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kawai 's review for:
The Power and the Glory
by Graham Greene
As often happens with books that are considered masterpieces, time and the loss of historical context for a story can have a huge impact on a book's value. That's exactly the case with Graham Greene's THE POWER AND THE GLORY. Other reviewers have no doubt summarized the book, so there's no need for that be done again here. Suffice it to say that I found it a tedious read, and like many of the books of its age, there was a distinct lack in its pacing until the last twenty or so pages. For a good part of the story, the protagonist is wandering around in a state of vague despair, worrying about his own failures as a priest and human, while simultaneously asking similar questions of those around him. There is a general sense of urgency as he tries to make it to the border before he's arrested, coupled with a desire to fight off the classic trappings of the priestly class and truly serve the souls he sees as lost (including his own); but ultimately, none of these components add up to a very readable book. THE POWER AND THE GLORY might offer some value as a Catholic text, one which sheds light on the way that Catholicism regarded itself (particularly during the book's time period); but all that matters little, as I found almost nothing to offer in the way of memorable language or plot. If a story isn't ultimately entertaining, it's almost never worth reading...such is the case here.