The Gargoyle

by Andrew Davidson (Goodreads author)

book data

2,334 ratings, 3.97 average rating, 886 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		36%
4		35%
3		18%
2		6%
1		2%

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published

August 5th 2008 (first published 2007) by Doubleday

binding

Hardcover, 465 pages

characters

Marianne Engel

isbn

0385524943 (isbn13: 9780385524940)

description

An extraordinary debut novel of love that survives the fires of hell and transcends the boundaries of time

The narrator of The Gargoyle is a very conte

...more

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06/20/08

Jason Pettus rated it:

Read in December, 2008

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)

It's easy to take the low road whenever a subpar book with tremendous hype comes out, to comically trash that book not necessarily for its ludicrous elements but rather that a group of corporate executives decided to spend millions on it anyway. But what if that author happens to be on you...more

Like this review? yes (34 people liked it)

14 comments

06/18/08

Peter rated it:

bookshelves: didn-t-finish

I gave this almost 200 pages to win me over since it has been hyped so much and everyone seems to love it, but I had to give up on it and move on. I thought that the writing was very good, with some vivid images, especially the early one equating the narrator's burn to the pain caused by touching a hot stove--for a full minute. I also, surprisingly, enjoyed some of Marianne's tales of love.

The problem was--okay, one of the problems was--that I found them to be more interesting th...more I gave this almost 200 pages to win me over since it has been hyped so much and everyone seems to love it, but I had to give up on it and move on. I thought that the writing was very good, with some vivid images, especially the early one equating the narrator's burn to the pain caused by touching a hot stove--for a full minute. I also, surprisingly, enjoyed some of Marianne's tales of love.

The problem was--okay, one of the problems was--that I found them to be more interesting than her own story. The main issue I had was that there was no real conflict to propel the plot along and I didn't think that the characters were strong enough to carry the story themselves. Yes, there were some details that intrigued me (like the Asian woman whispering to a young Narrator about the origin of his scar, which was completely forgotten in the pages that I was able to get through), and Marianne's assertion that they were lovers did pique my interest a little bit--was she for real or just a looney tune? But the majority of the plot seemed to be about the Narrator's recovery in the burn unit, his rehabilitation and physical therapy, which, granted, was quite thoroughly researched but a little boring after a while. But there were also parts where the author slipped into long, monotonous, detailed description that could have easily been cut. A half page listing all of the foods at the Christmas feast? Seriously?

My second major issue was the characters. I just felt that they were one-dimensional and uninteresting beyond the fact that one is burned and the other thinks they're lovers from 700 years ago. They reminded me of the titular gargoyle: meticulously crafted but ultimately stony and impenetrable and without much substance below the surface. I didn't think that they had any chemistry together, either. In fact, I was more charmed by the crush Gregor had on Mizumoto than I was by the primary romance.

I'm sure there were a ton of literary references and layers upon layers of symbolism in here that I didn't get, which may give it depth, but if I can't muster up the energy to plod along or care about the characters enough to watch them recuperate and court each other, what good is it? Honestly, if this were to have crossed my desk, I would have passed on it.(less)

Like this review? yes (15 people liked it)

5 comments

07/24/08

Amy rated it:

bookshelves: 2008-books-read, amazon-vine, favorites, reincarnation

Read in August, 2008

I began to get an idea why the publisher paid $1.5 million for this novel (the highest ever paid in Canada) after the first few pages. Andrew Davidson is able to tease stories out paper with his pen like his character, Marianne, is able to tease gargoyles out of stone with a chisel. Through the mouth of Marianne and with images straight out of Dante's Inferno, he tells 700 years of stories of Marianne's reincarnations which have included whispering nuns, fiery arrows, callous mercenaries, deadly...more I began to get an idea why the publisher paid $1.5 million for this novel (the highest ever paid in Canada) after the first few pages. Andrew Davidson is able to tease stories out paper with his pen like his character, Marianne, is able to tease gargoyles out of stone with a chisel. Through the mouth of Marianne and with images straight out of Dante's Inferno, he tells 700 years of stories of Marianne's reincarnations which have included whispering nuns, fiery arrows, callous mercenaries, deadly plagues, lost ships, gregarious Vikings, and being buried alive.

