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Title: Black Robe: A Novel by Brian Moore ISBN: 0-452-27865-1 Publisher: Plume Pub. Date: June, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.88 (17 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A view of colonialism which is not politically correct...
Comment: This novel shows the "natives" of Quebec not merely as the victims of more powerful colonial powers but also weak because in their trading with the French, they themselves acknowledge their own demise, and they do it in the idiom of their own philosophies and beliefs. There are no noble savages here and barbaric Christian soldiers, only people with interests and ambitions, in specific circumstances.
This is a great novel of intercultural clash and conflict. We see the Jesuits trying to save the souls of the "savages" and see how some of the native Quebecians think that the God of the Jesuit priest, the "Black Robe," is stupid and silly. We see how the introduction of foreigners into the Indians' political and economic systems disturbs the natural relationship between the different groups, the Algonquin, the Huron, and the Iroque. We see how the presence of the French puts strains on the philosopical and belief systems of the "natives." Finally, we see how the exposure to the realities of Quebec puts strains on the French view of the world and themselves....
In the backgroud of every scene and every event in this book is the Jesuit priest, the "Black Robe," totally unsuited for the rough terrains and peoples of 17th Century Quebec but holding in his hand his notion of absolution for all......
Rating: 4
Summary: Disturbing, Enthralling
Comment: A deep, disturbing, thoughtful novel of New France, the very early years of what we now call Canada. A Jesuit priest, or Black Robe as he was called by the Native Americans, heads into the wilderness with some Algonquin guides to reach a mission for the Hurons near the shores of Lake Huron, so deep into the endless and treacherous forest. His life and faith begin to disintegrate in his first harsh experiences in the New World, and his first close and bewildering encounters with the Native Americans and their utterly different culture. Moore writes a lot like Graham Greene and his subject matter is often similar, too. Both are masters of the modern journalistic style of story-telling -- taut, concise, crisp, polished. This is a wonderful read and a insistent meditation on faith and hope, as well as a vivid portrait of an almost unknown part of the North American past. By the way, Bruce Beresford made this into a fine movie -- actually a great movie. It's not often that a director manages that feat. The film is a bit different, even though it is scrupulously faithful to Moore's original plot. I would say that the book is much the better, just because it is so much deeper and fuller, but the film is not to be missed either. Here is a modern author who really thinks and feels the impulses of religion and spirituality in the human soul. Enjoy.
Rating: 3
Summary: Be Careful On Choosing Black Robe
Comment: Black Robe by Brian Moore took place on the water, during a journey to the Huron Country in Canada, in the mid-1600s. Fr. Laforgue and Daniel had the mission to teach the Native Americans, they traveled with, about God. The missionaries wanted the Native Americans to lose their old ways in order for them to witness Gods power. I enjoyed the references of the tribe's traditions and culture. "Raising his unwieldy javelin he hurled it, striking a moose in the neck." Also the references to the Jesuits about what they believed. "... I knelt in the church of the blessed Virgin in Honfleur, my arms outstretched in adoration of my savior, making my vow to spend two years serving God in a distant land."
The main theme in Black Robe was for Fr. Laforgue and Neehatin, the head of the Native American tribe, to accept and learn about each other. Both the Jesuits and the Native Americans did eventually learn to accept one another as friends. I thought it was wonderful to see these groups working together, even though it was hard for them at times. Their cooperation made me realize that I need to be more open to other people like the characters were in the novel. This message in the novel can also be seen in America's history, during our colonial period. Black Robe showed what a tremendous struggle that these groups had to endure.
When I was doing my researched to find out what Black Robe was about, I found a description about Jesuit priests trying to convert Native Americans in Canada, and their struggle. I find religion and history very interesting and the brief description made me extremely interested in reading it, but to my surprise it was not just a religious, historic book. It was a degrading novel to both the Native Americans and the Jesuits. Almost every chapter had a sexual scene with Daniel and Annuka, a girl from the tribe, which they traveled with. Also, Fr. Laforgue engaged in a sexual act himself. It made me furious to read all of this, because when researching the book I never found anything of this nature to be in the novel. For Brian Moore to put all of this immoral content in the novel did not make the plot anymore important or interesting. I would not recommend Black Robe to others, because it was disturbing, and made me question my faith, and clergy men. I now have a bad outlook on my church and head officials. Though it was very historic and informative, it was not worth reading all the filth within it. I would like other curious readers of Black Robe to be aware of what else is in the novel, so they don't have to go through the same disappointment as I did.
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Title: The Statement by Brian Moore ISBN: 0452276322 Publisher: Plume Pub. Date: May, 1997 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title:Black Robe ASIN: B00005BKZS Publisher: MGM/UA Video Pub. Date: 10 July, 2001 List Price(USD): $19.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $17.38 |
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Title: Facing East from Indian Country : A Native History of Early America by Daniel K. Richter ISBN: 0674011171 Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr Pub. Date: 30 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Robert Cole's World: Agriculture and Society in Early Maryland by Lois Green Carr, Russell R. Mendard, Lorena S. Walsh, Russell R. Menard ISBN: 0807843415 Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Pr Pub. Date: October, 1991 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne by Brian Moore ISBN: 0586087583 Publisher: Acacia Press, Inc. Pub. Date: 1988 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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