Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927)

beautiful

them Catholics 'il get you ( )

This is my second Cather and while I thourhly enjoyed , this title was disappointing. It should not have as it was full of history of New Mexico and Arizona following their annexation from Mexico.

The narrative follows the trials and tribulations of two French Roman Catholic priests who have been assigned by Rome to save the Church from Protestants but more importantly from the decadence that has seeped into after years of neglect a Church leadership in Mexico. On arrival they find preists with concubines and children plus stealing from their flocks to enrich themselves.

Father Latour and his colleague, Father Valliannt minister a flock spread over thousands of miles and accessible only by horseback. Their parisoners include wealthy Spanish, indiginous tribes including Hopi and Navaho and American farmers. If lack of water in desert travels or bitterly cold in winter does not kill them, armed robbers or angry natives may.

Why do I not like this novel? Maybe it's the 1920's language that is full of description that adds little to the narrative. Reminds me of some of Zane Grey's weaker titles. ( )

Well-written with occasional ethical interest, but not particularly interesting. ( )

Death Comes for the Archbishop. In The Best Works of Willa Cather. 1927 I read this book 12 or so years ago and just finished re-reading it for DIPSO, our book club. I enjoyed it the first time and the second time. This is strange because I have never been that interested in the Southwest, and I don’t go out of my way to read books with lots of nature descriptions. It is a novel of the lives of Catholic priests who came to New Mexico after the Mexican American War. The descriptions of the Southwest landscape were mesmerizing and I thought of Georgia O’Keeffe paintings while I was reading. Cather does not neglect to mention the violence and mistreatment of the Indians and Mexicans by some of the priests, but her accounts of the good priests and the positive things they did are heartwarming. The hardships the priests and the indigenous people endured were heart breaking. The perseverance of the priests is a testament to the strong faith they had ( )

Dull. ( )