To Every Man a Penny

by Bruce Marshall

This is the story of a French priest-it is also a book about love, politics and the passage of time. Above all else it is a book about God and the beauty of serving Him, a beauty and a service which the Abbe Gaston found infinitely multiplied, from the majesty and wonder of the liturgy to a child's smile or a woman's dress gracing the wind; for the Abbe Gaston knew these things could be holy, too. And with the backdrop of the terrible and exciting era between the two World Wars, the Abbe lives a humble and happy love of God, and is rewarded by understanding why the workers in the vineyard were paid a penny-whether they had borne the heat and burden of the full day or not.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

345 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1949

About the author

Lieutenant-Colonel Claude Cunningham Bruce Marshall, known as Bruce Marshall was a prolific Scottish writer who wrote fiction and non-fiction books on a wide range of topics and genres. His first book, A Thief in the Night came out in 1918, possibly self-published. His last, An Account of Capers was published posthumously in 1988, a span of 70 years.

Reviews

[Ronald Aylward · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great way to follow World War I and II from the viewpoint of a Catholic priest serving in the heart of Paris. Since it was written in 1948, a Latin and Greek dictionary might be helpful.

[Clara Ricoveri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una novela que te atrapa con una narración de hechos históricos que hacen un libro perfecto

[Francesca Paleari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro che abbraccia tutto il 900 dal punto di vista di un sacerdote parigino. Un po' lento, soprattutto all'inizio, ma molto originale e alla fine ti scalda proprio il cuore.

[Dylan Rood · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

The story of a French priest seeing the world becoming more secular. This book has very interesting parts and I like the main character, but it's hard to see or fully understand his growth as the book will jump years if not decades in chapters sometimes half a page long. Sometimes it feels like it overlooks or doesn’t explore what could be interesting topics, like the failure of clergy to care for their parishioners or what he may have had to grapple with during his service in WW1. Him becoming friends with an atheist communist should’ve been the most interesting part of the story. Very interesting premise, not the best execution