Book Review: ‘The Lost Symbol’
I finished reading Dan Brown’s long awaited novel The Lost Symbol
The Lost Symbol takes place over a 12 hour period. This probably explains why the action is broken up by several flashback scenes. In fact, without all the flashbacks, the length of the novel could probably be cut in half. Some of the flashbacks were interesting and provided much-needed background to help propel the plot forward, but at the same time, they really brought the pace of the novel to a screeching halt.
One part of the novel I really enjoyed was the facts about Washington D.C. and many of its famous landmarks. I found myself putting the book down on several occasions to look up this or that landmark to see if what Dan Brown was saying was really true. By weaving these facts into the plot, the story seemed much more believable.
The characters were about like I expected. Most were two-dimensional and I didn’t learn much about them beyond what was required for the novel. Robert Langdon, being the protagonist was more well-rounded than the others. But he also had 2 previous novels to build up a history.
In the reviews I’ve read of The Lost Symbol, the flat characters have been a contentious issue among readers. Many criticized Brown for not developing his characters more. I do understand the point these readers are making, although I think the characters in this novel are about par for the course for popular fiction.
The novel’s ending is what really bothered me the most. If I were Dan Brown’s editor for this novel, I would have told him to cut out the last 50 pages or so. After the plot reached its climax, Brown milked the story even more by sending Robert and Peter on a truth-seeking trip to some famous D.C. landmarks.
Furthermore, we see Peter, who had been kidnapped and had his hand cut off, turn into a philosophizing academic who lectures Robert (a college professor) about truth, seeing things from a different perspective, critical thinking and so forth. Robert also had his own problems to deal with – mainly that he drowned, thought he have died, and then was rescued by a very callous CIA official.
And I found it very unbelievable that after the trauma Robert and Peter went through in such a short amount of time, that either would be up for an enchanting tour of our nation’s capital. Both probably should have spent that time in a hospital, but I guess that doesn’t make for very exciting reading.
The ending was also filled with numerous biblical references and talks about God, heaven, hell and other very religious topics. In other words, the novel was a little too preachy for my tastes in the last few chapters. While I understand Brown was trying to make a point, I think he was trying to hard to force that point onto his readers.
Overall though The Lost Symbol is an entertaining read. My observation has been that people either like it or hate it. There’s no shame in having either opinion and I hope that, at the very least, people read the novel with an open mind. I’d recommend this book to anyone who is looking for some fast-paced, escapist reading.
Did you read The Lost Symbol? If so, what did you think of Dan Brown’s latest novel? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.
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Read More: Book Reviews
I just finished the book and frankly, I was disappointed. I felt like I was led on a wild goosechase. This is my least favourite book by Dan Brown – I’ve enjoyed all of his other works immensely. I agree the book was too long and I felt preached to. The last 20-30 pages, instead of wanting to finish it, I put it down disgusted.
I totally agree that after the traumas lived through I found it hard to stomach that they would take that last tour. Solomon in reality would have been grieving on many different levels rather than “rewarding” Langdon with anything.
The worst part is the believability of the pyramid and what it was “hiding” – should have stayed hidden in my opinion lol.
I just finished Lost Symbol and agree that the book should have ended 50 or so pages before it did. The last 50 pages could have been shortened to 20 and all included in an epilogue after some time recouperating in a hospital or at home on bed rest.
I agree with some of the points Brown was trying to make ( not all of them ), but I was annoyed to be preached at. I bought this book in the hopes of being entertained, and I enjoyed most of the story.
Dan Brown is an excellent writter, so the language and discriptions he used make it easy to get lost in the story. I felt like I was experiencing the emotions of some of the victims, and the parts that were fast paced kept me completely engrossed.
I was dissapointed in not having the tense feeling of “who dun it” like the previous Robert Langdon novels. I wish there had been more mystery about the current situation and less about philosophical ideals.
I think the only thing needed to make this novel great instead of good would have been better editing. I would rather have my books a month or so later than feeling un-finished, or in this case over-finished. No excuses for that ending.
Hi Elle, thank you for your comment!
The only other Dan Brown book I have read is ‘Angels & Demons’ which was much better than his latest.
If Brown had cut out that annoying ending and took out most of the flashback scenes then the book would have been half the length. I read it all the way through though. The fact that they really didn’t ‘find’ anything made me feel let down.
Still, the book kept me entertained for a few days and for the most part, it was a page turner.
Hi Playfulimp, thank you for your comment!
It appears that the horrible ending is a pretty common complaint among the people I’ve talked to so far. The one part of the book I did enjoy was learning a lot of little facts about Washington D.C.. I found myself Googling a lot stuff in the novel to learn more about it.
Dan Brown’s writing is a very decisive issue. People love it or hate it, with a few in between. I’m sort of in the middle. Writing can always be improved on, yet Dan Brown sells a lot of books, so he’s laughing all the way to the bank. And as I mentioned in my post, Shakespeare was heavily criticized during his time, so who knows how future generations will judge Dan Brown (I’m in no way comparing Brown to Shakespeare, just saying it’s up to future critics to decide).
Thank again for your comment!