Is it possible for someone not to know The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown? We highly doubt it.
However, we do know many people haven’t still decided to read it because they either feel pressured by popularity, or the themes eventually formed and approached aren’t their favorites.
If you want a recommendation, trust us and your guts, so you go and start reading it as soon as possible.
The Da Vinci Code is a classic in today’s literature for a reason. We guarantee that although the topics can be a bit off from what you usually read, they are worth your time.
We plaid guilty of being the few people that decided to read it after a very long time. In fact, it hasn’t been a year since we read it, but you bet we have gone over the story more than once since then.
Besides the story itself and what is inside the book, there’s a lot more to know about it when it comes to its author and details.
Thus, if you want some encouragement to read it today or just want to learn a bit more about one of your favorite books, you’re in the right place. Here, we will provide you with the info you’ve been looking for after all.
Before Da Vinci, There’s the Author: Who Is Dan Brown?
Although you will know him as a writer today, his inceptions aren’t here. Instead, he first started as a musician, but we will get to that soon.
Before explaining where everything came from and how they were united, let’s focus on his early life.
On June 22, 1964, Dan Brown was born in Exeter, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. He has a younger sister that was born four years later and a brother born in 1974.
During his childhood, Brown only attended public schools until he was in ninth grade when moving to the campus of Phillips Exeter Academy, where he grew up.
Since his father, Richard G. Brown, was a mathematics teacher and wrote textbooks in the academy, Dan didn’t have problems adapting to his life.
Meanwhile, his mother, Constance “Connie” Brown, trained as a church organist and was a student of sacred music. Due to both of his parents’ influence, he was raised as an Episcopalian.
When he was just a child, he showed great interest in solving puzzles and secrets. Thanks to his parents ‘ specialties, most of them were tied to mathematics, music, and languages.
His fascination was incredible to the point of spending several hours solving anagrams and crossword puzzles while also participating in treasure hunts their father took the time to sign during birthdays and holidays.
Moving on with his education, Dan Brown graduated from the academy and attended Amherst College, where he took part in the Psi Upsilon fraternity.
During his college years, he was known for playing squash, singing in the Amherst Glee Club, and writing as a student of visiting novelist Alan Lelchuck.
Although he was still in college, he went to Spain in 1985 to spend his time in an art history course at the University of Seville. However, he came back and graduated from Amherst in 1986.
Music Career: Dan Brown as Composer & Singer
Since his mother was a singer-songwriter of religious music, you know the apple doesn’t tend to fall too far from the tree.
After completing his studies, he discovered music was his passion and began his career as a composer to create a cassette containing a collection of songs for children.
He created his own label, Dalliance after this project was a success. In 1990, he launched Perspective, a musical project that aimed at an older audience in CD format under his own record label.
He traveled to Hollywood in 1991 to improve his musical career. His projects included Spanish classes in Beverly Hills, joining the National Academy of Composers, and participating in the presentations to pay for his stay.
He would also meet Blythe, a 15-year-old girl with whom he would develop a love relationship. She would be instrumental in spreading her musical creations.
He returned to New Hampshire shortly after with Blythe. They continued their musical ambitions, and he also continued to teach Spanish.
He released the project entitled “Dan Brown” in 1993. After its release, he traveled to Tahiti to rest, where he would stumble upon a book on a chair in the pool, and he discovered it was Sidney Sheldon’s “The Last Judgment Conspiracy.”
From here, his inspiration to start writing similar thriller stories was born.
Writing: A New Era in His Life
With his new inspiration right in his heart, he returned to New Hampshire, where he began writing the draft of what would be his first story, but without leaving aside his music compositions.
In fact, 1994 saw the release of another CD, “Angels and Demons.”
He decided to stop teaching in order to devote himself to writing, while Blythe Newlon became a part of the editing team, contributed ideas, and co-wrote a project. This led to them getting married in 1997.
His first novel, “The Digital Fortress,” was published the following year (1998). It was heavily promoted by his wife but harshly criticized by the public.
After correcting mistakes and improving his writing style, “Angels and Demons” and “The Conspiracy” were published in 2000 and 2001, respectively.
However, it wasn’t until 2003 that The Da Vinci Code was published that Dan would be officially consecrated as an author.
His future novels would feature the same features as his original: “Inferno” (2013), “Origin” (2017), and “The Lost Symbol” (2009). He also used symbology and loading riddles to solve mysteries and inquire into human beliefs.