It's with a man's cocaine-influenced fiery car accident and his subsequent treatments in a burn unit that the novel itself begins. However grotesque this situation really is, the author is able to find the perfect words that transform the story into a work of art. The car is falling into the pit of Dante's hell and the burn victim's bed is in the belly of a bleached white skeleton.

So here we have a man who was orphaned at birth, who was brought up by meth addicts who eventually blew up their house, and who later became a model and then a porn star to make ends meet on the street (Of course, after sustaining 1st-4th degree burns over most of his body and having a penectomy, there's not much of that career left.)

As the man is lying in his hospital bed thinking of a spectacular way to kill himself involving hanging, jumping from a building, a bullet to the head, an overdose, and a razor blade to the wrist all at once, a psych patient wanders into his hospital room. She swears she's known him for 700 years, tells him this is the 3rd time he's been burned, says she knows how he got the scar on his chest, tells him stories of dragons and monks, and leaves him a grotesque (not to be confused with a gargoyle) that she herself carved for him. Then she proceeds to tell him stories about the various lives they've met in.

This is a masterpiece of a book indeed. I've not seen so much symbolism and layers of story in a modern book in a quite a while. I found myself lost within the stories within the story and gasping for air at their astonishingly horrible and beautiful endings. This is definitely a book worth careful scrutiny and more than one read.(less)

Like this review? yes (14 people liked it)

1 comment

07/24/08

Jackie rated it:

bookshelves: 5-star, work-review-related-reading

Read in August, 2008

This is a most unusual tale. It is the love story of a severely burned ex-porn star and a schizophrenic sculptor on it's surface. Which is interesting enough--both are lovably flawed fascinating characters in their on right. But soon the other stories, spanning centuries, begin. Each is a heartbreaking yet uplifting story of love. All are told in language I can only call magical--I found myself often stopping to re-read sections because I wanted to savor their beauty a bit longer. Reading...more

Like this review? yes (10 people liked it)

2 comments

09/12/08

Michael rated it:

bookshelves: read-in-2008

Read in September, 2008

The unnamed narrator of Andrew Davidson's debut novel "The Gargoyle" may be beautiful to the world but internally, his life is a mess. Raised as an orphan by his two meth-addicted cousins and then in foster care, he's now a adult cinema star whose life is built upon looks and appearances rather than any real depth. He's addicted to drugs, drinks too much and all of this leads to him to a horrific car accident in which he is horribly burned over most of his body, even going so far as ...more

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08/27/08

Nancy rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy, fiction, romance

Read in December, 2008

I’m usually suspicious of over-hyped books, but a friend at the library highly recommended it.

A short way into the story, the narrator’s mom dies, his grandmother dies, he gets severely burned in a car accident, and his aunt and uncle die. I felt beat over the head with all the suffering and seriously thought about giving up reading by page 50. Then Marianne Engel, a woman with a history of mental illness, shows up in the nameless narrator’s hospital room telling a story ab...more

Like this review? yes (8 people liked it)

4 comments

08/09/08

Lolly rated it:

The Gargoyle moves you to want to be in love and to NEVER want to be in love. Love is suffering, love is bliss. Davidson has penned a beautiful book full of love, meaning, and intelligence. It's not often that a person can learn history,religion and culture in a book about love. Oh and he threw in burn procedures, yes BURN procedures in a book about love, somehow it seems fitting. Wait, I think I forgot to mention there are language translations too. I do realize a lot of people run from anythi...more

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08/07/08

Lolly rated it:

bookshelves: fiction

Read in September, 2008

recommended to Lolly by: BookWorld

Over the period of one day, I was completely immersed in the story... so many stories within one! Starting with a real shock of a near-fatal auto accident, this book definitely starts off with a bang. The main character (who is never "named") is severely burnt, and spends months upon months in a hospital's burn unit. I really enjoyed seeing the transformation of the main character both physically, spiritually, and emotionally throughout the 400+ pages of the novel. With the care/lov...more

