Conclave

by

English language

Published 2016 by Alfred A. Knopf.

4 stars (1 review)

The pope is dead. Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and eighteen cardinals from all over the globe will gather to cast their votes in the world's most secretive election. They are holy men. But they are not immune to the human temptations of power and glory. And they are not above the tribalism and factionalism that consumes humanity. When all is said and done, one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on Earth.

2 editions

reviewed Conclave by Robert Harris

Page Turner with an ending twist that doesn't quite work

4 stars

I had kind of a sick day Saturday and read this whole thing over a period of two days. It had that special magic where you can't wait to get to the next page.

The author did a very skilled job of drawing different characters and political factions, and the psychological portrait of Lomeli was well done and unexpected.

The author said that the unnamed prior Pope wasn't Francis, but he definitely felt like Francis.

The twists in the last 20% of so left me kind of cold and felt dated. Obviously they'd be emotional events for a faithful Catholic, but the fact that they were presented as shocks felt kind of 2000s.

Will definitely see the movie.