Left Hand of God

by William Edmund Barrett

Jim Carmody, a pilot during World War II, leads a supply train to a remote Catholic mission in China, and finds his life changed

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

258 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

Willam Edmund Barrett was born in New York City in 1900. He was Roman Catholic which is reflected strongly in his works. On February 15, 1925 he was married to Christine M. Rollman.

He attended Manhattan College. In 1941 he became an aeronautics consultant for the Denver Public Library.

He was a member of PEN and the Authors League of America, and also the National Press Club of Washington, D.C. He was president of the Colorado Authors League from 1943–1944.

Three of his novels were the basis for film productions: The Left Hand of God, Lilies of the Field, and Pieces of Dream which was based on The Wine and the Music.

Reviews

[booklady]

Most enjoyable story set in China just after WWII. Uplifting and delightful read by the same author as The Lilies of the Field.

[Paul Robinson]

Though the story is engrossing, I had trouble suspending disbelief. The idea that an American mercenary soldier who has abandoned the Catholic faith, after eight years of Jesuit schooling, could teach himself how to celebrate the TLM in one night of reading rubrics is very far-fetched. And then, he seems to do everything right in his time posing as a priest. It makes it difficult reading the story when the lead character is doing wrong the entire book and then turns out a hero at the end. I understand that Barrett is trying to show how God can bring good out of evil but, again, it seems hard to believe that an evil man is able to do everything right while doing evil, avoid falling into sin with Anne, and have the discipline to be priestly to everyone, while at the same time renewing his perseverance in evil day after day.

[R]

The book was beautifully written in another time, copy write 1951. I gave it four stars because I could not give it four and a half stars, fractions not allowed.

Carmody the main character was given the opportunity to disappear once again in his life and did so by assuming the identity of a dead priest. He was a cynical man and seemed to care little for most of the people that inhabited the world he lived in, mainly the Chinese peasant. In his role as a priest he learned to love and was even willing to risk his life for those he once had no regard for. He learned to see them as God saw them, love them as God loved them and in turn they saved his soul.

[Kim]

Wow. That was pretty interesting. For a book published in 1950...there were a couple of times that a turn of phrase or a character observation summoned up colored-pencil adverts of women in pencil skirts and aprons gazing adoringly into a Clark-Gable-esque face...but for the most part, this book contains a variety of realistic characters thrown together in the unlikely crucible of an isolated Catholic mission station in a China in upheaval. (The main character's musings about the way men in the army talk about women, objectifying in general, while putting their own and each other's mothers and sisters in a separate category, struck me as closer to #metoo than any other product of the 50's I've ever seen.) There is the requisite and thoroughly enjoyable adventure and romance, along with a fascinating take on Catholic spirituality, as a downed American pilot/adventurer who is rescued and recruited as second-in-command to a Chinese warlord, decides to escape his gilded cage by donning the garb of a priest killed en route to a vacant mission station. As he plays the role, biding his time, the role plays him, a lapsed Catholic, and the poverty-stricken, uneducated Chinese peasants he had dominated and despised as a military man, entrusting their hopes and fears, faith and doubt into his hands at the altar, in the sickroom, and in the confessional, elicit his tenderness and respect, sparking his epiphany that it is not power that gives meaning to life, but love and service. And the experience of God cannot be communicated to one without the experience any more than the futility of resisting a military war lord and be communicated to one without the experience of the soldiers under his command.

[R. West]

Loved the movie with Bogart, thought I would check out the book. Found a hardback on Amazon. It was decent enough, but missing the charm from the film. These things happen a lot to me. Classic films from the 40s, 50s and 60s that are better than the book. In reality the book is probably better, but my brain is embedded with the actors and the good feelings I have when watching a movie (the nostalgia thing) for the umpteenth time.


R Cyril West
www.rcyrilwest.com

[Andrea]

Interesting. I thought several times at first that it was a waste of my time but I kept going. I was different but had some good thoughts.

[Lynn]

I found this to be heart warming, stirring and an adventure taking place in China where a pretend Priest does his best to save a mission! And, he found he had a heart after all!

[Suzanne]

I liked this book and would love to see the movie starring Humphrey Bogart.

[Tim Ristow]

Having seen and appreciated the Humphrey Bogart film which is based upon Barrett's book, I'd always been curious about the original novel itself. Now, having read it, I can say it truly gives an added layer of depth to my understanding of the story and characters in the film. The characters are richer, especially Jim Carmody (the protagonist), Anne and even Dr. & Beryl Sigman. This is really a good story.

The film mirrors the book in many ways, while diverging, rearranging or cutting parts of it in others. I do appreciate how close the story and much of the dialogue of the film version matches the novel. But I also wish the film had kept to a linear story, as the novel does, rather than a flashback mid-film. There are also several scenes in the book of additional or extended dialogue between Carmody and the Doctor, Carmody and Anne, the Doctor and Beryl, etc. all of which are really good character moments. I wish the film version had kept at least a few more of these. On the other hand, I can hear and see Bogart in Carmody throughout the book, almost as if it were written with him in mind. Whether this is because I've seen the film so much or because the writing fits Bogart is difficult for me to assess at this point.

