The Power and the Glory

By: Graham Greene

Narrated by: Bernard Mayes

Length: 9 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

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.

Critic reviews

“As brilliantly written as it is magnificently conceived.” (Chicago Sun)

The Power of the Tongue of Fire

Would you consider the audio edition of The Power and the Glory to be better than the print version?

Not better, but different aspects of the story were revealed. More portable.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Power and the Glory?

The scene in the crowded jail cell.The cruel ambivalence of the jailer.

What does Bernard Mayes bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His dialogue inflections are clarifying.

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

I didn't just cry, I was haunted by the story for days.

Any additional comments?

This story resembles what I have often observed occurring in real life. It is sad that there are not many such novels. It tells of a wayward man committed to be better than he is by nature, because he is a priest.

Worst ever narrator

When I read reviews on Audible, I usually take the reviews of the narrator with a grain of salt. Sure, a good narrator can make a good book better, but I've never had a book completely ruined by a narrator. Even when the narrators are poor, I've always gotten used to them in the end. Until now.

This has got to be the hardest to understand and get used to narrator I've ever heard on Audible. Give me nasal. Give me screechy. Give me sing-song. But don't give me Bernard Mays.

On the other hand, I read the book long ago, but since at age 67, my eyes don't work as well as in the past, I thought it would be enjoyable to revisit the book through audible. No. I'm returning it, sadly. If I could have given the narrator a "-10," I would have. Stop and starts. Highs and lows. I spent all my effort just trying to understand and failing.

A Great Book

A great novel. Don’t worry too much about the audio—it does improve.
If it’s too bothersome, you could also get the Kindle edition and switch
back and forth. In any case don’t let anything prevent you from experiencing this true classic.

Spectacular book

This is such a good book. If this book were required reading in high school English instead of the catcher in the Rye, the world would be a much better place.

Very clear and helped me a lot

I had to read this book for a class. I had too many reading assignments and it seemed impossible to do all of the by myself. I decided to try audiobook and it was a complete success. You can control the speed of the narrator from slow to fast which helped me finish the book in two days! The narrator changed his tone when switching from one character to the other which helped me keep the story straight in my head!

Voice difficult to understand

Story is beautiful but the Narrator is hard to understand and muffled a bit. I had to read the book along with it to comprehend and make sense of it.

Both this book AND the performance are wonderful

It's true that the audio quality of this recording is not the best (originally recorded by Blackstone Audio in 1990) but I still love this performance by Bernard Mayes. He's the perfect narrator for this book, too, as an Anglican priest who eventually left the priesthood. I highly recommend the understated narration.

The Emptiness and Beauty of the Human Struggle

Throughout the presentation I felt a strong emotion of emptiness and sadness, while feeling the deeper beauty of the ongoing human struggle.

Wonderful storytelling

The book is excellent. But the reader’s voice is so grainy that it’s difficult to understand him. I did not like the reader’s voice at all. Had to get past it to listen to the book .

A masterpiece with sub par narration

What did you love best about The Power and the Glory?

I loved the story, most especially the inner life of the whiskey priest and his inner conflict with himself and with God.

What other book might you compare The Power and the Glory to and why?

The Samurai by Shusaku Endo. It is not as dark, but you get inside the mind of a friar who is a missionary in Japan and experiences inner conflict between himself and God.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I would have preferred if he had kept his tone more one tone. He speaks softly at times where the listener cannot really hear all that is said, and then staccato's specific words that come out very loud. So it is just difficult to listen to.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Just moments where the Whiskey Priest is hateful of himself and is ridden with the guilt of sin in his life.

Any additional comments?

Despite the narration, this is a great book. Enjoy it!