Welcome back to the Great DMV BookClub!
For this month’s Great DMV BookClub selection, we decided to go with a mystery theme – mostly because "Mysterious March" had a nice ring to it! We also thought we’d do a little something different this month and read a book I’ve already read. Our choice for March is:
The Lost Symbol| by Dan Brown
From the Publisher:
As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object -- artfully encoded with five symbols -- is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation ... one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.
When Langdon’s beloved mentor, Peter Solomon -- a prominent Mason and philanthropist -- is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him.
Here’s the deal. I love Dan Brown. I’ve read all of his books. I read The Da Vinci Codein 24 hours. He’s a brilliant storyteller who takes years to craft the intricate mysteries he writes. So imagine my excitement when The Lost Symbolwas released and it was based right here in the DMV. After so many books set across the world in places I’ve never seen, the action in this book would take place in an area I was very familiar with. You’d think I would have been in bookish heaven. But that wasn’t the case ...
The first time through, I sort of hated it. It took me a few weeks to finish it. The length of time it takes me to finish a book usually equates to how much I love it. The faster the read, the better the book. In this instance, I just couldn’t bring myself to invest in the story or in Robert Langdon’s (Brown’s main character) case. It was a slog, to say the least.
But that’s not to say that Dan Brown was not on his game or was any less than his usual brilliant self. The mystery was just as intricate, and the action sequences were just as intense as they always were. That’s why I’m choosing to read it again. Maybe a few years later, I’ll appreciate the writing and the mystery a bit more. Maybe the reason I didn’t like it was because of the lack of exotic destinations. Maybe I was just in a bad mood for those few weeks and needed a break from reading.
All I know is, that after he released Origin in 2017, I fell in love with his writing all over again, and I feel that maybe I just didn’t give The Lost Symbol a chance. Of course, it may also have something to do with the span of time between each of his releases being so very long, that I need something to hold me over until the next installment. It’s anyone’s guess really.
But for now, I’ll be immersing myself in the world of intrigue and mystery in Washington, D.C. And hopefully you’ll come along for the ride!
Food for Thought
1. Are you a Robert Langdon fan? What’s been your favorite book so far?
2. If you’ve read his other books, have you also seen the two movies starring Tom Hanks? Is he a perfect Langdon, or did you picture someone else in the iconic role?
3. Have you ever re-read a book and completely changed your mind about it? In my case, I’m re-reading a book I didn’t like, but have you re-read a book you liked and decided you didn’t really like it at all?
4. Where are you hoping Brown sets the next Langdon mystery?
Stop back on Tuesday, March 26, to hear what I thought about The Lost Symbol!
*Featured image courtesy of ibanys.net.