Andrew Davidson

Reader Comments about THE GARGOYLE

Doubleday
ISBN: 9780385524940
(August 5, 2008)

• About the Book
• Critical Praise
• Read a Review
• Read an Excerpt

Here are comments from our group of Advance Readers about Andrew Davidson's THE GARGOYLE.

Anthony from Fitchburg, MA

What other authors do you read?
Authors I usually read include Dean Koontz, Robert Ludlum, Steve Berry, Lisa Scottoline, Richard North Patterson, Joseph Finder, Terry Brooks, Frederick Forsyth, Stephen King, John Grisham and David Baldacci.

What did you think of THE GARGOYLE?
I give THE GARGOYLE a strong four stars. This novel is so different from any book I have ever read. The author captured my interest from the first page to the last. Davidson has a remarkable talent in bringing the reader from the present day to medieval times and back. I was never lost or confused with Marianne’s stories. Reading this novel was a breath of fresh air. Andrew Davidson did remarkably well for his first novel. I highly recommend it to any reader who is looking for something out of the ordinary.

Karen from Milton, WI

What other authors do you read?
My favorite authors would be Janet Evanovich, Mary Higgins Clark, Dan Brown, Nancy Horan, Erik Larson and Lesley Kagen. I've read a number of different authors though my book club, of which I've been a member for 15 years.

What did you think of THE GARGOYLE?
I wasn't sure that I was going to like the book with all its graphic details of the fire, the horrible burns, and the treatments in the hospital. But, I found it was a little like driving past a car accident --- you always feel you need to look. I couldn't put the book down. The introduction of Marianne and her stories wove mesmerizing tales that somehow held the book together. The story was thought provoking; he lost everything he thought he valued --- his money, his beauty, his power --- to find everything that he never had: faith, love, acceptations and friendship.

Would you ever read a future book by Andrew Davidson?
Yes, I enjoyed his style of writing. He painted a picture with words that drew you into the story.

Shana from Trenton, MO

What other authors do you read?
I read a little bit of everything, so a very wide variety of authors.

What did you think of THE GARGOYLE?
I enjoyed THE GARGOYLE very much and would absolutely read anything that Davidson writes in the future.

Leon from Miami, FL

What other authors do you read?
I read primarily literary fiction, history, and travel narratives.

What did you think of THE GARGOYLE?
This book seemed to straddle a number of genres and defied neat classification. Andrew Davidson was able to put together an interesting story of love and redemption on a number of levels, through
shifting time periods, with many memorable characters (some, through reincarnation, being one in the same), and in and out of the narrator's consciousness. Although the book is not short, there were certain sections that left me wanting more and definitely could have been expanded, such as the Inferno portion, and the author's post-Marianne life. Marianne Engel's "stories" were, by far, the high points in this very successful book.

Would you ever read a future book by Andrew Davidson?
I will definitely read Andrew Davidson's next novel and would especially look forward to a sequel.
I have recommended this book to a number of friends and look forward to hearing their impressions.

Suzanne from De Kalb, TX

What other authors do you read?
Anne Lamott, Rett MacPherson, Nora Ephron, Alice Hoffman, and Mildred Armstrong Kalish's LITTLE HEATHENS are on my night stand right now.

What did you think of THE GARGOYLE?
Strange. Fascinating. Both of these words keep flitting through my mind as I read THE GARGOYLE, and they both fit. I enjoyed the cynical voice of the narrator and the black humor in many of his descriptions. I also enjoyed the segues to the legends, stories, and flashbacks. Davidson's extensive research was evident in the details.

The description of the car accident was more realistic than I wanted to imagine. But, then, I loved as he told of the "seemingly slow-motion action and the flood of thoughts..." when "...you've spun the steering wheel around and found that it doesn't make any difference, you have this one clear, pure thought: Oh, sh--." (2)

As a reader, I didn't care for the present-day character of Marianne Engel as I did for the character in her past lives. In fact, I was quite ready for her end.

Would you ever read a future book by Andrew Davidson?
Yes. I think he has more adventures yet to tell.

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