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Mixed feelings, but over all positive.
“If you start reading this book and dislike it, keep reading. The protagonist is thoroughly unsympathetic at first, but after Marianne comes into his life, the book greatly improves. You have to suspend belief, but an interesting story. The book is well written. I look forward to reading more from this author.”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-11-08. -
Davidson is just a show-off
“What a supreme disappointment The Gargoyle is. I didn't like either of the main characters, and the gratuitous nature of the narrator's pornographic career and physical state after the horrific burns is really rather pointless. I "get" that Andrew Davidson is quite intelligent and read vast amounts of world literature in preparation for writing this book, but it's as though he's showing off for his graduate level English professor. What is the point of this long, drawn out story other than to make the reader think, "What an intelligent writer he is"? Absolutely none. When the book ends, I haven't learned a darn thing, I don't mourn for a life cut short, I don't think the narrator has grown from his experiences, and I still think he is a sarcastic jerk. I wasted my money on The Gargoyle...and that's the biggest lesson I learned.”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-11-06. -
2 of 2 members found this review helpful.
Review of The Gargoyle
“I actually put this book down twice, determined not to read anymore. But my curiosity got the better of me both times. And it was not appeased.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-11-02.
Andrew Davidson tried too hard, in my opinion. He strove for the great, sweeping tale that was heavily themed around Dante's Inferno. But he went too far.
As an avid reader, I've read many descriptions of gross and gory things - but the descriptions he wrote about the treatment of a burn victim were over the top and horrifying. Several times I had to take deep breaths and look away from the page, then move on skipping that section (sometimes with my hand over it to prevent from accidentally skimming it). The vivid details of life as a porn star were over the top as well.
All that aside, I understand why Davidson attempted to do what he did. He wanted to show us complete and total misery. A man sunk so far into the depths of Hell that his redemption would seem all the more powerful. However, his redemption felt empty to me by the time the book ended.
What was fascinating about the book, and the part that kept drawing me back, were the tales of narrator in his previous life, as told by Marianne Engle (Who's name was WAY too close to Madeleine L'Engle for me and I kept getting them confused, which makes for a whole other reason to dislike the story). These little mini-tales were fascinating and incredibly endearing - and the original story of the Narrators life was inspiring and heart-breaking all at once.
The modern tale of redemption was left lacking when compared to the other stories within the book, and in my opinion, if you were to start reading this book, I would merely skim the disgusting, horrifying modern tales and read the other stories taking place. They are the only reason this book got more than one star from me.” -
0 of 1 members found this review helpful.
Close to Outstanding
“The Gargoyle is a crazy Anne Rice-like romp into mad crazy love, history, mental illness, immortality, obsession, Dante's Inferno and Hell. It was a very ambitious undertaking and the writing is sometimes top notch, funny, touching and here and there a bit crude. But if flows well and is often poetic and excellent. The story itself, for me, didn't quite grab me like I wanted it too. I never quite felt the powerful grip of love between the two that was supposed to be the core of the book. Marianne is certainly devoted to the narrator and he becomes devoted to her, but there is rarely a touching one on one conversation between the two of them neither now nor in the past. There is a lot of action and sacrifice, but it never became very intimate or tear jerking. There is a scene toward the end in which he tells her of his love, but it didn't nail me like it was designed to do. This guy can really tell a story well and this was an outstanding first book. I expect great things from him in the future. I do hope they'll make a movie out of this one. ”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-10-28. -
0 of 1 members found this review helpful.
The Gargoyle: Beautiful and Terrifying
“I just finished "The Gargoyle" and have found myself thinking about it steadily for the past few days. I eyed this book for a long time before finally buying it and let it sit for a little while before picking it up.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-10-22.
I have to say, it was well worth the wait. The beginning of the story is a fascinating, if sometimes hard to read, journey through a burn unit and the affects of burns on the body. As the story unfolded with the arrival of Marianne Engel, I found myself more and more immersed in the past connection of the two main characters. While others may have struggled with the insertion of the "stories" (complete with entirely different characters and settings) Marianne told, I found they added intrinsic value to the book and loved the creative way they helped the main character through one of his major journeys.
Overall, a truly delightful, engrossing read: beautifully written, heartfelt and engaging. I suggest anyone looking for lovely imagery and a new perspective pick up a copy. ”
