The Gargoyle

By: Andrew Davidson

Narrated by: Lincoln Hoppe

Length: 19 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

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 contemporary cynic, physically beautiful and sexually adept, who dwells in the moral vacuum that is modern life. As the book opens, he is driving along a dark road when he is distracted by what seems to be a flight of arrows. He crashes into a ravine and suffers horrible burns over much of his body. As he recovers in a burn ward, undergoing the tortures of the damned, he awaits the day when he can leave the hospital and commit carefully planned suicide - for he is now a monster in appearance as well as in soul.

A beautiful and compelling, but clearly unhinged, sculptress of gargoyles by the name of Marianne Engel appears at the foot of his bed and insists that they were once lovers in medieval Germany. In her telling, he was a badly injured mercenary and she was a nun and scribe in the famed monastery of Engelthal who nursed him back to health. As she spins their tale in Scheherazade fashion and relates equally mesmerizing stories of deathless love in Japan, Iceland, Italy, and England, he finds himself drawn back to life - and, finally, in love. He is released into Marianne's care and takes up residence in her huge stone house.

But all is not well. For one thing, the pull of his past sins becomes ever more powerful as the morphine he is prescribed becomes ever more addictive. For another, Marianne receives word from God that she has only 27 sculptures left to complete - and her time on earth will be finished.

Already an international literary sensation, The Gargoyle is an Inferno for our time. It will have you believing in the impossible.

©2008 Andrew Davidson (P)2008 Random House, Inc.

Very well done.

I have loved this book ever since I first read it, and the narrator more than does it justice. He captures the tone of the book and all the characters perfectly. I would highly recommend this to anyone.

The absolute best story (stories)

1 of the absolute best story I've ever heard. I read the book years ago and came across the audible and the narrator was SO perfect. Still cry and cringe and feel enlightened. Love this story.

Excellent

It was a good interesting book. Great performance. Kept me entertained and wondering what would happen next

Conflicting

I loved this story and I disliked it (hate would be a little strong here). I had a really hard time with the very graphic description and detachment of the narrator and loved Marianne's stories. I loved the evolution of the main character but disliked his self-centeredness. I really enjoyed Marianne and her stories but didn't understand her manicness. Clearly, I'm conflicted on this book. Would I recommend someone else read/listen it? Definitely. Will I read/listen it again? Probably, just to better understand it. This book is not for the light of heart of the easily grossed out. It is an enduring love story and a unique historical fiction novel. It was good, but I'm not yet sure if it was amazing as all the hype seems to think it is.

just didn't have it.

an interesting enough story. Good writing. but just didn't pull at the heartstrings. character development poor.did not feel a connection between the two main characters. unfortunate because it was vital to the story.

Call It The Hotel California...

Where does The Gargoyle rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

... Because once I entered, I could not leave.

I actually purchased the book itself for this story many years ago after receiving a bookstore gift card. I read the book while a New Year's party was going in full swing in the room below me and never once was distracted by the loud music and shouting.

You may be wondering what that has to do with this audiobook. Well, I'll tell you. I have this weird fascination with listening to audiobooks after I've finished reading the book myself to find out how the author intended their book to read. I was not at all disappointed in what I heard.

I first read this book when I was 17 years old, ten years later I found it on Audible and rushed to spend money instead of a credit to be able to read it. There are other books that I love that I have listened to here or there when I'm bored. This was not at all the case with The Gargoyle. I would pop in headphones to listen to this book when doing dishes, playing games on Facebook, laying bed and drawing. I needed this book to be read to me like I need oxygen to breathe.

What did you like best about this story?

The gentleman that read the book gave the main character the same gravely, harsh voice that I had given him in my head, Marianne Engel's chapters were actually how I thought they would be, that touch of feminity in a rough male tone. I was entranced, engrossed, every word that could possibly mean "This book sucked me in and would not spit me back out until the story was finished!"

Which character – as performed by Lincoln Hoppe – was your favorite?

Mr. Hoppe performed every character exactly how I heard them when I read the story to myself. But, I found it most assuming and entertaining when he would read Sayuri Mizumoto was just too precious. His rendition of "The Bitch Snake" was also just too perfect for words.

If you could take any character from The Gargoyle out to dinner, who would it be and why?

This question always poses difficult for me with any book that I call my favorite. I would love to take Marianne Engel to dinner, to pick her brain on the ways of the world of the years she's believed she's lived. I'd love to take the main character to dinner and ask him of his time with Marianne Engel if after all the research he's done and the evidence placed before him about her life; does he still think she was crazy?

Any additional comments?

Lincoln Hoppe was 100% absolutely the right voice for this audiobook. I could not have picked a better person even if it had been my job to do so. He brought characters that I love to life in such a way that I only thought I was able to and for that, I am eternally thankful. I could not be more pleased with this audibook.

Caught me off gaurd

Once in a while, I am surprised at how much I enjoy a work of fiction. This novel was recommended to me by a stranger, and I had minimal expectations which would have been easy enough to surpass. But with the first chapter, and the jaw-dropping, minutely described incident of the terrible car crash that is the catalyst for the narrative, I realized I'd bitten off a mouthful of something delicious. This audio version was most enjoyable, and I've listened only while doing tasks that required mere background focus (mainly needlework). It's a pity I know no other adults who bother reading anymore, or I'd recommend this novel to them. I shall look for further excellent stories, now that I know they exist.

Different

There were several times while reading this book that I considered letting it rest, perhaps never to pick it up again. But I persevered and I'm glad that I did. There are lots of ways to judge a book (besides by its cover). What drew me in with this book were the conversations about "true" love and what that can look like.

Awesome!

Love the narration, but really really love the story. if you want to read and interesting to your jerker this is it

First audio book, not first time reading

By far one of my favorite books of all time. I’ve recently found it difficult to set aside time to sit down and read. Being a young adult with hard core ADHD this solved my problem with great ease.