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Conclave – Robert Harris
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CONCLAVE : The Bestselling Novel Of Richard And Judy Book Club Thriller

Robert Harris
LIGHTLY USED, PAPERBACK

RM14.00

The Pope Is Dead And Cardinals Are Gathering To Elect His Successor In This Portrait of Power, Corruption And Deceit Fiction

ISBN 9780091959173
Book Condition LIGHTLY USED
Format PAPERBACK
Publisher Hutchinson ( Penguin Random House)
Publication Date 22 Sep 2016
Pages 304
Weight 0.47 kg
Dimension 23.3 × 15.3 × 2.6 cm
Availability: Out of stock

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★★ SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ★★
 
The best-selling author of Enigma and Fatherland turns to today’s Vatican in a ripped-from-the-headlines novel, and gives us his most ambitious, page-turning thriller yet–where the power of God is nearly equaled by the ambition of men.
 
THE POWER OF GOD. THE AMBITION OF MEN. THE HOLY ELECTION BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
 
The Pope is dead.
 
Conclave is set in the near future — 2022, “sixty years since the Second Vatican Council” — and opens with the death of the Pope. The novel centers on Jacopo Lomelli who, as Dean of the College of Cardinals, is tasked with managing the election of the new leader of the Catholic Church – arranging and leading the Pope-electing conclave
 
Robert Harris takes us behind closed doors into the secretive world of the Church as we follow the thrilling proceedings of 118 cardinals who must elect a new pope after the last one’s death, all while being completely sequestered from the outside world. However, the minds of men are easily distracted and corrupted by other worldly pursuits, and this most holy election turns more and more into a contest of cunning and intelligence.


These men of God are, after all, nothing but men, and while the allure of power may drive a few to self-discovery and enlightenment, there are many who become dangerously corrupted by it.
 
Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and eighteen cardinals from all over the globe will cast their votes in the world’s most secretive election. They are holy men. But they have ambition. And they have rivals. Over the next seventy-two hours one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on earth.
 
Cardinal Lomeli, currently the head of the College of Cardinals, serves as the main protagonist. Essentially, he’s in charge of the conclave. And with the pope’s death already trending on social media, he desires a quick, scandal-free selection process, and is eager to address the many rumors surrounding the Vatican.
 
In the running for being selected as the next pope are several prominent, well-known, and respected cardinals. One leans conservatively. Another wishes to continue on a more secular path that the previous pope had begun leading the church down before his sudden passing. There’s also an African cardinal who, like many want to see, would be the first black pope.
 
And then there’s Vincent Benítez, who was named a cardinal by the pope, but in secret. Not much is immediately known about him, but he’s an intriguing character and emerges as a real darkhorse candidate.
 
Anytime one hundred and eighteen powerful men come together to make a decision, things will become complicated and heated, especially when they’re all locked in a room until that decision is made.
 
For the most part, being present for those conversations is riveting. With a multitude of security measures in place to ensure nobody can listen to what’s being said, Harris creates a scenario that allows readers to feel like they have a VIP seat to one of the most fascinating, private, and important gatherings on earth.
 
Each leading candidate has flaws, some greater than others, and each one has their own reasons for wanting to be the next pope. The scandalous parts come when certain skeletons begin walking out of people’s closets, revealing things about their pasts that they wish to keep hidden. Benítez, especially, is an enigma. Little is known about him, making him a wild card.
 
As Lomeli does his best to keep the meeting running smoothly, he can’t help but wonder about the pope’s death. Between ballots, he attempts to investigate what, if anything, might have actually happened. As the electors continue a series of votes, each round getting them closer to ultimately making their final decision, Harris locks the reader right in the Sistine Chapel with the College of Cardinals, revealing the high-tension, drama-filled moments.
 
Harris, obviously, has done his homework. He masterfully explains the entire process to the readers, while at the same time making it fun. That’s no easy feat, and I was impressed with his ability to make the characters come to life. Surprisingly, I even found myself leaning towards one of the potential frontrunners, and would imagine other readers will have their own favorite to become the next apostolic successor of Saint Peter.
 
The pacing is steady, but not blazing fast. With so much explaining to do, both about the selection process and then the fictional cardinals, that’s to be expected. Instead, Harris relies on drama and suspense to fuel the reader’s interest. However, the plot’s biggest twist seemed unnecessary and more about adding shock value than anything else. Sadly, it nearly took me out of the story, and the reveal itself is both silly and unlikely.
 
The Catholic Church doesn’t nearly have as much influence over the affairs of the world as it used to, but nevertheless they remain a powerful presence with over two billion adherents around the world. For a lot of us, what goes on in the Vatican feels more symbolic than anything else, with the pope just being an exemplary figure of virtue at most.
 
This kind of viewpoint certainly shouldn’t come as a surprise seeing as how the whole institute feels mysterious and secretive to an outside observer. Behind their closed doors, a lot more happens than we could have anticipated and Robert Harris takes us into the heart of it all with his novel, Conclave.
 
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About the Author
ROBERT HARRIS is the author of ten best-selling novels: Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel, Pompeii, Imperium, The Ghost Writer, Conspirata, The Fear Index, An Officer and a Spy, and Dictator. Several of his books have been adapted to film, most recently The Ghost Writer, directed by Roman Polanski. His work has been translated into thirty-seven languages. He lives in the village of Kintbury, England, with his wife, Gill Hornby.
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