There is one key element involving Anne's background that the film version mentions but otherwise virtually ignores. I won't mention it here as it would be a bit of a spoiler but do with the film had included this element. However the most challenging concept the novel presents for any film version is Carmody's internal monologue of thought as he wrestles with his situation and faith. The film includes a few scenes of Bogart in deep thought in the mission church with voiceover but these only hint at the inner dialogue the novel presents Carmody struggling with. This is one of the compelling reasons why the book is better than the film. But I do appreciate Bogart's facial expressions and acting even more having read the book, because he is clearly responding in ways that match the novel's descriptions of his character's inner monologue.

Really, when its all said and done, this book compliments the film nicely. If you read it first and then watch the movie, you may come away a bit disappointed. Although good (I really have come the love this film), the film doesn't quite live up the book. On the other hand, if you've seen the film first and then come to this book, you'll be rewarded with a wonderful layer of depth that enhances the experience of the film and certainly makes for a spiritually rewarding reading experience. Not many books tackle this kind of a spiritual topic in such an interesting way, a man masquerading as a priest. But the journey in this book is well worth taking.

[Gary]

The cover of this 60 year old novel would mislead the reader to think that this is some kind of scandalous story. But it isn't! On one hand it is an inspirational work-without being too preachy. On another hand it is something of a thriller as our hero tries to escape from his pursuers while trying to conceal his identity from those he seeks refuge. There is a bit of a romance-nothing very titillating. Strangest part of this book is how the author dealt with religions other than Christianity. He addressed Buddhism and Taoism with a tolerant and opened mind and used them to further the story. "Moslems" are less tolerated as they had to represent the bad guys but nothing as extreme and condemning as that religion is viewed by some Christians today. The mission doctor-who was our hero's philosophical jousting opponent-is described as a "man of science" and it is implied that he is a Jew. It's almost as if those were bad things and only slightly better than being a "Moslem". I thought the book resolved all it's issues in a decent and satisfactory manner. Considering the present day state and attitudes of Catholicism today, I don't think that this book would have been allowed to go to publication which is sad because it would be a good yet small guide to help the religion find it's way out of the desert in which it has become lost.

[A Enwright]

It's an odd book. I have not seen the movie. So what interested me most about the book was the setting and the time period. It's set in China during the period very shortly after the Communist takeover (it's alluded to in the book), but what's most reflected in the book is what life was like there before they took over. There is a lot of focus on Catholic Mission and the American Hospital that was there. I World War 2 is fresh on everyone's mind. The main character is a pilot, whose plane was shot down. He's the prisoner of a war lord. He's given a lot of comforts and privileges because the warlord likes him, and he ends up using the recent death of a Roman Catholic priest to escape the warlord. So it's about his own coming to belief in God, and also his coming to terms with his situation and the deceit he created.

[Catharyn Sohm]

This is book profoundly effected my view of the Catholic Church. It explained how passionate the catholic life can be. They are my brothers and sisters in Christ.
I actually saw the movie first (Humphrey Bogart, Gene Teirney), and then was led to the book.
Very well written and exemplifies the heart of a missionary.

Funny story about this book, I had borrowed it from the library was 2/3 of the way through when (no kidding) my dog ate about half of it. Pieces of "The Left Hand of God" were all over my back yard... the horror!
I had never destroyed a book before and the humiliation of confessing to the Librarian!

I now have a nice hardback copy and was actually able to finish about 4 years later.

[Katharine Holden]

It's very preachy and full of that point of view that begins every sentence with "He knew that..." in order to progress the action or tell the character's thoughts. There's an enormous amount of detail of people's thoughts, feelings, facial expressions, etc. -- to the point of fatigue -- yet none of the characters comes to life. The two female characters are caricatures. I finished the book with a feeling that the great emotions that fill the book are a bit silly.

[Stephanie]

It was ok. With tag lines like "How could he explain to her that he was not a priest?" and "His choice was clear--sacrilege or sacrifice" I was expecting something really sexy. What I got was a man finding religion and returning to the Catholic Church, with some adventure thrown in, all under a veil of 1960s racism.

[JayBee]

I loved this book... it was such an easy read for me, i devoured the story and loved the description of China at the time... and especially the irony of the main characters situation...just loved it...

[Mckinley]

Enjoyed this greatly. Well done. Seems plausible and the characters develop as the story progresses.

[Barbara]

read in pb, yrs ago RA if I can find it--

[Chere J]

I was deeply moved by the spirituality and reverence of this book. The remarkable awakening to deep faith by the main character. This was a beautiful book.

[Don Diego]

Good adventure story, nice twist that American mercenary poses as Catholic priest to skip out on his Chinese warlord boss.

[Fishsanwitt]

Fabulous! I really loved it.

[Avaris]

About halfway through the book, I felt that this tale would be at best 3 Stars when I finished it. It was a good story, but it felt rushed. Then it slowed down. It went into deeper detail on Carmody and his struggles with the faith, Anne and her struggles with Carmody, and the struggle of the Chinese as a people. While I am not a man of faith, I still found his struggles relatable, and would recommend this to anyone.