Conclave

Sede vacante, The throne of the Holy See is vacant The Power of God, the Ambition of Men.Cardinal Jacopo Lomeli has been contemplating retirement to peaceful meditation and study for several years now, but the Pope insists that he still needs him at the Vatican Lomeli is maybe a better manager than he is priest This assessment makes Jacopo uneasy because it feels like a deviation from what he feels his real purpose should be Can a manager truly be close to God How much closer to God can he get t [...]

4.5 The second book in as many days that I didn t want to put down It initially appealed to me because I spent most of my school years in Catholic schools, was pretty young when Vatican two came around All I really remember is that we no longer had to go to mass every morning at 6 30 am, before school started, that mass was no longer in Latin and that the nuns started wearing shorter habit, shorter veils and in different shades of pastel Pretty big, though small in the scheme of things I suppose [...]

Harris returns with another remarkable novel of historical fiction, turning his narrative to the present as explores a highly pious and political event THE POPE IS DEAD This startling piece of news makes its way to the ears of Cardinal Lomeli in the early hours one October morning Heading to the apartment of the Holy Father, Lomeli is met by a small group, who confirm the news and begin the prescribed acts required when the Vatican is without its Supreme Pontiff As the news becomes public, Lomel [...]

4 solid, carefully layered, quietly thrilling stars We have all of Mr Robert Harris novels and I have read none of them When I saw this in the bookstore, however, I just had to have it I was allowed to buy it on the condition that I start reading it within two weeks of purchase I live with a tyrant but a sweet and generous one After reading this novel I will be certain to read all his others as Mr Harris is an excellent and subtle storyteller He has done meticulous research on the traditions and [...]

This is a lonely place, and the hour is now lateInteresting, fascinating, intriguing Unputdownable Guardian , yes, that is the right word The process of the Vatican Conclave, the thought of the beautiful art there and an intrigue What goes on behind those closed doors It kept me reading to get to the twist The twist mmmm far fetched Well who knows, in today s day age I did love the struggle of Cardinal Dean Lomeli in guiding the delicate process of the Conclave Great book Note great cover The at [...]

4.5 StarsI was baptized Catholic, my mother raised in the Catholic faith, my father converted so they could be married in St Mary s Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia My older brother was also baptized Catholic, not that I recall either of these events, but I do remember when my younger brother was baptized in the Episcopal church, where we went until I was in my early teens I didn t know until I was 24, when my godmother mentioned it to me, but I did spend a bit of time inside the Catholic [...]

A captivating and intelligent thriller that takes us inside the Vatican for an election of the new pope.I wasn t entirely sure I wanted to read this novel but something about it s cover drew me to the book and the fact that a couple of my goodread friend s enjoyed it I knew I had to step outside for comfort zone and give it a try and what a enjoyable and interesting read it was It s one of those books that quietly sucks you in and you just keep turning the pages Conclave, as its title title sugg [...]

4.4 Holy smoke was this a good one.The blurb tells you what you need to know I had never read or heard of this author but most definitely will be checking out his other books.It was compelling, fascinating, intelligent and that ending Did not see that coming Most enjoyable Next

Excellent read It almost felt like historical fiction because there was quite a lot about the traditions of the conclave and also where the outside world is deliberately shut out for the process of electing a new pope, it almost might have been set 400 years ago.I m lucky enough to have visited Rome and the Vatican and it really helped me to visualise the setting I also saw a programme about the Borgias and a dramatised version of the Conclave, so when I saw this book I knew I would have to read [...]

The author, Robert Harris, was given the privilege of visiting the locations that are permanently closed to the public to help him in his research of this book The reader is given an in depth tour and detailed account of traditions and rituals that take place His writing style makes it so easy to visualize every aspect of the happenings.What starts out as a usual process for choosing a new pope, soon develops into a plot with numerous complications, unraveling secrets long hidden, and just when [...]

Like other Robert Harris books I have read I really enjoyed this one Harris seems to write in two different styles A fast action packed page turner that keeps you intrigued until the end but you can read it all quickly in a session or two OR a very detailed built up plot that at times can draw out but still weaves a great story and a thrilling end Conclave is the former version, much like Pompeii if you have read it.Within the first pages, we find the Pope dead so already we know we are on a DaV [...]

Interesting book, thought provoking with a great ending I thought this would be a thriller played against the backdrop of a Conclave Turns out that it had depth than I anticipated, with religious theory and the state of the church at the forefront and all the nessecary twists and turns until the church elects its new pope It is a little predicable, but nonetheless thoroughly enjoyable.

4.5 stars One of the signs of a great book, to me, is that you feel you are actually living the book I felt like I was in the middle of the Conclave and actually meeting and greeting the other Cardinals, meditating, plotting and participating in history Yet it was all fiction Every bit and still felt so real to me.I have read other books about the Conclave so I had the basics down but Harris made it sing in a way that other books haven t The grind, the boredom, the endless task of following trad [...]

This is an intelligent, compelling, unpredictable and absorbing thriller of the best kind Whilst the subject matter Conclave an assembly of cardinals for the election of a pope is something I knew very little about other than the iconic chimneys emitting either black or white smoke the general themes concerning political machinations and the struggle for power will be familiar to Robert Harris readers Clear parallels can be drawn between themes explored in Conclave and those in Harris Cicero tri [...]

4.5 starsIn my twenties I read every Andrew Greeley novel I could lay my hands on and now listening to Conclave reminded me a lot of Greeley since he wrote so prolifically about Cardinals, Popes, celibacy, politics, etc Men of God, be they priests, Monsignors, Cardinals, or the Pope himself are, after all, men and by nature, not without sin In Conclave, as the name implies, 118 Cardinals have gathered to elect a new Pope One by one, their sins are disclosed and the contender list shrinks Can any [...]

