciate you bringing up some problematic aspects of it, such as the objectification of the female sidekick character. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThere were a few grammatical or spelling errors but other than those really well done. I like how you connect this book to another one to give the readers of the (if they have read the other book) a better idea of how this book plays out. It was great to see that you first set out what the characters are like and then moved on to how the book was written and what it was about. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI thought the blog was good. I really liked the points that you made on feminism in the novel. They added a personal touch to the review, and I liked hearing your opinions on it. I was able to understand the plot of the story and I enjoyed knowing that there is a sequel to it and how that may have affected your opinion of this book. I am interested in reading this book and seeing if I agree with your points on feminism
ReplyDeleteI have read neither The Da Vinci Code nor Angels and Demons, but I have heard of both. Your blog, in addition to what I have heard, makes Angels and Demons sound like a suspenseful mystery book. You stated that the novel starts off with a murder that nobody knows anything for certain about, which would help to keep readers intrigued. I also find it strange, though, how the novel objectifies women. The book came out in 2000! I feel that if the book had been published in the 1960’s, it would have made more sense because that was a common thing that happened back then. Your insight into how Dan Brown’s writing style represents female characters made me take a new perspective on how commonly women are treated as objects even in contemporary literature. Overall a great blog post.
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