Itemize Books During Wheat that Springeth Green
| Original Title: | Wheat That Springeth Green |
| ISBN: | 0940322242 (ISBN13: 9780940322240) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Setting: | Minnesota(United States) |
| Literary Awards: | National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for Fiction (1988), National Book Award Finalist for Fiction (1988) |
J.F. Powers
Paperback | Pages: 352 pages Rating: 3.85 | 233 Users | 46 Reviews
Identify Appertaining To Books Wheat that Springeth Green
| Title | : | Wheat that Springeth Green |
| Author | : | J.F. Powers |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 352 pages |
| Published | : | May 31st 2000 by NYRB Classics (first published 1988) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Literature. The United States Of America. Historical. Historical Fiction. Novels |
Interpretation Concering Books Wheat that Springeth Green
Wheat That Springeth Green, J. F. Powers's beautifully realized final work, is a comic foray into the commercialized wilderness of modern American life. Its hero, Joe Hackett, is a high school track star who sets out to be a saint. But seminary life and priestly apprenticeship soon damp his ardor, and by the time he has been given a parish of his own he has traded in his hair shirt for the consolations of baseball and beer. Meanwhile Joe's higher-ups are pressing for an increase in profits from the collection plate, suburban Inglenook's biggest business wants to launch its new line of missiles with a blessing, and not all that far away, in Vietnam, a war is going on. Joe wants to duck and cover, but in the end, almost in spite of himself, he is condemned to do something right. J. F. Powers was a virtuoso of the American language with a perfect ear for the telling cliché and an unfailing eye for the kitsch that clutters up our lives. This funny and very moving novel about the making and remaking of a priest is one of his finest achievements.Rating Appertaining To Books Wheat that Springeth Green
Ratings: 3.85 From 233 Users | 46 ReviewsEvaluation Appertaining To Books Wheat that Springeth Green
Starts out strong and funny, but fizzles out quite a bit in the end. Not as good as Morte D'Urban.
J.F. Powers did not write much, but what he did was filled with great perception into the human condition, phrased in brilliant dialogue.Again I am grateful to Seth for recommending Powers to me. His books are, in my opinion, "keepers."(Will he ever be so recognized as being worthy of inclusion in The Library of America? I certainly hope so, and herewith place my order whenever it appears.)
Powers' second and final novel, and much better than his pretty damn good Morte D'Durban. Wheat took forever to write, which is usually a very bad thing, but in this case Powers somehow makes it work, perhaps because the usual late style stuff (pessimism, grouchiness and so on) fits so well with the late stages of this book. Father Hackett watches his small world change with good humor and dismay; he might not admit it, but it's fairly clear that he himself is just as much to blame for those
I liked this book even more the second time around. I look forward to reading it again.
At times this book treats religion with as little reverence as a novel possibly can. The rest of the time it exposes the many doors that can lead a Catholic priest to mediocrity.Wheat That Springeth Green is a book that was featured in literary critic James Wood's first collected works of criticism. Wood began as a Catholic and then lost his way because of the Church's (and religions') philosophical inability with the question of evil.This novel will certainly appeal to anyone who's traversed
"Religion," she said, crossing her legs so he could see her garters but not very well in the dark. "It's like Santa Claus, only it's for old people afraid of dying."So the impressionable Joe Hackett is told when still a kid. He becomes a priest anyway, but not before he learns the secrets hiding in the dark.This turns him not quite jaded, not even entirely cynical. He's just a bit of a stinker, as priests go. Midway through the book, this act was wearing thin. I didn't like Joe. Characters in
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