Unputdownables Book Club discussion

Okay fellow readers. There were at least 8 of us who voted for this book. Has anyone secured a copy yet? Or better yet, started reading it?

I was able to get a copy from my swap site. Fortunately I got the cover I like best, which is the one that is shown as the currently reading one here.
I haven't started reading yet, though.

Oh good! I just asked you this on Twitter, but will you post the link(s) to the posts you've written about this book here (whenever you get a chance). I think I remember you saying you wrote one about the church because it is very near you.

I haven't gotten the book yet, but I'm planning to. I just started The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, then I have Mockingjay to read. I'll probably start The Gargoyle in about 1 1/2-2 weeks.

I read the book several months ago. It is so beautifully written and at the same time so difficult to read it brought tears to my eyes. The first few chapters are very graphic, but please please keep reading and skim some of the parts if you need to. It is a book that has stuck with me since I read it.

OK, for everbody who would like to see a few pics of Engelthal, where the cloister in the book is located, I'm posting here a link to a blog post from last year. We went there in the middle of winter to have a look.
http://www.rikkidonovan.com/index.php...

And the other week I blogged about the various covers of the book. If you would like to take a look at them go here:
http://www.rikkidonovan.com/index.php...

Kathryn -- thanks for the head's up!

Rikki - great! thanks!

I have the book. I have to finish The Kitchen House. Then I am reading Gilead and next will be The Gargoyle. I should get to it at the end of this week.

Whoops - I forgot the Gargoyle was supposed to be next. Finished The Kitchen House and Gilead and started today on Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn BUT The Gargoyle is definitely next after that one. And I really look forward to discussing it as I have heard so much hype about it. Sometimes, however, when others have so adored and talked so much about some books, they disappoint me because I have such high expectations for them.

I feel the same way (too much hype can spoil it). I haven't heard about this book until you nominated it, so maybe I will be spared. :)

Has anybody besides me started reading it? I started on the weekend and absolutely love it so far.

I am now on about page 200. It really sucks you into the story right away.

I'm going to start it tonight :)

I finished this morning. Had to see how it ended. I cannot wait for some of you to finish and see what you thought. In the beginning I was a little put off, but I continued and found it to be such a creative and beautiful story. I loved the mixture of different types of writing all done in such a natural and effortless way. I love finding creative writers like Andrew Davidson. I will definitely read his books yet to come.

I will not say more but can't wait to hear your thoughts about what is "real" and what is fictional within the realm of the story itself.

I will finish it tonight. All I can say now is that I wish I wouldn't have let other people's reviews put me off reading it earlier. I absolutely love it - even though I am dreading the ending. I fear that it won't be good.
edit: And with good I mean happy....

I'm on page 202. I think it's wonderful. I can barely put it down.

I finished it this morning. Wow! What an awesome read! I LOVED it!

Rikki wrote: "I finished it this morning. Wow! What an awesome read! I LOVED it!"

It's such an awesome book yet quite difficult to describe. I am so looking forward to whatever else the author writes.

Kathryn, so true. I'm trying to write a sort of review about it and don't know where to start. It will end up being just various thoughts about it, because I have no idea how to structure it.

Just finished it. Loved every minute of it! I can't wait until everyone is finished because I have some questions.

Yes, it certainly causes a lot of thinking about what is real and what is not within the realm of the book.

Actually, my question has more to do with the stories of the other lovers that Marianne told him.

How many of us are finished with it? Maybe we can start talking about it.

Hmmm....let's put it this way: anyone have any objections to us starting the discussion???

No objection here, Zoe.

Ok, I'm just going to go ahead and ask my question. All those other stories that Marianne was telling, were they about her and the man? Like those were them in past lives? All through the story I thought it was, but then at the end she said something like, "I was waiting for you to come to me again so I could give you my last heart." That was the most confusing part for me.

Hi, I'm new and my name is Judi. I'm on page 84 of The Gargoyle and I think it is mesmerizing. I know, I'm a little behind but I am a fast reader so I will catch up. I stayed up until 2:00am reading and I could not put it down. I have committed myself to making 120 chocolate cookies and I have to get busy so I hid the novel from myself. ha ha I think I will enjoy the rest of the site because I have read many unputdownable books! Kaliki recommended this site so to her I say, "Thank you very much."