Like this review? yes (6 people liked it)

2 comments

08/05/08

Diane rated it:

Read in August, 2008

---Wow...just where do I start? Honestly, I was not sure whether I was going to read this book or not. I took the book home from the library 2 weeks ago, read a few gory pages and then stopped. I then read that this debut author, Andrew Davidson, was given a $2 million dollar advance on this book, and I had to read it to see what all the hype was about. I am so glad I did.

The Gargoyle, is a story about redemption.

This book is not for the faint of heart. The story begins w...more

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09/18/08

Bill rated it:

bookshelves: first-reads

Read in October, 2008

recommends it for: anyone who enjoys reading

It's hard to believe that this is a first novel, it is a very well accomplished book, I can see me becoming an Andrew Davidson fan over time.

What I loved most about the Gargoyle is that it is so hard to categorise. It is a love story, an adventure story, a supernatural thriller, a horror tale (perhaps?) and there are many heart wrenching and indeed comedic moments in the book.

The characters are all very well developed and the parallels and use of Dante's Inferno have kick...more

Like this review? yes (6 people liked it)

3 comments

09/28/08

Shelby rated it:

bookshelves: all-time-favorite, col-reads

Read in October, 2008

recommended to Shelby by: My bookclub
recommends it for: everyone

What a book! I thought okay so an odd storyline when I heard about it. But my book group was saying it was so good that I thought I would give it a try and I'm soooo glad that I did. This book makes you glad to be a reader. For me it brought stories and that love of a really really good book to life again. I am about halfway through it and I keep making me put it down because I dread it ending.
Andrew Davidson has written a gift for the reading world. His stories sweep you up and place you...more

Like this review? yes (7 people liked it)

3 comments

10/19/08

Mollysusie rated it:

Wow! WOW! Woooow!

Things I loved about this book: the writing! the imagery! the story! the plotline! the fact that everytime someone asked me what I was reading about I could say a porn star!

But mostly it was the writing. Finally, a male author who can show, not tell when it comes to feelings. To love. To devotion. Again, not an American male writer...

Things I didn't like about this book: the first-person point of view. the author addressing the ...more

Like this review? yes (5 people liked it)

1 comment

08/25/08

Lisa rated it:

Read in August, 2008

'The Gargoyle' is a bold and ambitious novel for first-time author Andrew Davidson. Opening with the narrator's description of a horrific car crash, you immediately sense that this novel is not going to be a 'light and fluffy' read! "Truth be told, I started with the crash because I wanted to catch your interest and drag you into the story" (p.3) and does he ever - even for the reluctant reader who wants to tear herself away from the gruesome descriptions leaping out of the pages lik...more 'The Gargoyle' is a bold and ambitious novel for first-time author Andrew Davidson. Opening with the narrator's description of a horrific car crash, you immediately sense that this novel is not going to be a 'light and fluffy' read! "Truth be told, I started with the crash because I wanted to catch your interest and drag you into the story" (p.3) and does he ever - even for the reluctant reader who wants to tear herself away from the gruesome descriptions leaping out of the pages like the flames that consume the narrator's flesh - Davidson artfully uses our morbid fascination with violence, which has fuelled public executions of the past and the continued success of slasher films in the present, to shock and beguile the reader and by the end of chapter 1 you are well and truly hooked. Whilst some readers may be appalled, I found the anger, violence and gratuitous descriptions in the earlier part of the novel refreshingly honest and raw, capturing just a smidgen of the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical torment that any burns victim must face.