I have to say, I am rather surprised by how much I enjoyed this book This is the story of the election of a new pope, but it is also the story of the men who elect the leader of the Church, and I found it to be a compelling read The book is told in the third person, but told from the point of view of Jacopo Lomeli, who is the most senior member of the conclave and directs the proceedings throughout the election process I liked the main character, I enjoyed reading about the procedure taken to el [...]

Cardinal Lomeli is devasted by the death of the Pope He never believed or hoped to attend another Conclave, the congregation of cardinal electors to choose the next Pope, as this will be his third Cardinal Lomeli is the Dean of the College of Cardinals, therefore, he is tasked with the running and management of the Conclave With 117 Cardinal electors, emotions run high as support is given to individuals and taken away as secrets are discovered Will politics or the Holy Spirit guide this election [...]

The power of God The ambition of men The allure of an intriguing read Ever since I ve read about the papal conclave for the first time in Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, I ve been fascinated with the Catholic Church s process of electing a new Pope a tradition observed for hundreds of years I also had the opportunity to visit Vatican City which gave me a greater appreciation of the power of the Church, which is evident from the awe inspiring and jaw droppingly beautiful sovereign state in the ci [...]

It seems Robert Harris can make pretty much anything into a deeply intriguing political drama with the addictive qualities of a soap In this case, it s the election of a new pope the sympathetic Cardinal Lomeli is our protagonist, observing the the power play as potential candidates come to the fore, have their hopes dashed, and or are scuppered by scandal Like the author s Cicero novels, Conclave takes a world that seems distant and rarefied to most and aligns it with the sort of rivalry and ba [...]

My first Harris book sighs Very well written, well researched and interesting to a point, but it fell flat quickly I guessed the ending about half way through and I can t really see the point of the book If the ending was the beginning and how the world reacted to it then possibly, it would have been a thorough and engaging book.

Have really enjoyed other works by this author was great to get my hands on his latest which intrigued me with its concept of Roman politics albeit from a much later period in history from his Cicero series And seeing as his Cicero series is one of my all time fav reads As for the review I cant really say much at all as it would give a lot away perhaps even inadvertently so I would even encourage you to avoid any reviews on the book at all So a few brief thoughts observations for youThe scene i [...]

A Balancing ActRobert Harris has always excelled in writing historical novels in the manner of a thriller They have succeeded because of his seriousness of purpose, his sensitivity to character, and his eye for detail Also, I would suggest, because his subjects have mostly been comfortably in the past, In addition to several books set in ancient Rome, he has written about the turn of the century Dreyfus case An Officer and a Spy , the Bletchley cryptological center in WW2 Enigma , and an alterna [...]

4 GR I loved it my actual rating is 8 out of 10.Solid 5 book, but the unbelievable end ruined it for me.

Many years ago, my brother and I saw a play called Hadrian the Seventh, which was based on a book by the same name The gist of the story is that two members of the Roman Catholic church visit a pathetic Englishman whom failed at becoming a priest they make him a priest and take him back to the Vatican where he is elected Pope Instead of having control over this rather pathetic fellow, he goes on to have his way with the Roman Catholic church So any time I read a book about the Vatican I always t [...]

never thought that a book about choosing the next pope would make me as Shooketh as i currently am, but it did and i am.what a great way to start 2018 fhahdakkadjadsdkfanyway i m too Shook to write a proper review but let me just say that if you think a book about choosing the next pope sounds boring you are Extremely Very Wrong

Tense, clever, unusual extraordinary On the rare occasions when I put this book down, I couldn t stop thinking about it.

I liked it, even though it really wasn t all that exciting It does have a certain level of suspense that made it difficult to put down for very long It s predictable, but then the uncertainty is there right until the last few pages.I ve given this book 4 stars despite my feelings about the very end, which I found to be ridiculous and just too unbelievable I was half expecting the outcome, but the twist was just too much Besides which, I had begun to have a high level of respect for one of the ch [...]

L unica guida alle azioni di una persona pu essere la sua coscienza, perch nella nostra coscienza che sentiamo pi chiaramente la voce di Dio.Morto un papa se ne fa un altro tra colpi di scena, uno pi assurdo ed incredibile dell altro Anche se solo un romanzo, questo libro ci mostra tutto ci che accade nel Vaticano durante il periodo della cosiddetta Sede vacante La trama del libro, entrando nella fattispecie, ci mostra le varie tappe che vanno dalla scoperta della morte del Papa, al suo funerale [...]

This is only the 3rd book among 784 read to go on the Field of dreams shelf Remember the movie, Field of Dreams When it was over, I was left wondering what happened I had to have my wife explain it to me I don t want to be left with an ambiguous ending I spent the time reading it, make it clear to me what happens next Yes, I m a guy with little gray I prefer black and white.Anyway, I enjoyed the story s intrigue and the behind the scenes look at the type of things that happen in conclave when it [...]

J muito se tem escrito sobre o Vaticano, sobre a morte de Papas e todas as pol micas que envolvem padres e cardeais na Igreja Cat lica Mas este novo livro de Robert Harris incide sobretudo sobre o conclave, o ritual que sucede a morte de um Papa e que dar lugar a outro.Realizado entre o 15 dia e o 20 dia ap s a morte do Papa, o conclave ent o constitu do por cardeais que eleger o um novo Papa Estes ter o de estar completamente isolados do mundo exterior, e as cerim nias s o realizadas na Capela [...]