Gargoyles

An extraordinary debut novel of love that survives the fires of hell and transcends the boundaries of time. On a burn ward, a man lies between living and dying, so disfigured that no one from his past life would even recognize him. His only comfort comes from imagining various inventive ways to end his misery. Then a woman named Marianne Engel walks into his hospital room, a wild-haired, schizophrenic sculptress on the lam from the psych ward upstairs, who insists that she knows him – that she has known him, in fact, for seven hundred years. She remembers vividly when they met, in another hospital ward at a convent in medieval Germany, when she was a nun and he was a wounded mercenary left to die. If he has forgotten this, he is not to worry: she will prove it to him. And so Marianne Engel begins to tell him their story, carving away his disbelief and slowly drawing him into the orbit and power of a word he'd never uttered: love.

Gargoyles have been feared and misunderstood for centuries, but now Caldecott Honor artist Dav Pilkey tells the real story of these gentle stone creatures come to life. Behind their cold, stone faces, gargoyles have warm, loving souls -- yet most people don't look deeply enough to notice. Angels can see the good inside them, though, and tonight the angels will sweep down to take their silent, stone friends on a magical journey, hand in hand.Caldecott Honor artist Dav Pilkey's lyrical tale of these gentle stone creatures come to life is a reminder that everyone -- from the grievers to the dreamers to the believers -- is worthy of love.

"Based on the hit animated Disney series"--Cover.

American Gargoyles: Spirits in Stoneis the first pictorial essay on the many gargoyles found in the United States, featuring unique stories and breathtaking full-color photographs of these monstrous but delightful angels with a sense of humor. A number of books have showcased the medieval gargoyles of Europe, but never before has one been devoted to the thousands of gargoyles that peer down from American buildings. Lewd or ferocious, holy or humorous, these astonishing carvings are distinguished by fine artistry, vivid imagination, and spiritual mystery. American Gargoylesputs us face-to-face with the winged griffins, fallen angels, and damned souls of Washington's National Cathedral, as well as those adorning the Woolworth Building and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, Tribune Tower in Chicago, Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, and many other buildings. Robert Llewellyn's glorious photographs reveal the craftsmanship of the artisans and sculptors who created these works. With Darlene Trew Crist's fascinating explanations of the varieties of gargoyles, stories about their history and creation, and extensive resource information, including websites,American Gargoylesmakes a convincing case for looking up as we walk down the streets of America's cities.

Ominous b/w illus. When night comes, the gargoyles on a museum building come alive.

Most of the seven million people who visit the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris each year probably do not realize that the legendary gargoyles adorning this medieval masterpiece were not constructed until the nineteenth century. The first comprehensive history of these world-famous monsters, The Gargoyles of Notre-Dame argues that they transformed the iconic thirteenth-century cathedral into a modern monument. Michael Camille begins his long-awaited study by recounting architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc’s ambitious restoration of the structure from 1843 to 1864, when the gargoyles were designed, sculpted by the little-known Victor Pyanet, and installed. These gargoyles, Camille contends, were not mere avatars of the Middle Ages, but rather fresh creations—symbolizing an imagined past—whose modernity lay precisely in their nostalgia. He goes on to map the critical reception and many-layered afterlives of these chimeras, notably in the works of such artists and writers as Charles Méryon, Victor Hugo, and photographer Henri Le Secq. Tracing their eventual evolution into icons of high kitsch, Camille ultimately locates the gargoyles’ place in the twentieth-century imagination, exploring interpretations by everyone from Winslow Homer to the Walt Disney Company. Lavishly illustrated with more than three hundred images of its monumental yet whimsical subjects, The Gargoyles of Notre-Dame is a must-read for historians of art and architecture and anyone whose imagination has been sparked by the lovable monsters gazing out over Paris from one of the world’s most renowned vantage points.

The fantasy adventure trilogy of a young boy’s travels through a long-forgotten world where magic still rules. Young Gregory grows unhappy and restless when his father moves the entire family into an old family home in a new neighborhood. While awake in his bed, a glimmer from the floor attracts Gregory’s attention. He discovers a medallion on which there is a drawing of the great church that sits opposite his new residence. Bullied for being new, and ignored at home, Gregory decides to explore the church and the giant stone statue that rests atop of it. During his visit, the medallion begins to shine intensely and, with a flash, Gregory is hurled back to the 17th century, where gargoyles, sorcerers and magical beings live in harmony and magic.

Six weeks after her fortieth birthday, Harriet is struck by a rare and lifethreatening illness. What follows is a long, painful and arduous stay at Charing Cross Hospital. From the first day in Critical Care, whenever Harriet tries to sleep, the backs of her eyes come alive with soul-sucking gargoyles; she remains awake for the entire six weeks. Such wakefulness produces its own hallucinations: the gargoyles become metaphors for lurking demons, fear of death, her relationship with her late father, and her dream of having a family. A stunning blend of poetic memoir and essays, Gargoyles explores the effects of illness, grief, love, and loss, but is also about the power of memory, which both haunts and enriches. It asks us to celebrate that which is in front of us, not taking our lives and health for granted. Sometimes, this means we have to learn to live with the gargoyles.

A fresh and irresistible history of gargoyles-a society of stone creatures perched high above the workaday world. Includes an invaluable guide to gargoyle sites throughout western Europe.