Enter Marianne Engel, a beautiful, and possibly mentally ill, eccentric sculptor who is convinced that she has known the narrator in medieval Germany. Aghast at his injuries and faced with the reality of his multitude of 'sins' from his previous life as a drug-fuelled director of porn, the un-named narrator dismisses her as mad but is impressed at her disregard for the burns unit protocol and is maliciously satisfied to see the stir she causes with the nurses and his doctor. Thus starts the bizarre and fantastic friendship between the two which is carried along by Marianne's outrageous, but seemingly historically accurate, stories of love and self-sacrifice. In the first part of the novel, Davidson makes uses of direct address to readers, which does indeed drag you into this story where the borders between reality, memory, madness, symbol and fiction all become blurred. This direct address wanes as the narrator becomes more independent and able to cope with his injuries so it seems does his need to appeal to the reader’s common-sense assuming that the reader is also as mesmerised by the strange appearance of Marianne Engel as he is. Indeed by the time I realised this I was well and truly hooked by the story as the narrator is also captivated by Marianne Engel’s beguiling fairytales.

This is a very erudite book that draws on seven years of meticulous research but one thing that I love is that the writing never gets away from Davidson nor degenerates into a style that is pretentious or superior. This is, in part, helped by the fantastically self-depreciating, wry humour that sneaks its way through this book without ever being forced or obvious. Mutli-layered and figurative, this book is laden with religious and literary symbolism which only adds to its charm. The imagery is rich and indulgent in a way that confronts the narrator and readers' own understanding of reality and how, in this fluid and ever-changing post-modern world where it's supposed to be ok to believe 'anything', do you categorise something archaic as Marianne Engel's medieval religious view of the humanity?

An excellent 'book club' choice, you will want, in fact need, to talk about it and it will stay etched in your memory for years to come and is this not what great literature is meant to do? Highly recommended.
(less)

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08/16/08

Audrey rated it:

Read in August, 2008

recommended to Audrey by: I was lucky to win a copy.
recommends it for: Anyone

‘Gargoyle’ by Andrew Davidson is like no other novel. It revolves around a beautiful but utterly corrupt, nameless, pornographer who is burnt beyond recognition. For him although he lives, he is already dead. Marianne Engel is the elusive, haunting and unstable sculptress of the stone Gargoyles; the title of the novel. Ultimately, she is his saviour in a way that he could never have understood previously. This novel reaches beyond the reader’s usual expectations. It is a story of grea...more

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03/11/08

Sarah rated it:

The Gargoyle is a harsh punch to the gut to those who doubt love transcends time.

The first line got me...Accidents ambush the unsuspecting, often violently, just like love. At that moment, I was pulled off the cliff along with the happless narrator...feeling the explosion and the flames chewing away his skin. As the unnammed narrator awakens, he is recovering in the burn ward and no longer recognizable as a man. This is a far cry from his former glory days of an attractive, womanizi...more The Gargoyle is a harsh punch to the gut to those who doubt love transcends time.

The first line got me...Accidents ambush the unsuspecting, often violently, just like love. At that moment, I was pulled off the cliff along with the happless narrator...feeling the explosion and the flames chewing away his skin. As the unnammed narrator awakens, he is recovering in the burn ward and no longer recognizable as a man. This is a far cry from his former glory days of an attractive, womanizing, successful porn producer. But hey, not much further down to go from here, right? The narrator is a sardonic, inappropriatly hilarious bastard...who we root for without understanding why.

He is soon visited by the kooky Marianne Engel, who identifies him as her lover from medieval times...when she was a scribe and he was a mercenary. We suspect she has escaped from the mental ward, but as her story is revealed, the lines between fantasy, psychosis, and truth are a mesmerising blur. She's a clever orator, and tells not her own story, but those of her friends triumphs in love. These 4 international fairy-tales... Sei the Japanese glassblower, Siguoor the Sweedish Viking, Francesco the Italian welder, and Vicki the sea-widow. No spoilers, but these characters are utilized later in the book in such a perfect way...you wanna squeal in delight.

I flat out love this book, so much that towards the end I made myself put it down to drag out the end so it wouldn't be over. Clearly that wasn't successful, as I devoured it in 3 days. It manages to be both literary (allusions to Dante's inferno & history of european monestaries) and commercial. Davidson is a master craftsman, especially skilled at seamlessly weaving past and present. Endings never satisfy me, but this book never loosens the vice grip on the readers attention, compassion, and ability to believe in the fantastic.

