About 5 years ago, I started a book club at work with the idea that we would read bestsellers of the potboiler variety. I had been in a book club that read a lot of different things, but most of what we read was literary/artsy/highbrow. I wanted to read books that were similar to the types of books that were popular when I was a kid: Jaws, The Godfather, The Boys from Brazil, Looking for Mr. Goodbar; books that didn't necessarily have anything profound to say, but were riveting pageturners.
The first selection for this office book club was The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. This was the most popular book on the planet at the time. Everyone had read it or was reading it. Is there anyone who hasn't read it? The story is bereft of any kind of literary ambitions, but boy what a hell of a ride! The story grabs you from the first chapter and doesn't let go. It is a masterful blend of history / religion / suspense / mystery. Yes, it almost reads like a movie, and, incidentally, it was much better than the movie version that later came out.
Alas, the great potboiler experiment did not last. The next office book club selection was The Kite Runner. No one wanted to read John Grisham or Sara Paretsky. We had reentered the world of deep characters and emotional journeys. Oprah would have been proud. However, this didn't stop me from reading Angels and Demons on my own. This book was published before The DaVinci Code and is better. It was even more suspenseful and quicker paced. The movie was mediocre (why are the movie versions of these terrific books so average?) Right now, I am in the early part of The Lost Symbol, the third in Dan Brown's Robert Langdon series. I totally think of Tom Hanks as the protagonist as I turn the pages.
Often, when I reflect on what I like about certain writers or books, I point to the prose style or the development of the characters. Sometimes the stories give me new insights on life. I am often enriched by the great books that I read. However, what I enjoy about these Dan Brown novels is that I am always thoroughly entertained, even if I am not edified. But that is ok. I can always read Umberto Ecco (Dan Brown's literary counterpart) for that.
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Dear Mr. Perdices I have not read your blog since April of last year and as usual I was enchanted with your comments. Although I must take issue with one of your statements refering to Dan Brown. You said about the novels of Dan Brown that your were always thoroughly entertained, even if not edified.
ReplyDeleteIn Merrian Webster dictionary one of the definitions of "edify" is as follows: "instruct and improve especially in moral and religious knowledge : uplift; also : enlighten, inform
When I read the Da Vinci Code and later on Angels and Demons I learned so much about my catholic religion that the definition of "edify" fits to a T. As for the moment I disagree with you on this matter, unless you convince me otherwise.
Please continue your great blog which I so very much enjoy.
Maria Ebeid