O apóstolo

by Hall Caine

O apóstolo retrata a história de Glory e de John Storm, dois jovens amigos da Ilha de Man que se aventuram na grande cidade de Londres. Glory sonha com a fama, o reconhecimento e todo o brilho que Londres lhe pode dar, mas depara-se com uma série de conflitos que terá de ultrapassar se quiser alcançar este sonho. John Storm é um rapaz simples e bondoso que pretende levar o Cristianismo à vida dos mais sofredores, mas a salvação de Glory é o seu maior desejo. Num romance que retrata a relação entre Igreja e luxúria, o mundo do teatro e a vida em reclusão, Hall Caine denuncia uma sociedade degradada, que despreza a simplicidade e que diminui as mulheres à sua condição mais miserável.

456 pages

Published February 1, 2022

About the author

Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine CH, KBE (1853-1931), usually known as Hall Caine, was an English author. He is best known as a novelist and playwright of the late Victorian and the Edwardian eras. In his time he was exceedingly popular and at the peak of his success his novels outsold those of his contemporaries. His novels were primarily romantic in nature, involving the love triangle, but they did also address some of the more serious political and social issues of the day. Caine acted as secretary to Dante Gabriel Rossetti and at one time he aspired to become a man of letters. To this end he published a number of serious works but these had little success. A man of striking appearance, he travelled widely and used his travels to provide the settings for some of his novels. He came into contact with, and was influenced by, many of the leading personalities of the day. His best known works include: The Shadow of a Crime (1885), The Bondman (1890), The Scapegoat (1890), The Prodigal Son (1904), The White Prophet (1909) and The Woman Thou Gavest Me (1913).

Reviews

[Lucy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read a lot of literature from this era. Sometimes (as with J Meade Falkner) I cannot understand why an author has fallen from favour. And then sometimes I come across someone like Hall Caine, and I cannot see why anyone would have read this trash in the first place. This novel would have disgraced Mills and Boone, and it's four times as long as their efforts. And a lot less plausible. Avoid.

[Elizabeth Haire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Christian Story

Good story, though a bit long as tales of the period tend to describe everything. Enjoyable for the history and the depiction of relationships. Nice to read a tale which has Christian commitment as a centerpiece.

[Miranda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a very long, very over-written, very tiresome book. The two main characters declare their love and commitment to each other and then change their minds almost immediately many times during the course of the narrative. They make foolish and impulsive choices and are in general not sympathetic or believable. The characters are not well-drawn and the plot goes around in circles.

[janet Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Christian A story

I chose the rating because I could not put it down. I loved the story , the characters are like u can imagine happened in times written.

[Erika Mathews · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the first fourth of this book, I thought I'd be giving it five stars. The characters were well-drawn, the plot was shaping nicely, and, above all, there were deep, profound, and rare Christian truths and perspectives embedded in the views of one of the main characters.

The further I read, the less I liked it. Both of the main characters were continually making choices that disappointed me. If one began to make a wise life decision, the other would be making a terrible choice, and this cycle continued right through the end of the book. In that sense, the reader never gets a reprieve. The plot ended up swinging back and forth instead of following a satisfying format.

Still, there are benefits to be derived from the story. It hits a lot of deep, real issues. Real Christianity doesn't fail, but at what a cost.

[Joleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very old book but I rather liked it. I like period literature. It was a bit different, though.