The Power and the Glory Audiobook By Graham Greene cover art

The Power and the Glory

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The Power and the Glory

By: Graham Greene
Narrated by: Bernard Mayes
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Graham Greene explores corruption and atonement in this penetrating novel set in 1930s Mexico during the era of Communist religious persecutions. As revolutionaries determine to stamp out the evils of the church through violence, the last Roman Catholic priest is on the lam, hunted by a police lieutenant. Despite his own sense of worthlessness—he is a heavy drinker and has fathered an illegitimate child—he is determined to continue to function as a priest until captured. He is contrasted with Padre Jose, a priest who has accepted marriage and embodies humiliation.

A Christian parable pitting God and religion against 20th-century materialism, The Power and the Glory is considered by many, including the author himself, to be Greene’s best work.

©1940, 1962, 1968 by Graham Greene (P)1990 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Classics Historical Fiction

Critic reviews

“As brilliantly written as it is magnificently conceived.” (Chicago Sun)
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Although not his best known, this is probably Greene's best, and certainly most powerful, book, depicting the holiness of a priest who does know know he is holy, and in fact believes the opposite is true. Well worth listening to!

Probably Greene's best book

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This is a story of faith and human nature. The journey both physical and spiritual of the Priest.

An almost religious text

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This story was very intriguing, but it took a long time to get into. It transitions between characters and families without introduction.

Character list:
Whiskey priest: main character but unnamed.

Padre Jose: a cowardly married priest

Fellows Family: Banana farmers who hide the whisky priest.

Half-caste: a homeless guy who is a sort of a Judas type person.

Mr Tench: a dentist with stomach ailments. He befriends the whiskey priest.

Luis and his family: this is a 14 year old boy whose mother is a Christian and reads her children books about martyrdom .

Lehr brother and sister: Lutherans who house and nurse the whiskey priest while he is sick.

The Lieutenant: a kind but anti religious man. He is on the hunt to obliterate priests.

This is pretty much who you need to know. All these people have stories going on at the same time and The author switches between them.

Wonderful story after the first few hours

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Amazing story, dripping with humanity, extremely well read. It really draws you in and by the end you’re fully in its grasp.

Outstanding!

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What made the experience of listening to The Power and the Glory the most enjoyable?

It had been a LONG time since I had read Graham Greene. This book made me glad that I had returned and led me to read or listen to two or three others immediately -- and I will do more.

What did you like best about this story?

The power of the characters as woven into the plot.

Which scene was your favorite?

Not sure I can pick one.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was ready to cry as it finished. We were listening in the car and I turned to my wife and said, 'That is not just fiction. It is too powerful." That led me to read some biographical information on Greene which confirmed that in fact the affair was probably based on one in his own life. Normally on a long car trip I finish one book on tape and start the next one. I could not start another one for a good while after finishing this -- I wanted silence.

Any additional comments?

I try to be positive in general, but for me to give something 5 stars across the board is VERY unusual. Highly recommended.

Wonderful

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Geniously written, this story talks about the figure of priesthood transcending human weakness and the transformative power of the holy spirit. Based on true historic circumstances, the Cristero persecution in Mexico during the presidency of Elias Calles.

Great story, old recording

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This is the worst narration I have encountered in my many years with Audible. Usually I don't mind even the most idiosyncratic narrators.

The worst narrator ever

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At first, the narrator bothered me, but I now see how perfect his voice was for this book. I did knock off one point for the quality of the recording, but it wasn't so bad that it ruined the story for me.

More importantly, this is such a well crafted story, and Green understood better than most how to tell the truth about the Christian life. Powerful, not preachy.

May become a all time favorite

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Wonderful book. This is the first of any Graham Greene work I had read/listened to, and it surely was good enough to get me to read more of his works.

A Catholic couple who are dear friends of mine had highly recommended this book to me after a conversation about Catholic literature. Works like “Diary of a Country Priest” by Georges Bernanos and “Brideshead Revisited” by Evelyn Waugh prompted the conversation, so for those who enjoyed either of those titles will find no trouble at all in delving into this work. The common story of “perfect redemption” akin to the lives of some saints, or even the ever so predictable rise to grace that ends so perfectly is a narrative that is not as inviting. To contrast, books like “The Power and the Glory” paint a real, authentic Christianity that any person of faith can truly appreciate. The deeper the reader’s conviction of the Holy Catholic Church as immutable and divine, the more rich the text will be.

The performance of this audio book can be a little difficult to get used to; I listen to a lot of audio books and starting this one, it took a little bit of time to adjust to the narrator. His vowels are not very crisp, and it sounds a bit like an older recording, so the audio is muffled and the quality isn’t great. But do not let it discourage you; I was fully accustomed to the audio of his narration and found no trouble at all in understanding him, most especially once the plot begins to thicken and you are listening with much anticipation and gripping expectation. I will most definitely return to this book many more times throughout my life.

One of the best on the shelf of the dynamic Catholic

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I had expected to be intimidated by this book, to drag through it because it was considered to be a masterpiece I needed to read. Boy, was I wrong! It is definitely a masterpiece but one I found very accessible to read/listen to. The characters were all too human; the writing, at once spare and elegant. This my first experience with the works of Graham Greene, and I look forward to experiencing more.

An Accessible Masterpiece

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