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cesar's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Neste livro nós acompanhamos a saga de um padre fugindo das leis mexicanas que não permitiam o ofício da igreja católica.
O livro é árduo, triste, humano e difícil, e acompanhar o padre é sentir suas dificuldades.
Um livro sobre fé e sobre intolerância.
O livro é árduo, triste, humano e difícil, e acompanhar o padre é sentir suas dificuldades.
Um livro sobre fé e sobre intolerância.
pr_load's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kingabee's review against another edition
4.0
This was so sweetly twisted. I love me some moral relativism. I think religion (especially champion religion like catholicism) can do an excellent job complicating things and creating some really unnecessary moral dilemmas. In "The Power and the Glory" we have a priest who is so painfully human which was utterly inconvenient when you lived in 1930s Mexico.
I am afraid if I were in this book I would be the Lieutenant running around trigger-happy shouting "shoot'em all! The Church is the root of all evil!". Because things are so much nicer when they are either black or white.
The book had a definitely Latin American twist to it. It reminded me of some of Mario Vargas Llosa's works. It had this certain stuffy atmosphere with characters detached from reality.
I am afraid if I were in this book I would be the Lieutenant running around trigger-happy shouting "shoot'em all! The Church is the root of all evil!". Because things are so much nicer when they are either black or white.
The book had a definitely Latin American twist to it. It reminded me of some of Mario Vargas Llosa's works. It had this certain stuffy atmosphere with characters detached from reality.
revrebeccatankersley's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Powerful story with a powerful lesson. The Church will always exist; wherever there are believers!
steakumm_jakeumm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
helgamharb's review against another edition
5.0
An unnamed priest is on the run during the 1930s’ persecution of Catholic priests by the anti-clerical government in Mexico.
Our protagonist who has succumbed to alcoholism, is running away from authorities and if possible, hides in pious people’s houses.
Nevertheless he constantly chastises himself for his flight. He is torn between giving himself up, continuing his escape and fighting against the persecutors by secretly administering confessions and baptisms, albeit drunk.
Is he a coward? Should he have martyred himself like many of his brothers?
Or is he a hero?
Our protagonist who has succumbed to alcoholism, is running away from authorities and if possible, hides in pious people’s houses.
Nevertheless he constantly chastises himself for his flight. He is torn between giving himself up, continuing his escape and fighting against the persecutors by secretly administering confessions and baptisms, albeit drunk.
Is he a coward? Should he have martyred himself like many of his brothers?
Or is he a hero?
jen228nye's review against another edition
5.0
I have not read much Graham Greene, and this book has me wondering why. The precision of his words and the tight engagement of his narrative has left me astounded. A master craftsman and a gifted storyteller....what more can you ask for really?
chrisrohlev1234's review against another edition
5.0
Easily in my top five. This is my first novel from Graham Greene and to say I enjoyed it would be an understatement. Interestingly enough this is my second book in a row that deals with priesthood and religion, specifically Catholicism. I will say to start off that this book is masterfully crafted and like the back cover states, this is a perfect mix between Dostoevsky and McCarthy. A unnamed priest escaping the authorities and dealing with the moral questions of god, morality, sin and redemption is a novel that is primed for success. Where Greene gains his true mastery is the pitting of characters against each other. First is the unnamed Priest also known as the "Whiskey Priest." A dostoevskian character who while being the epitome of morality is also deeply flawed. Lacking courage, he is aware of his flaws and the fact that he cannot truly uphold the image of god. The lieutenant is his opposite. A man that is ruled my discipline and law. A strict atheist who is against not only religion but organization in general.
"They deserved nothing less than the truth- a vacant universe and a cooling world, the right to be happy in any way they chose. He was quite prepared to make a massacre for their sakes-first the Church and then the foreigner and then the politician-even his own chief would one day have to go. He wanted to begin the world again, with them in a desert."
Lastly you have a character known only as Mestizo. Mestizo is everything sinful encapsulated in a human. He is greedy, deceitful and without remorse. Therefore, he wastes no time in betraying his faith for money. Someone who is solely materialistic.
