Synopses & Reviews
In a poor, remote section of southern Mexico, the Red Shirts have taken control. God has been outlawed, and the priests have been systematically hunted down and killed. Now, the last priest strives to overcome physical and moral cowardice in order to find redemption.
Review:
"Mr. Greene's style is a model for economy of phrase. He is a master in the art of suspense. He seems to have the gift of understanding. Whether his character is a gringo dentist gone to seed, a brutal police lieutenant, a little boy reacting against pietist family pressure, a brave, resourceful little girl in a foreign land, or a truly humble 'whiskey priest,' it seems to make little difference. All speak for themselves convincingly; they are not easily forgotten. Graham Greene is a man to watch." Edward S. Skillin, Commonweal
Review:
"In
The Power and the Glory, as elsewhere, Mr. Greene is extremely successful in creating a squalid and painful world. He has a palette of sour colors, a repertory of of sickening suggestions, a talent for selecting and rubbing in unpleasant details of modern civilization, such as cheap panes of stained glass, inferior dental drills, and insipid correspondence courses, that make good writing and are entirely his own. But the trouble is, it seems to me, that here he has too little to set against them. The canvas is pretty well painted, but the picture is somehow dead....Dispensing with the excitement of the mystery story, Mr. Greene has not wholly succeeded in creating the higher kind of excitement. His priest who is merely a victim, who is merely pursued and executed, does not stir us with the spiritual passion that ought to be conveyed by the life of a saint."
Edmund Wilson, New YorkerReview:
"Mr. Greene has told the story of a truly spiritual struggle, in the breast of a miserable sinner, who can yet do brave things, in a fashion that sets this novel of his a little above and apart from his others. Also, he has now proved himself one of the finest craftsmen of story-telling in our time." William R. Benet, Saturday Review
Review:
"It is expertly done, and the curious thing is that a purposeful flattening dramatic effect and a trick of rather artificial phrasing both seem to help rather than hinder." Times Literary Supplement
Review:
"This is a harrowing tale, but its relentless refusal of any substitute for goodness leaves the reader exultant rather than depressed and marks out its author as an imaginative critic of life." Manchester Guardian, Marriott
Review:
"The priest in [
The Power and the Glory] also knows that even heroes must submit to scrutiny. He has risked his life to perform his religious functions in an anti-clerical state, but he suspects that he has done it out of pride. 'I thought I was a fine fellow to have stayed when the others had gone.' The priest is Greene's most impressive character, just as [
The Power and the Glory] is his most successful novel."
South Atlantic QuarterlyReview:
"Superbly told. And through the prosaic details runs a thread of mysticism, of something that guns and hate cannot destroy. This book is a splendid achievement, brilliant description, tense narrative — and something else besides." Atlantic Monthly
Review:
"A first-rate piece of storytelling." F. Marsh, New York Times
Synopsis:
In a poor, remote section of southern Mexico, the Red Shirts have taken control, God has been outlawed, and the priests have been systematically hunted down and killed. Now, the last priest strives to overcome physical and moral cowardice in order to find redemption.
About the Author
Graham Greene (1904-1991), author of many novels, short stories, travel books, plays, and memoirs, was one of the twentieth century's greatest writers. J
John Updike author of Rabbit, Run and other celebrated works, is a preeminent American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet.
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