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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
A great book, I think. Never know quite what these things are about until days later.
Things that I want to think about -- humanity and ugliness, belief and (versus?) faith, lying to ourselves, truth and purification...
We'll see how it goes.
Things that I want to think about -- humanity and ugliness, belief and (versus?) faith, lying to ourselves, truth and purification...
We'll see how it goes.
I love this one more with every reading (this was my third time through), and it sparked wonderful conversation with my high school senior daughter.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Whiskey priest is a good character. Bottom line, no matter how many try to curb out religion, it will live on.
Greene is an excellent storyteller and writes well. But I could not get into this novel. I felt no connection to the character or overall interest in the story.
For a book that so quickly and obviously reveals its themes, its direction, and its values, this was quite moving. Greene’s ability to describe locations and build tension alone makes it worth a read
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2349453.html[return][return]Greene was a Catholic writer writing from an English point of view, and I wonder quite how true to Mexican religious practice his portrayal is - yes, I know that he had gone to Mexico for four months in 1938 to see the situation on the ground for himself, but it's also pretty clear that he went and returned with a narrative already in his mind. That side of things doesn't matter much now; Tom�s Garrido Canabal, the Tabasco governor whose anti-clericalism Greene reported on, died in 1943, and the Catholic church has become its own worst enemy in Mexico as elsewhere.[return][return]Anyway, I think such a reading is far from the intended core of the book. Greene's real theme is heroism and redemption - an unlikely hero who finds it in himself to do the right thing, having been doing many of the wrong things, written at the outbreak of the Second World War when the Zeitgeist needed unlikely heroes. The unnamed hero has made a real mess of his life, and of other people's, but finds a moment or two when he can make a difference and rescue his own dignity. That much is a story that can be told in many times and places.
Powerful writing - definitely can see what it's a masterpiece because I was intrigued and entertained nearly the entirety of the book despite feeling rather ambivalent about the story line. Great scenes, great one-liners, great peek into the head of someone I've never of thought of being before. I also had NO idea that the persecution of Catholics happened in Mexico - I was sure it was total fiction but it's not. I really wish there was more about Coral Fellows, she was my favorite character, and I also wish we knew what happened to her in the end. I also liked the scene with the priest in the jail cell the first time - and his decision to return to a trap is difficult to accept. Would definitely recommend this just for the experience of reading it - not a story you get so absorbed in but rather for the intense bits of pieces of its telling.
I was told by a friend that the Power and the Glory is, "BEST BOOK EVER AND IF YOU DON'T LOVE IT TO DEATH LIKE I DO I WILL CRY OR AT LEAST BE VERY SAD INSIDE."
Well, I did really like it. There have only been a few books that I could confess love to, though. So I hope I didn't completely destroy my friend's emotional state.
There is definitely a parallel between the priest's service and that of Christ, not that either of these characters are very similar at all. I think what I liked most about this story was the continual service to others and the enduring redemption that the priest sought. It was well worth the read.
Well, I did really like it. There have only been a few books that I could confess love to, though. So I hope I didn't completely destroy my friend's emotional state.
There is definitely a parallel between the priest's service and that of Christ, not that either of these characters are very similar at all. I think what I liked most about this story was the continual service to others and the enduring redemption that the priest sought. It was well worth the read.