Connect
Sponsors
Currently Reading
-
Terms
The Book Lady's Blog is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Reviews and articles posted here are property of The Book Lady's Blog and are not to be posted elsewhere without permission. Please contact me if you wish to post any of my work, or any excerpt thereof, in any other location or format.
Miscellaneous
Meet Bookrageous!
Technical Stuff
Design Credits
Jul
02
Book Review: The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
2008 at 10am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Available for purchase August 5, 2008
One fantastic perk of working for a bookstore is that I receive ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) of soon-to-be published titles. Sometimes they’re good, and sometimes they’re not so good, but most of the time, they leave me feeling pretty ho-hum. When I received The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson, I really had no idea what to expect. This book has been getting a lot of buzz, and that’s not always a good indicator of its actual quality, so I was hesitant….but I was completely and totally awed by Andrew Davidson’s immense talent.
The book begins when the nameless narrator’s cocaine- and bourbon-induced hallucinations lead to a horrible car crash during which most of his body is burned beyond recognition. Shortly after he begins his long and painful rehabilitation, an intriguing woman (and a sculptress of gargoyles) named Marianne Engel begins visiting him and telling him stories of their past life together in fourteenth-century Europe. She seems to know things about the narrator that no one else knows, and many of the details from her stories about their past life fit in with his personality and physical features in the present day. Marianne claims that she is over 700 years old, and in addition to her stories about their life together, she tells the narrator other stories about people she knew throughout history.
These stories are beautifully crafted and could easily stand alone in a collection of short fiction. In the context of the main storyline, they serve to increase tension and suspense, as the narrator, and we, the readers, are touched and intrigued by them but ultimately want Marianne to get back to the main storyline and tell us more about her mysterious life. The ending is pitch-perfect and leaves us with many unanswered questions, though I think it’s best that we are left not knowing. In an early review of the book, Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants, compared the ending to that of Life of Pi, and I think readers who appreciate ambiguity and the opportunity to believe the unbelievable will agree.
This book is easily one of the five best I’ve read in the last few years, and I think it will eventually earn a place in my all-time favorites, but since I just finished reading it last night, I’ll need some more time to reflect on it and see how memorable it proves to be. I will definitely be sharing The Gargoyle with friends, customers, and pretty much anyone who will listen. It seems like the marketing team for this book is attempting to send that message that anyone who has ever read a book will love this book. I disagree.
This is a fabulous book that deserves to garner a great deal of attention and praise, but it is not for everyone (and I don’t think the best books ever really are). The narrator’s descriptions of his lifestyle prior to the accident and his injuries after it are at times gruesome and gritty. He does not shy away from the unpleasant, but he does deliver these details with a wry sense of humor that will make you laugh until you feel a bit guilty about it. Davidson’s multiple storylines are fascinatingly complex; his symbolism is dense and delicious, and his success in leaving us wanting more and wondering if things are not always as they appear is astounding. But some may find it confusing or frustrating.
I am amazed that this is Davidson’s first novel–the strength of his voice, and his confidence, at times verging on bravado, hints at what I hope will become a very prolific and successful career. While this book is entirely unique, features of it reminded me of a few other favorites…fans of The Shadow of the Wind and Gabriel Garcia Marquez should love The Gargoyle, and I look forward to reading it time and time again.
No related posts.
I’m enjoying your blog and would like to add you to my blogroll. Is that okay with you?
Rebecca! I’m so happy to see your blog! I will be adding you to my blog roll and my Google Reader. I’m super excited to read this book. I received an ARC through kegsoccer and it’s scheduled to be read 3 books from now. I’ve read other incredible reviews for this book and I cannot wait. One person commented on my blog that this book will ruin you for other books. That’s high praise in deed!
I’m new at this, too, so my directions might not be great. Under “my dashboard”, click on “manage”. Then click on “links”. You can add a new link there and click the box for blogroll. I hope this helps.
I’m about 180 pages into The Gargoyle at the moment, and while it’s disturbing at points, it’s amazingly hard to put down. I’m floored that this is Davidson’s first novel. He’s immensely talented.
On another note, I love your take on the definition of a reader.
This book sounds great! Definitely going on my TBR list.
Have you ever read Pilgrim by Timothy Findlay? It’s also about a man whose life has spanned many centuries. The underlying stories detailing historical events and people are wonderful clues for the main tale. It also has an ambiguous ending that really allows you to conclude the book based on what you believe happened, or didn’t.
I’ve always loved this book for these reasons and I was excited to read your review of The Gargoyle.
Rebecca,
This sounds like a great read. Its on the top of my to read list. Thank you for the review!
I love-love-loved The Gargoyle. I have a review of it on my blog, by the way.
I agree with you that it’s top 5 this year for sure, and definately one of my all-time favorites. It’s the book I’m telling everyone to watch for and read.
[...] 25, 2008 by readerville A few weeks ago I wrote my first review about Andrew Davidson’s upcoming debut novel The Gargoyle. I usually don’t buy new [...]
[...] through some of Jen’s linked book blogs. To read two reviews of this book, click here and here. To enter the contest, click [...]
Davidson is doing a live chat today, August 5, 2008. Don’t miss it!
Rebecca – I wanted to let you know that I’ve linked to your review. I have a giveaway over at sheIsTooFondOfBooks, and haven’t yet reviewed the book myself.
[...] MUST Read Books: *The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff One More Year: Stories by Sana [...]
[...] MUST Read Books: *The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff One More Year: Stories by Sana [...]
[...] 25, 2008 by Rebecca A few weeks ago I wrote my first review about Andrew Davidson’s upcoming debut novel The Gargoyle. I usually don’t buy new [...]
I just finished this one this weekend and loved it!
[...] the first part of a book that we encounter. Some recent favorite covers (click for my review): 4. Favorite book when you [...]
[...] [...]
[...] The Book Lady’s Blog has a wonderful review. http://thebookladysblog.com/2008/07/02/book-review-the-gargoyle-by-andrew-davidson/ [...]
[...] saw. Everybody was talking about The Gargoyle, and I had an ARC of it, so I figured: why not? And my first review was born. (In a true example of coming full circle, I’ll be re-reading The Gargoyle next week [...]
[...] car accident and details his recovery from his awful burns. But, thanks to some advise from this book review, which recommended this book to anyone who enjoyed The Shadow of the Wind, I stuck with The [...]
[...] bad, I want to know more about. So I nearly walked away from this book, but before I gave up I read this online review. Thank goodness I did. Andrew [...]