The Gargoyle (edit title)

• Rated 2 stars

“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.

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.”

• Rated 3 stars

“listened to audio”

• Rated 5 stars

“"The Gargoyle" is undoubtedly not for everyone, and my guess is that to really appreciate this book you need to be someone who is not squeamish about gory descriptions and interested in subjects such as past lives, parallel realities and love stories of the "beauty and the beast" type.
I personally loved it, and found it moving, intelligent and well-written. ”

• Rated 2 stars

“A fast read, and it kept my attention for the most part, but was alarmingly tame and bland for a book about an ex-porn-star burn-victim junkie with a schizo centuries-old girlfriend. Read kind of like a tired Chuck Palahniuk channeling crap historical romance.”

• Rated 5 stars

“What an incredible book! There are so many layers of the story and so many hidden meanings that putting the centuries-long story together is a real treat.

The narrator's cynical and sober view of his life and situation clashes wonderfully with the mystical and emotional world that Marianne lives in. Finding out what the result of this battle of wills is, is an adventure in itself.

The Gargoyle is definitely a book to remember and one you will love to come back to.”

• Rated 4 stars

“Very fun read: dark and twisted.”

• Rated 3 stars

“So I wouldn't say that I hated this book, nor would I say I loved it. This was Davidson's first book. And for a first book, I think it was okay. He obviously did his research, but I think he overdid it in a way when one learns something new and he wants to flaunt it. That's what he did, and I think it took away from the story, which in itself, was beautiful and almost Gothic. I adored the stories within the story, and his very obvious salute to Dante's "Inferno."
All in all, I think it was different, but I don't regret reading it. Davidson did pique my interest in his theme of a Love so strong that it spanned over several lifetimes. The Biblical and the atheistic blending of the main characters were very creatively put together for the perfect irony. ”

• Rated 4 stars

“Great blending of stories past and present. Very tough start.”

• Rated 4 stars

“Read this book on a quick trip to DC - Kindle version. Instead of enjoying a sunny weekend in DC, I spent the time in cafes, in museum courtyards, on the Metro, with my nose burried in this *book*. It got a little long in the middle/end, but the first several chapters - where the guy describes his burnt condition, are breath-taking!”

• Rated 1 stars

“After approximately 60 pages of gruesome, detailed descriptions of what happens to a body in the burn unit interspersed with reminiscences of the narrator’s previous life as a drop-dead gorgeous porn star I thought my eyeballs would start bleeding. Needless to say, I shut the book and returned it to the library where it can lie in wait for some other poor unsuspecting reader. Too bad I can't give it half a star.”