Glad you're here Judi! I'm fairly new too so we'll learn the site together. :)

Judi - SPOILER ALERT! Don't read this part yet. It might ruin the story for you.

Zoe - here's my take. I do think that the stories were all about the two of them in past lives. I think the last one in which they were together was when she drown & was rescued and given the task of giving out the hearts. So she's living this 'current' life doing that, up until the last one, which she gives to him. Does that make sense?

That said, I ALSO think the author intentionally left it open to interpretation so each reader could have their own belief about the story.

Kaliki wrote: "Glad you're here Judi! I'm fairly new too so we'll learn the site together. :)

Judi - SPOILER ALERT! Don't read this part yet. It might ruin the story for you.

Zoe - here's my take. I do think th..."

You know, I never worry about spoilers for me. It doesn't take away from the story where I'm concerned but only enhances it for me. I am respectful for the people who don't like spoilers so I'm very careful in my reviews to not give any thing away. Thanks anyway for being considerate of me. Early on I could see that the interpretation was going to be different for everyone. I like that because it makes you think.

Judith wrote: "Kaliki wrote: "Glad you're here Judi! I'm fairly new too so we'll learn the site together. :)

Judi - SPOILER ALERT! Don't read this part yet. It might ruin the story for you.

Zoe - here's my take..."

I agree! Did you read Life of Pi?

Kaliki wrote: "Judith wrote: "Kaliki wrote: "Glad you're here Judi! I'm fairly new too so we'll learn the site together. :)

Judi - SPOILER ALERT! Don't read this part yet. It might ruin the story for you.

Z..."

I tried to read The Life of Pi because I heard good things about it but I just couldn't get into it. I think I will give it another try. Sometimes I just not in the mood and then when I go back and reexamine I love the book. That happened to me with The Time Traveler's Wife.

Judith wrote: "Kaliki wrote: "Judith wrote: "Kaliki wrote: "Glad you're here Judi! I'm fairly new too so we'll learn the site together. :)

Judi - SPOILER ALERT! Don't read this part yet. It might ruin the story ..."

Well, let me qualify that. I had a hard time with Life of Pi too. And I wouldn't say it was a favorite for me, but it reminded me of The Gargoyle in that it was left open to interpretation. IF you can get into it, it's worth the read. But if not, I wouldn't worry about forcing it. Just my opinion.. it's not the book The Gargoyle is.

I couldn't get into TTTWife either, I never finished it.

Kaliki wrote: "Judith wrote: "Kaliki wrote: "Judith wrote: "Kaliki wrote: "Glad you're here Judi! I'm fairly new too so we'll learn the site together. :)

Judi - SPOILER ALERT! Don't read this part yet. It might ..."

Actually, I had to see the movie first, which I liked and then I went back and read TTTWife and really enjoyed it. It was so much more descriptive than the movie. I really enjoyed both and I liked the actors that were in the movie.

Thanks Kaliki, that explanation helped a lot. You're right, it is similar to Life of Pi, which I liked but did not love. I thought TTTW was fantastic tho! :)

Haven't read the Life of Pi so cannot compare. I never thought The Gargoyle was slow at all. I did think the beginning was a bit hard to stomach but once past the first, that feeling did not return.
I did, however, think that TTTW was very slow in the beginning and hard to follow. The time issues had me so confused, but once I got into the rhythm of it, I completely reversed my opinion of the book and ended up liking it a lot. And at the ending I cried a river of tears.

Zoe wrote: "Thanks Kaliki, that explanation helped a lot. You're right, it is similar to Life of Pi, which I liked but did not love. I thought TTTW was fantastic tho! :)"

Glad to help! Someone else might have a different idea though. It'd be good to hear others too.

Btw, thanks for the friend invite. I compared our books and we have a LOT in common. There are eight or nine books on my tbr that you rated 5-star. That excites me!

LemonLinda wrote: "Haven't read the Life of Pi so cannot compare. I never thought The Gargoyle was slow at all. I did think the beginning was a bit hard to stomach but once past the first, that feeling did not return..."

That makes me want to go back and give it another try...