oaknet wrote:

The story of Blythe is just another piece in crappy jigsaw puzzle of publicity about a dopey book - specifically trying to enthuse the psuedo-feminisist claptrap that behind every great man is an even greater woman. That's not feminisim, that's making an excuse for yourself. Feminism is about making a name for yourself.

Actually, no, I don't think that this is part of the publicity engine. I think that Blythe has done everything possible to stay *out* of the spotlight. She's never (to my knowledge) given an interview, and there are very few pictures of her available.

My own stand on this, is that I'll admit that I'm annoyed when the public spotlight for any major accomplishment focuses on a single individual, whether it be writing a bestselling novel, negotiating a peace treaty, developing an artificial heart, or creating a critically-acclaimed movie. I have too often seen attention go to a single name, simply because that makes the story easier to understand, but it ignores or belittles all the dozens of other people who were instrumental in that accomplishment. It also bothers me when I see all the attention go to the man of a relationship, when it's clear that the success was the result of a partnership between a husband and wife team. In those cases, I say give the credit to the team, not just to the man. In the case of Brown's novels, I think it's a clear case that Blythe has been a close partner, not just personally, but professionally as well, and she should be recognized for that.

As for whether The Da Vinci Code is well-written, I'm not going to argue that. ;) I think the history is appalling, the conspiracy theories are garbage, and the frequent insistence on phrases like "all of this information is factual," or "most historians agree" is nauseating. Then again, historical accuracy aside, it *is* a fun read, and it has sparked a public debate and search for knowledge about some worthy subjects. I know that my own knowledge of the Grail legend, and the history of the Knights Templar and other elements of the Crusades has increased several hundred percent over the last year, as I've dug in to determine for myself what is fact and what is fiction. And bookstores all over the place have noticed an increase in sales of books about medieval history. I think those are good things, even if the result was unintentional. ;)

Elonka :)

RE: How Dan Brown's wife unlocked the code to bestseller success