His experiences highly influence his novels as a young boy playing in his father’s treasure hunting settings and curiosity for secrets and puzzles.
The Da Vinci Code: Inside the Plot
After all that introduction and background about the author, are you ready to know more about the book?
As we usually promise, there won’t be spoilers. However, we can’t promise that a few comments will look suspicious (and make sense if you read the book or when you decide to do so).
Robert Langdon, a Harvard symbologist, is in Paris for business when he receives a late-night call informing the elderly curator of the Louvre being murdered inside the museum.
The strange thing is that police have discovered a strange cipher near the body. Langdon is shocked to find that it leads to a trail of clues in the works by da Vinci. These clues are visible to all but cleverly disguised for none to understand.
Langdon teams up with Sophie Neveu, a French cryptologist. He discovers that the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion, one of the secret societies that included brilliant minds, including Leonardo da Vinci.
The Priory’s most sacred trust is the protection of a religious relic that has been hidden for centuries.
Langdon and Neveu race through Paris, London, and beyond to match their wits against a faceless powerbroker, who appears to be working for Opus Dei, a Vatican-approved Catholic sect that is believed to have plotted to take over the Priory’s secrets.
If Langdon and Neveu fail to solve the labyrinthine puzzle on time, the Priory’s secret will be lost forever.
We know you can consider some of the details spoilers. However, you would be surprised by how much you’re missing to the point of none of the above making sense. In the end, are also these details true?
You will need to read the book to know.
Earnings & Receptions: The Da Vinci Code’s Popularity
As we mentioned in the beginning, it is hard to believe people don’t know this book. When we say it was literally everywhere, we mean it.
The Da Vinci Code is a reference to this century’s stories and literary masterpieces. Thus, it is only natural for people to know about it, at least by name.
But if you need more proof, there are numbers and critics.
You would be surprised by knowing that by 2009, the book had sold over 80 million copies. As of 2021, it has sold more than 260 million books and counting.
Thanks to Dan Brown’s novels, but specifically this one, he has amassed a great sum of his fortune. By 2019, he earned about $20 million, thanks to royalties alone.
However, other books must also be considered in his total net worth.
Numbers don’t lie, and although we don’t have access to the exact earnings, you can imagine it with the above.
Now, was it that well received by the public?
The Da Vinci Code came with great sensation but also controversy.
Since it is kind of a direct attack on Christianity, many countries banned it, considering it blasphemy.
However, this didn’t stop people from reading the masterpiece. Instead, everyone wanted it even more.
Lebanon was one of the countries that first banned the book in 2004. But regardless of the effort, people continued accessing it.
Catholic leaders don’t love the book, but people use it to study literature and part of religions.
Being suitable for people above 16 years old, the reviews set it at 4.6 stars out of 5.
We have to even give it a five, and you would understand if you have read how well-written and intriguing the book is with its suspense and a great storyline.
To this date, Robert Langdon, the book’s main character, is considered one of the unique characters to emerge in recent years.
The Da Vinci Code heralds the arrival of a new breed of lightning-paced, intelligent, and somehow historical thriller. It is surprising at every twist, absorbing at every turn, and in the end, utterly unpredictable.
Other Robert Langdon novels are considered almost as fascinating as this one.
Moved to the Big Screen: The Da Vinci Code’s Film
Didn’t you read the book? You must have watched the film.
“The Da Vinci Code” was released in 2006, not too long after the book was published. Well, with such popularity, someone definitely wanted to take it and make a movie.
You could expect a lot from the film with a great cast taking part, such as Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu, and Jean Reno as Captain Bezu Dache.
However, based on critics, “It could have been better. It should have been better.”
In our opinion, the film does fall in what you can expect from it and, well, we always agree that reading the original is better than watching an adaptation.
Despite the other amazing cast members who took part, like Paul Bettany, Ian McKellen, and Alfred Molina, the film missed a lot.
You don’t get the entire mystery and suspense you want. However, the box office was quite impressive due to people’s expectations, with a $760 million total worldwide.
What can we say? Should you watch such a film? For sure. But first, read the book.
4 Weird Facts About The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
- A whole cottage industry of books was debunking The Da Vinci Code.
- One of the places in the book, Rossyln Chapel, is real and with a very strange history that involves conspiracy theories. One of them is that it connects to an underground network of tunnels where the head of Jesus Christ is kept mummified.
- There is a young adult version of the book available.
- Author Dan Brown woke up at 4 AM every day to write the book and even relied on the upside-down hanging therapy to find inspiration.
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