Conclave

Humans. I did not expect that a novel about Catholic cardinals gathering to elect a new Pope would be so much fun to read. Thanks to Robert Harris’ writing skill, his novel titled, Conclave, entertained me from beginning to end for several reasons. Harris ignores the external images of the conclave process being a somber and deliberative ritual and brings us into the messy human behavior of flawed people, just like us, who are at the conclave and just happen to be cardinals. Harris shows the political jockeying for votes, the regional and doctrinal factions, and some personal issues from the past of these very fallible cardinals who are striving to become Pope. As the balloting went on over many days, I couldn’t put the novel aside because I was so interested in seeing how Harris would wrap things up, especially in what would happen with the surprise cardinal who arrived at the conclave unknown and unexpected. I was delighted by the ending, and entertained throughout. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Conclave from amazon.com.