Kudos, I recommend everyone picks this up in August, when it is on sale. Davidson is a formidable author...and I look forward to what he comes out with next!(less)

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01/20/09

Kate rated it:

bookshelves: learned-something

Read in January, 2009

My immediate reaction to this book is that I liked it, but with reservations. I wasn't amazed by it.

The narrator,nameless, is terribly burned in a car crash when he's drinking and driving, because he sees fire arrows aiming at his car. We know, from his description of his previous night's activities, that he's a drunk and drug user, so this vision of his we dismiss. He ends up in the hospital, begging for morphine and reflecting on his messy and indulgent life as an adult film star ...more My immediate reaction to this book is that I liked it, but with reservations. I wasn't amazed by it.

The narrator,nameless, is terribly burned in a car crash when he's drinking and driving, because he sees fire arrows aiming at his car. We know, from his description of his previous night's activities, that he's a drunk and drug user, so this vision of his we dismiss. He ends up in the hospital, begging for morphine and reflecting on his messy and indulgent life as an adult film star and man-about-town.

Enter Marianne Engel, sculptress of gargoyles and overall mysterious lady, who at first seems hardly real and more of an effect of all that delicious morphine. She does prove to be real, and discloses to our narrator that she was his soulmate from a past life, and begins to describe for him what those exact circumstances were. After nearly a year of torturous healing and horrible scarring, he is free from the hospital. But as our narrator heals, Marianne quickly deteriorates.

I can certainly see and feel the enormous amount of work that went into this novel. However, I just couldn't emotionally connect with the characters. There wasn't enough there for me. I think that the narrator's attitude was a bit of a put-off for me. The narrator doesn't believe Marianne's story at all, though he allows her to insert herself into his life because he knows he is too hideous-looking to ever attract any other woman. He knows she is mentally unwell, and makes endless attempts to diagnose her, though he has no knowledge of these things.

Two aspects that I found unbelievable: I don't think that a healing burn victim could even concentrate well enough to be aware of a stranger's problems. I think the pain would be too extreme for this. Also, would a burn unit staff really allow a woman who was unknown to the victim, and who was acting bizarrely, to visit and stay with him for long periods of time? These are just questions that came to mind.

Some *great* points that the book brings to light: The plight of burn victims in society. The social isolation they must feel. The narrator feeling like a monster, knowing that nobody (normal) will ever love him because of his injuries.

I myself very seldom see burn victims, though I know they're around. Is it because they choose to hide themselves? Can they not trust us to understand that they're no different than we are? (less)

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12/12/08

Thauna rated it:

Read in January, 2009

The Gargoyle is a memorizing albeit unconventional love story. The narrator is a worldly, handsome, successful porn star who's soul is in turmoil even before his horrific accident. The story begins with an accident caused by drugs, alcohol and a hallucination of burning arrows which leaves our narrator severely burned and lucky to have survived. In spite of his miraculous survival, he is hateful, miserable and spends his free time planning his suicide once he is released from the hospital burn w...more

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09/26/08

John rated it:

(review of isbn 1847671683)

bookshelves: books-read-in-2008

Read in September, 2008

Did The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson change my life, open eyes to a world unlived, sweeten my lips until my last breath, well no. But was it an enjoyable read making the world’s troubles refreshing you for the grind of job, and family- you bet. The story is essentially a rewrite of Beauty and the Beast but fellows don’t dismiss it as chick-lit. It’s your turn to say “I'll have what she's having” as it’s also skilfully weaves in comedy and mystery with twists.

The sto...more
Did The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson change my life, open eyes to a world unlived, sweeten my lips until my last breath, well no. But was it an enjoyable read making the world’s troubles refreshing you for the grind of job, and family- you bet. The story is essentially a rewrite of Beauty and the Beast but fellows don’t dismiss it as chick-lit. It’s your turn to say “I'll have what she's having” as it’s also skilfully weaves in comedy and mystery with twists.

