John Freeman Gill
Auteur van The Gargoyle Hunters: A novel
Werken van John Freeman Gill
Tagged
Algemene kennis
- Geslacht
- male
Leden
Besprekingen
Griffin Watts, a typical NYC kid, lives in a brownstone (although his mother takes in boarders to make it work), loves the Mets and has been known to go "turd watching" at the Seventy-Ninth Street Boat Basin. It's 1974 and the city is in default, overrun with garbage and neglect. Griffin's life is also in shambles. His parents are separated, his father disappears, the brownstone is going into foreclosure, and his new girlfriend, Dani, has moved to Philadelphia.
Before going into hiding, Griffin's father has roped him into stealing architectural ornamentation off of buildings, and even most of an entire building. Griffin questions "whether the tasks my father had in mind for me were reasonable things for a grown man to ask of a thirteen year-old boy who wanted only to get close to him," but he does it.
Griffin's father treats as "sacred objects" (as Joseph Mitchell once wrote in about New York architectural ornamentation in an article that ended up in The New Yorker) the parts of the buildings that are constantly being destroyed in the city. If only he held the same regard for Griffin.
Unrequited love of family and the same love for the ever-changing nature of the city and its architecture are at the center of this story.… (meer)
Before going into hiding, Griffin's father has roped him into stealing architectural ornamentation off of buildings, and even most of an entire building. Griffin questions "whether the tasks my father had in mind for me were reasonable things for a grown man to ask of a thirteen year-old boy who wanted only to get close to him," but he does it.
Griffin's father treats as "sacred objects" (as Joseph Mitchell once wrote in about New York architectural ornamentation in an article that ended up in The New Yorker) the parts of the buildings that are constantly being destroyed in the city. If only he held the same regard for Griffin.
Unrequited love of family and the same love for the ever-changing nature of the city and its architecture are at the center of this story.… (meer)
The audiobook was narrated by the author, Gill. It is a fascinating (and hopefully completely true) account of this man’s childhood, and father’s obsession with His City, and it’s buildings.
While some parts of this novel may seemed to have dragged on, for some reviewers, sticking with it until the very end is worth it. (And while the ending was not surprising, it was rather sad).
3.5 stars, and recommended.
While some parts of this novel may seemed to have dragged on, for some reviewers, sticking with it until the very end is worth it. (And while the ending was not surprising, it was rather sad).
3.5 stars, and recommended.
Full review at TheBibliophage.com
John Freeman Gill’s The Gargoyle Hunters is a paean to New York City architecture and bad parenting. It’s also a tender, hilarious coming of age story. Set in the 1970s, I did a lot of reminiscing as I read.
In brief, Griffin Watts becomes a teen as he tells us the story of his life at the time. His parents are “creative types” who are newly separated. Griffin is navigating the changes in himself, his family, and the city around him. The main parental character is his dad Nick, who has a seriously unhealthy obsession with architectural carvings. Griffin gets involved in his business because he wants to spend time with his dad.
Gill does a masterful job of describing the soon-to-be lost beauty of old New York. As one character says, “The only city worth saving is the city we have lost.” During the 70s the city went through a period of intense urban renewal, and Nick Watts is broken hearted about it. He also sees it as an opportunity to boldly pilfer (or as he says rescue) gargoyles, keystones, carvings, columns, etc. All of Gill’s descriptions make me want to take my camera and walk through the cities around me searching for beautiful oddities.… (meer)
John Freeman Gill’s The Gargoyle Hunters is a paean to New York City architecture and bad parenting. It’s also a tender, hilarious coming of age story. Set in the 1970s, I did a lot of reminiscing as I read.
In brief, Griffin Watts becomes a teen as he tells us the story of his life at the time. His parents are “creative types” who are newly separated. Griffin is navigating the changes in himself, his family, and the city around him. The main parental character is his dad Nick, who has a seriously unhealthy obsession with architectural carvings. Griffin gets involved in his business because he wants to spend time with his dad.
Gill does a masterful job of describing the soon-to-be lost beauty of old New York. As one character says, “The only city worth saving is the city we have lost.” During the 70s the city went through a period of intense urban renewal, and Nick Watts is broken hearted about it. He also sees it as an opportunity to boldly pilfer (or as he says rescue) gargoyles, keystones, carvings, columns, etc. All of Gill’s descriptions make me want to take my camera and walk through the cities around me searching for beautiful oddities.… (meer)
Prijzen
Statistieken
- Werken
- 1
- Leden
- 125
- Populariteit
- #160,151
- Waardering
- 4.1
- Besprekingen
- 6
- ISBNs
- 10
- Talen
- 1
Manhattan of the early 1970s serves as a backdrop for our hero, Griffin, as he moves through early high school. He's torn between his divorced artistic parents and his interest in architecture begins as a way to become closer to his mercurial, unpredictable, obsessive father.