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lprnana6572's review against another edition
4.0
Well written book about the downfall of a young minister at the turn of the 20th century. Did he ever learn?
el_entrenador_loco's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
msand3's review
3.0
2.5 stars. Dull and disappointing. The title is the most appealing thing about this novel. As far as tales of fallen ministers go, this one is the least memorable or powerful I’ve ever read. (For better examples, see Zola’s [b:The Sin of Abbé Mouret|34946979|The Sin of Abbé Mouret|Émile Zola|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493029826l/34946979._SY75_.jpg|941617], Lagerlöf’s [b:The Saga of Gösta Berling|6358385|The Saga of Gösta Berling|Selma Lagerlöf|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348424032l/6358385._SY75_.jpg|1623527], Hawthorne’s “[b:Young Goodman Brown|562471|Young Goodman Brown|Nathaniel Hawthorne|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348030789l/562471._SY75_.jpg|6556507],” Ruiz’s [b:The Book of Good Love|1378943|The Book of Good Love|Juan Ruiz (Arcipreste de Hita)|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1183104556l/1378943._SY75_.jpg|737800], Lewis’ [b:Elmer Gantry|11378|Elmer Gantry|Sinclair Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386925217l/11378._SX50_.jpg|13842], Greene’s [b:The Power and the Glory|3690|The Power and the Glory|Graham Greene|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388210459l/3690._SY75_.jpg|1036817], Molière’s [b:Tartuffe|52823|Tartuffe|Molière|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1319501006l/52823._SY75_.jpg|2115103], Goldsmith’s [b:The Vicar of Wakefield|112510|The Vicar of Wakefield|Oliver Goldsmith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1171659395l/112510._SY75_.jpg|2907686], McCullough’s [b:The Thorn Birds|3412|The Thorn Birds|Colleen McCullough|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548530867l/3412._SY75_.jpg|816449], and on and on and on...) The writer of the Introduction tried to suggest that this novel was more than just about the personal failings of an individual minister, but represented the spiritual crisis of the American nation at the turn of the century. After making this claim, he went on merely to summarize the plot and offer no further analysis or discussion. I’m afraid I have to agree with one early reviewer who wrote that this novel just melded into a hundred different French and English novels about fallen clergy, offering no new insight or unique perspectives.
hjswinford's review against another edition
3.0
I can't decide if I totally hated this book or if I didn't really like it, but it was still well-written and interesting. I certainly didn't like it at all, but I can't say it was horrible or poorly done. I suppose I don't like a lot of realism, and that is what this book is. All I got from it was basically: conservative, blinding religion screws people up and they go crazy when they taste the outside world. I read it in a literature class, and most of the other students really liked it, so I guess it's just not my cup of tea. I wouldn't say, "Don't ever read this! It sucks!" because that's not true, but I would certainly give a disclaimer of my dislike for it to anyone that wanted to read it.
lyricallit's review against another edition
4.0
I wish we had more from Frederic, as I really loved this novel. Some might say the irony is a bit overdone, but I love the twists it adds to his tale. You can neither absolutely condemn nor admire just about any of these characters. The only one whose potential for redemption is Alice, but even then we see very little of her and her association with Theron and passive role makes it difficult to fully engage. Frederic spares no one in this tale, offering a grim outlook for a humanity which undergoes constant rebirths only to learn and gain nothing in each new life. The only element of constancy is flux and instability.
nikkigee81's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
More interesting than I thought it would be. It's the tale of a Methodist minister who is assigned to a very fundamentalist town (they are so rigid in their beliefs that they think the Minister's wife is essentially sinful for having flowers in her church bonnet). Theron wants to write a book about Abraham but feels woefully inadequate to the task, so feels he needs to become more learned. As he learns more, he becomes insufferable, according to everyone around him.
heatherjones's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
annagroovy's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting novel--basically a Faustian tale of a preacher tempted by intellectualism/academia/the occult. Theron was kind of terrible but I don't think he was ever supposed to be lovable. I liked Frederic's prose quite a bit.
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