Reviews

There is some fantastic prose, at times.
There are some beautifully heartbreaking short story asides.
Parts of the ending are pretty moving as standalone circumstances.

But there really isn't any romance between the main characters, in their past or present...

And I don't even mean physical interactions here, as the main character loves reminding you every other page that he has no penis, because that's all that matters right?

I kept waiting for it. Surely by the time the main character moves in with his mysterious benefactor in the present timeline, she'd have told him this moving, heart-wrenching story of their love right? Nope.

There's literally zero emotional connection. No romantic dialog. No physical interactions from the time they were both fairly whole. No witty, playful banter. Nothing beyond the circumstances of her being a nun and him being a deserter and now we're facing the world as outcasts... yadda yadda yadda.

I'm glad I read this as there were beautiful stories and descriptions in it, but as a "transcends time" sort of love story, it fell flat for me.

ilannahawk's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

emleemay's review against another edition

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3.0

“All history is just one man trying to take something away from another man, and usually it doesn't really belong to either of them.”

3 1/2 stars. Very nearly 4 but the strong start peters out a little, with the second half of the book losing momentum (I got to a point where I was reading just to finish).

[b:The Gargoyle|2595138|The Gargoyle|Andrew Davidson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1368598513s/2595138.jpg|3149511]'s prose bursts onto the pages in a blazing sea of fire. The book opens with detailed description of the accident that disfigures the unnamed narrator, with a beautiful, horrific break down of the accident itself, and the subsequent medical procedures he must undergo to recover. A former porn star and now beyond recognition, the narrator takes us on a journey into his own past, into his future and recovery, and into medieval Germany.

For at least half of the book, I was completely hooked. Some parts of the story are slow, and yet the prose is dynamic and exciting enough to carry you through. It's extremely gritty, and the protagonist is exactly the kind I like: cynical, sarcastic, and with a somewhat nihilistic view of the world. His narrative charisma is so very compelling.

While recovering in the hospital, the narrator becomes addicted to morphine and even more addicted to misery, plotting his own suicide in graphic detail. That is - until Marianne Engel appears in his room. Marianne is undoubtedly strange, and he suspects that she is either suffering from manic depression or schizophrenia. Because the things she tells him cannot possibly be true.

Among her tales of love stories, she also reveals that they have a "past". Once upon a time in fourteenth-century Germany, they were lovers. Ludicrous as this obviously is, the protagonist is drawn into her tales, finding new reason to live from her companionship, whilst also being concerned for her mental health.

Both the present day recovery and the historical elements are fascinating. The writing is lush and vivid, weaving a modern day tale of tragedy and romance with history and the suggestion of fantasy. Unfortunately, the novel begins to slow down when we leave the hospital and the later chapters lacked some of the earlier magic.

Despite this, I still have to recommend it. For me, it's just a fine example of really great writing and genre crossovers being done well. It's a love story that should suit romantics and non-romantics alike - with plenty of history, gore and social commentary, there's something for almost everyone in here.

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vreyes368's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

mhald's review against another edition

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4.0

Julegaven til mig fra kæresten, udvalgt helt særligt. En magisk realistisk-mystisk-fantasy roman om undying love (The Real Thing). Om synd, tilgivelse, kærlighed, syndsforladelse, tro, Dantes Inferno, nonner, brandofre, litteratur, middelalderens Tyskland, japansk folklore, homosexuelle vikinger og gargoyles hugget i sten.

Og så er scenen vist sat til en historie af format. Hovedpersonen, vis navn vi aldrig lære at kende, er pornostjerne – og dermed en synder. Han bliver helt forfærdeligt forbrændt i et biluheld, og den første tredjedel af bogen indeholder udpenslede, visuelle beskrivelser af et brandoffers genvordigheder med at blive rask. Jeg var flere uger om at læse få sider, fordi det er frygteligt at læse. Og da jeg havde læst bogen, fik det op for mig, at det er meningen. Man skal frastødes helt ud i torvene af den her bog.

På hospitalet møder vor forbrændte antihelt en smuk, småtosset kvinde ved navn Marianne Engell, som plejer ham – og som kender ham fra et tidligere liv, og som kan fortælle hele hans historie. Og her kommer kærligheden ind i billedet – en fuldstændig altopslugende, evig kærlighed af den slags, som kun eksisterer i eventyr og inderst i sjælen.

Kan anbefales – er oversat til dansk.

lizzyjane's review against another edition

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Eh.
NOT like the English Patient, and the only reason I finished it was to find out the end of the 13th century back story.

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