So you have the three echelons of humans. You have the Lieutenant who like all military men, is ruled by authority. He is not a product of his own free-will. Every decision he makes is that of the law. Without ruining the end, he lives by this mantra even when his conscience disagrees. Then you have the priest. The priest is a man who at his core is good. He commits sin almost continually but he never loses his faith. What makes him good is his self-awareness. He understands the evils of humanity. He is remorseful for his sin and always strives to be better. And lastly you have the Mestizo who is the lowest form of human. Someone who will compromise himself only for money and happiness. He, like the priest, lives in sin but is not aware. He does not see a problem with the way he is living.
So what is the moral of the story?
It is a nuanced approach to Christianity. Man is not perfect and never will be. He will succumb to his needs for sex, entertainment and happiness. So to ask man to abstain from these activities is a very non-human approach to humanity. I personally have believed that this is true for a while as well. I think even those who claim to have "mastered" these temptations are merely lying to themselves. Man is unable to control his need for lust, his overwhelming need for happiness and fulfillment. So the moral of the story is as follows. You don't need to be a perfect person to be courageous. You don't need to spend every waking day and night abstaining from your temptations to be a pious person. Modern Christianity should reflect this attitude. Overall, a great book and one I will reread in the future.
"Shivering and sweating and soaked with rain he came up over the edge of the plateau. There was nobody there- a dead child was not someone, just a useless object abandoned at the foot of one of the crosses. The mother had gone home. She had done what she wanted to do. The surprise lifted him, as it were, out of his fever before it dropped back down again. A small lump of sugar-all that was left- lay by the child's mouth- in case a miracle should happen or for the spirit to eat? The priest bent down with an obscure sense of shame and took it: the dead child couldn't growl back at him like a broken dog: but who was he to disbelieve miracles? He hesitated, while the rain poured down; then he put the sugar in his mouth. If God chose to give back life, couldn't he give food as well?"
"They deserved nothing less than the truth- a vacant universe and a cooling world, the right to be happy in any way they chose. He was quite prepared to make a massacre for their sakes-first the Church and then the foreigner and then the politician-even his own chief would one day have to go. He wanted to begin the world again, with them in a desert."
Lastly you have a character known only as Mestizo. Mestizo is everything sinful encapsulated in a human. He is greedy, deceitful and without remorse. Therefore, he wastes no time in betraying his faith for money. Someone who is solely materialistic.
So you have the three echelons of humans. You have the Lieutenant who like all military men, is ruled by authority. He is not a product of his own free-will. Every decision he makes is that of the law. Without ruining the end, he lives by this mantra even when his conscience disagrees. Then you have the priest. The priest is a man who at his core is good. He commits sin almost continually but he never loses his faith. What makes him good is his self-awareness. He understands the evils of humanity. He is remorseful for his sin and always strives to be better. And lastly you have the Mestizo who is the lowest form of human. Someone who will compromise himself only for money and happiness. He, like the priest, lives in sin but is not aware. He does not see a problem with the way he is living.
So what is the moral of the story?
It is a nuanced approach to Christianity. Man is not perfect and never will be. He will succumb to his needs for sex, entertainment and happiness. So to ask man to abstain from these activities is a very non-human approach to humanity. I personally have believed that this is true for a while as well. I think even those who claim to have "mastered" these temptations are merely lying to themselves. Man is unable to control his need for lust, his overwhelming need for happiness and fulfillment. So the moral of the story is as follows. You don't need to be a perfect person to be courageous. You don't need to spend every waking day and night abstaining from your temptations to be a pious person. Modern Christianity should reflect this attitude. Overall, a great book and one I will reread in the future.
"Shivering and sweating and soaked with rain he came up over the edge of the plateau. There was nobody there- a dead child was not someone, just a useless object abandoned at the foot of one of the crosses. The mother had gone home. She had done what she wanted to do. The surprise lifted him, as it were, out of his fever before it dropped back down again. A small lump of sugar-all that was left- lay by the child's mouth- in case a miracle should happen or for the spirit to eat? The priest bent down with an obscure sense of shame and took it: the dead child couldn't growl back at him like a broken dog: but who was he to disbelieve miracles? He hesitated, while the rain poured down; then he put the sugar in his mouth. If God chose to give back life, couldn't he give food as well?"
liam_tha_dawg's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Great contemplation of redemption, faith, and fallibility. Greene is really good at writing about people’s insecurities and anxieties.