The Power and the Glory (1940)

This was a bit of a struggle, being twice as long as its limited ambition requires - that ambition being to illustrate the weakness, fallability and moral confusion of a Catholic priest, tempered by a hint of hope. At least this was acheived.

The setting is a Southern State of Mexico where a deadly Catholic purge has been underway for ten years. The churches have burned and the priests have fled, or been killed, or renounced their vocations - except for one. Quite how such a stupid, vacilating character managed to evade capture for so long is beyond comprehension, but nevermind - even more frustrating is that the situation is never explained. Why is the purge happening? Why is it State-wide but not Nation-wide? What year is it, anyway? Why are distilled spirits and wine illegal when beer is legal? I don't know if ignoring all this was meant to make the story more like a parable or if Greene's obsession with Catholic angst just rendered all context unimportant to him, but for me it was a missed opportunity. ( )

Beautiful exploration of faith, suffering and redemption set in Mexico during the government persecution of Catholics (los Cristeros) -- and a compelling story of a flawed priest on the run from the police and to his encounter with mercy. I love Graham Greene's style. Highly recommended. ( )

Wow, this really was a brilliant book. Thought-provoking content, Greene's usual command of language and an overwhelming feeling of foreboding all contribute to its power.

In a way, it's not an easy book to read. The protagonist is more of an anti-hero than a hero, and it's easy to feel disgusted with him at times. However, by the end, one can perhaps understand him, if not ever really LIKE him.

Greene had a talent for writing in a way that produces vivid images in the reader's mind, without weighing down his story with lengthy descriptive passages, and 'The Power and the Glory' is a perfect example of this. When the rains begin, you can almost FEEL the humidity.


(Finally, a warning to those who share my own particular sensitivity - there are a couple of passages in the novel where animals are treated poorly. One in particular was a struggle to read.) ( )

As an aetheist I don't have much access to the forces that moved the whiskey priest, but I liked how he seemed to be at his best when he was closest to losing everything. The contrast between his confused, unhappy end and the grandiose story martyrdom that accompanied it was striking. I guess the reader is left to wonder whether all Catholic martyrs were afraid and worried when they died, rather than serene.

I read Graham Greene because I heard he does dialog well, and that seems to have been true here. ( )

First of all, I had no idea that Catholicism was banned in parts of Mexico at one point in time. Wow!
When I finished reading this book, I had to go online to make sure I understood what was going on. I did, and after awhile I processed it a bit more, but I never could quite figure out why he didn't just leave. ( )