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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
The Power and the Glory begins with the perfect pace. Unhurried, it never lingers. Frequent scene changes are orderly. Details are given fine treatment yet the reader is moved along briskly. It all seemed cinematic, a feeling I remember from reading Saul Bellow novels.
The backdrop is Mexico in the midst of a persecution of the Catholic church. The unnamed priest who is on the run for most of the novel is a hero unlike any other. He is dependent upon alcohol. He has fathered a daughter he barely knows. He sees himself as an utterly unworthy figure, but it is this bare honesty with himself and with others which elevates him. In the interaction of his characters, Greene oversees a variety of questions revolving around the dangers of pious religiosity and what constitutes real sin. All of this comes to a head in a tense back and forth between the priest and another prominent character.
This is my first sampling of Graham Greene, a writer I've wanted to read for a long time. He is well-traveled and a brilliant storyteller. He blends action, depth, and scenery with great skill. Highly recommended.
The backdrop is Mexico in the midst of a persecution of the Catholic church. The unnamed priest who is on the run for most of the novel is a hero unlike any other. He is dependent upon alcohol. He has fathered a daughter he barely knows. He sees himself as an utterly unworthy figure, but it is this bare honesty with himself and with others which elevates him. In the interaction of his characters, Greene oversees a variety of questions revolving around the dangers of pious religiosity and what constitutes real sin. All of this comes to a head in a tense back and forth between the priest and another prominent character.
This is my first sampling of Graham Greene, a writer I've wanted to read for a long time. He is well-traveled and a brilliant storyteller. He blends action, depth, and scenery with great skill. Highly recommended.
Thought-provoking book. I think I liked End of the Affair better than this book (even though Greene is more well-known for this book) and in terms of how it treats the difficulty of persecution, I think I found Endo's Silence more powerful than this work. But even so, while this book was overshadowed by others for me, the whiskey priest's journey was compelling and engaging and certainly deals with different matters than the other two books I've mentioned. Not sure if I'd put this high up there in my lists of literary classics, but I am certainly glad to have read it.
Rating: 4 Stars (Very Good).
Rating: 4 Stars (Very Good).
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
fun coincidence, i started this right after finishing the master and margarita, both of which were finished/published in 1940 and focus on the effects of the separation of church and state in the early 20th century following leftist revolutions. would’ve been an interesting essay for grade 11 english or smth lol
when i first picked the book up, i was falling asleep after every sentence...
but as i went on, i couldn't help falling in love with the book...
about the omnipresence of sin, yet how so much beauty can emerge from it...
the indestructible power of faith...
and the whiskey priest...an unforgettable character
but as i went on, i couldn't help falling in love with the book...
about the omnipresence of sin, yet how so much beauty can emerge from it...
the indestructible power of faith...
and the whiskey priest...an unforgettable character
The variety and depth of work produced by Graham greene never ceases to amaze me as does his ability to create a story in just over 200pages which in a modern author would stretch to over 500.
I was completely lost in the world of a whisky priest in a Mexico where a dictatorship either shoots clerics or forces them to renounce their faith and marry. In a narrative evocative of the journey if christ (including the return by donkey , his own judas ,and a police lieutenant who must decide his fate) our flawed hero tries to escape but by the end accepts a fate to answer for his sins.
A story of human frailties, of the strength or weakness of faith, this is a remarkable book which will live with me for some time although it is a sad tale as well with little redemption at the end.
I was completely lost in the world of a whisky priest in a Mexico where a dictatorship either shoots clerics or forces them to renounce their faith and marry. In a narrative evocative of the journey if christ (including the return by donkey , his own judas ,and a police lieutenant who must decide his fate) our flawed hero tries to escape but by the end accepts a fate to answer for his sins.
A story of human frailties, of the strength or weakness of faith, this is a remarkable book which will live with me for some time although it is a sad tale as well with little redemption at the end.
reflective
tense
medium-paced