Conclave

One of the best books of 2025 ! Must read with all the plot twists is super shocking !

Good read

Harris has penned another great thriller. The book keeps you on edge all through and the climax stands true each turn of the plot

Great book

Its gives a very detailed account of conclave process...but as a thriller, its average

Excellent book

Robert Harris was so flamoxxed by his own work that he forgot he was writing a fiction. This happens with people who are too much In Love with themselves. Every occurrence and situation has been overtly addessed and painfully repeated. Thus I wish I could have given it 0 Stars.

"Conclave", by English writer Robert Harris, is a look at a papal conclave, sometime in the future. Harris takes the reader behind the scenes to look at how a pope is chosen. If you think electioneering is part of a secular political election, Harris shows that the the papal elections also consists of acts of betrayal, back-biting among candidates and their supporters, and just all-around bad behavior among those whose aims are other-worldly. But here's the problem with "Conclave" - it's not particularly interesting. The writing is flat and so are the characters, which are largely caricatures of the religious, from top to bottom. The eventual winner of the conclave is fairly easily determined by the reader and even though there's a twist at the end, it isn't enough to make a three star book a four star one. I think most readers of this review will be long-time readers of Robert Harris and they know what how well he can spin a yarn will be disappointed with "Conclave". If you're interested in papal politics - and I am - it might be worth your time to dig up a copy of Father Andrew Greeley's "The Making of the Popes 1978: The Politics of Intrigue in the Vatican". The book is out of print but is fairly easy to get on the internet, and it is everything Robert Harris's book is not. Father Greeley's book examines the papal elections of 1978 - yes, there were two that year - in a gossipy, insider way that is as interesting as non-fiction can often be. The "papabile" and their supporters and detractors come to life in Greeley's lively prose. (His later book, "The Making of the Pope 2005" is almost as good as the earlier book, but Greeley was more "on his game" in the mid-1970's) Getting back to Robert Harris and "Conclave", I'd say it's not a bad book but it could have/should have been better. You may not remember you read it in six months.

Excelente. Muito interessante, nos leva a conhecer a política religiosa e os conchavos no Vaticano.

Elegantemente escrito con un vocabulario refinado que refleja el ambiente Vaticano a lo largo de la novela. Contiene interesantes detalles con un hilo de suspenso muy bien narrado. Y el final..., simplemente fantástico e inesperado. Vale la pena.

I watched the excellent movie before reading the book and felt both helped clarify my understanding. The movie needed clarification about some of the character's schemes and deceptions. Further explanations in the book solved this. The novel made it difficult to sort out all the characters, but when the movie put faces on the Cardinals, it was much easier to identify them. The Pope has just died, and 118 Cardinals from all over the world have gathered to select a new Pope worthy of the spiritual role. The Conclave is the secret but much-followed process of appointing a new Pope. This is a highly political process combined with religious faith. The well-described, multi-dimensional fictional Cardinals are divided between a leading candidate, Tedesco, who wants to overturn Vatican 11 and restore the Church to more conservative views, and Bellini, a friend of Lomeli, who has liberal views. Bellini says he would never accept the position if elected. A previously unknown Cardinal, Benitez, secretly appointed to the position by the late Pope has arrived. He was originally from the Philippines, where he worked with the most impoverished and then in trouble spots in Africa and Baghdad. His appointment from Archbishop to Cardinal was secret to protect his safety in war zones. His time was spent with victims of war, especially women who were raped by the enemies in genocidal brutality. He insists he has the right to choose the next Pope and is accepted into the group of electors. The 118 highly religious men have ambitions to be Pope or are afraid of being chosen for the role. They commit deceit and betrayal against their rivals and plot to have their favourites advance in the voting. There are acts of simony where church funds are used to buy votes. Cardinal Lomeli, Dean of the College of Cardinals, oversees the Conclave and is having doubts about his faith. The process is a long, drawn-out affair, and seven times ending with no person with sufficient votes. Each time, the names and order of candidates vary. Lomeli gives a fine speech, emphasizing tolerance and forgiveness, but acts harshly when he discovers that the leading candidate, African Cardinal Adeyemi, had an affair thirty years earlier, and the woman is brought to the Sistine Chapel from Nigeria by a rival to discredit Adeyemi. Lomeli makes him resign any hopes of becoming the first Black Pope. Lomeli is bothered by the report that Cardinal Trembly, a French-Canadian, was fired by the late Pope just before his death but can't discover why. As the voting drags on, Lomeli receives votes and ponders the possibility of becoming Pope. Far from being dull, this is a compelling, tense, and highly suspenseful story. Harris has done intensive research and presents a masterful portrayal of the routines and rituals involved in the Conclave. I was pleased with the person finally chosen as the new Pope but felt the final reveal was unnecessary and bound to provoke controversy.

I've watched the movie "Conclave" many times.* It has become a favorite. Such a fine group of actors. The vivid scenes. The words. Such words. The movie drew me to the book. Often, I have watched a movie based on a book and enjoyed it, but disappointed when I read the book it was based on. Movies rarely can follow the book scene by scene. And this one doesn't. But nothing really bothers the other. In reflection, some of the things changed make it easier for a movie watcher to understand. Personally, I prefer Thomas rather than Jacopo, the given name of the Dean of Cardinals. Otherwise, I didn't find any other name changes between the two. The casting in the movie is nothing less than brilliant. And the man who plays Benitez is wonderful. I'm sure he was made Mexican in the movie rather than Filipino, because of his accent. John Lithgow as Trembly exuded that false piety. Made you forget who they were, just the people they portrayed. If you watch the movie, as I did, before reading the book, their faces are the ones you see in your mind's eye. Some have complained about the movie's discrepancies, such as white smoke instead of black, incorrect colored robes. I do not think it was done in error. I believe it was deliberate so movie scenes could never be used in place of the real thing. You might wonder, "Why read the book?" * To learn. The movie shows things being done. The book tells you why and/or the history behind it. * To flesh out characters. Other than the history of Benitez, we really don't learn what the other key characters did before the Conclave. The book shares that now I think I know what makes Aldo tick. Why, at times, he acted like he just "knew" more than Thomas. * To find out how things are done. The process of a conclave. Succinct history of the church. The author has done the research. Be sure to read his short bit at the end of the book. I've been fortunate enough to have been in the Sistine Chapel. For me, it demanded my awe and reverence. To actually see the genius of Michelangelo personally. And the church. Stunning but without the feeling of the Chapel. The Pieta draws you to it. You want to stay longer than allowed on a tour. You might think by now I'm Catholic. I'm not. But I've been an organist/pianist for Catholic Masses, funerals, and weddings. The first set was Latin masses. Just like all denominations, one priest was God's Man. The other wasn't. The second set was fairly recent. The two priests were wonderful Men of God. Their love of God and You as an individual shown through. They welcomed anyone who was there to worship. Those who replaced were not. Let's just say I felt I was only tolerated, not welcomed. The second priest chose a similar path to the reason why one of the Cardinals can never be elected Pope. We tend to think those called to serve God do not make mistakes. And surely not to plan mean, even evil, things. We couldn't be more wrong. It does not matter if you read the book first and then watch the movie, Or, as I did, vice versa. And the order doesn't matter. Both are a must.

Thrilling and incredibly addictive !