The story opens with the unnamed narrator, an adult movie mogul and porn stud high on drugs and liquor crashing and burning in a car accident. To describe the pain and the impact he asks you to put your hand on a live electric element:

And hold it there. Hold it there as the element scorches Dante’s nine rings right into your palm, allowing you to grasp Hell in your hand forever. Let the heat engrave the skin, the muscles the tendons; let it smoulder down to the bone. Wait for the burn to embed itself so far into you that you don’t know if you’ll ever be able to let go of the coil. It won’t be long until the stench of your own burning flesh wafts up, grabbing your nose hairs and refusing to let go, and you smell your body burn.

I want you to keep that hand pressed down for a slow count of sixty. No cheating. One Mis-sis-sip-pi, two Mis-sis-sip-pi, three Mis-sis-sip-pi… At sixty Mis-sis-sip-pi, your hand will have melted so that it now surrounds the element, becoming fused with it. Now rip your flesh free.

The honest story of recovery from severe burn trauma becomes one theme of the novel. He is crippled emotionally by depression and self-loathing rooted an appalling childhood and drug abuse. He fired only by the hope of getting out of the hospital to finish killing himself. A strange woman from the Mental Heath wards in for schizophrenia and bi-polar break down befriends him and he sees her as a way out,

So you ask, what about the mystery element? Well as the recovery progresses she starts telling a myth-story that reveal deeper secrets or madness. It remains ambiguous until the end of the story if this is a supernatural story of eternal love or a natural love of two very screwed up people. Each time you think you have the line it will slip away from you. As light relief you also have a comedy love story about another couple linked to different historical myth/stories. But pay attention, as all the themes and story strands knit together to give you an expected ending.

It’s not a hard story to hold in your head as I snatched reading time from travelling around the country meetings in a very busy week. The clever plotting meant that the move between the now and then and between the characters backstories keep you interested and the writing build pictures for your mind to play with, parallels of the now and then from the morality of the narrator, to the role of friends and livelihoods also help to keep the pages turning.

I would highly recommend it, and if you and partner get a copy( it’s the credit crunch so time to share so you have spare) you could cuddle up on a cold evening. Sip wine and read aloud to each other by candle-light (well I would so ask him). It’s cleverly aimed at a broad market so expect the film (once they have sorted out the nude scenes-some hot and some very yuk!) in 2010 with Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp in the lead roles. You heard it here first!
(less)

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09/20/08

Brenda rated it:

Read in September, 2008

I LOVED this book... The writing was amazing!!! I couldn't put it down... It was SO descriptive... I rarely read books twice, but I think this one is going on the list!

From the book:
"Accidents ambush the unsuspecting, often violently, just like love."

"Your car gathers speed down the embankment, bouncing. Your hypothesis is quickly proven correct: it is, indeed, quite painful. Your brain catalogues the different sensations. There is the flipping en...more

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09/17/08

Robinson rated it:

bookshelves: literature-fiction

Read in September, 2008

I'll give the Gargoyle 3 1/2 stars. I know it received a hefty $1.5 million sale, but the story isn't as strong as the writing. for a first time novelist, Davidson showcases a skilled hand at writing prose, but the subject matter never really took flight for me. The story centers on a man who is badly burned in an accident, then turns his life around when a mentally unstable sculpturess comes into his life and tells him they've been romancing each other over the course of 1,000 years. The re...more

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Gomorra - Podróż po imperium kamorry | Roberto Saviano

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quotes from this book

"I understand that some people find God after misfortune, although this seems to me even more ridiculous than finding Him in good times. 'God smote me. He must love me.' It's like not wanting a romantic relationship until a member of the opposite sex punches you in the face. My 'miraculous survival' will not change my opinion that Heaven is an idea constructed by man to help him cope with the fact that life on earth is both brutally short, and paradoxically, far too long. " More quotes...