Are you a boring person? Then you are going to LOVE this book! Just kidding, lots of people are going to like this book, in fact I think I’ve found the perfect Christmas gift for anyone over 70 years old, who as we know, are a difficult crowd to buy for; they have everything, and don’t want anything new.
Conclave by Robert Harris is a great read, even though it has a pretty dull premise: the election of a new pope. Maybe I’m jumping to conclusions here, perhaps many people think the election of a new pope is a great beginning to a thriller, but I was skeptical that this would hold my attention for very long- yet not for the first time, I was wrong!
This book has been called a ‘literary thriller’ and an ‘intelligent thriller’ which basically implies that the cliffhangers aren’t due to murders or gruesome scenes. There are scandalous secrets though, and these provide a different kind of thrill, one that sustains and deepens the plot rather than confusing it. The story takes place over a few months, starting with the death of one pope, and then fast forwarding to the election of a new one, which lasts about three days. Apparently this is a very secretive meeting that the cardinals participate in to elect the new pope (called a conclave), and learning about this process is fascinating. You may not believe me, but it was one of the best parts of the book. Obviously Catholics will agree, but agnostics and atheists will also enjoy this too, I promise.
We see the election through the eyes of Lomeli, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, who is also tasked with ‘running’ the election so to speak. Over the course of the three days he learns some deep and dark secrets of some of the pope-hopefuls, so he must decide whether or not to voice these concerns, or let the election continue uninterrupted. Technically, he’s not supposed to sway opinions, but when he hears about some of these dark deeds, he struggles with the ethics of the situation. To top it all off, a Cardinal that no one even knew existed flies in the for election, so he’s trying to find out more about this person as the days continue. I’m drawing you in already, aren’t I?
Apparently Robert Harris is a bestselling writer, I had no idea before I picked up this book, but I’ll make sure to keep my eye on his future writing for sure. Although he picks topics that are literally of zero interest to me (no offense!), his writing is so fabulous that it reluctantly draws me in. And I learn a thing or two in the process, which is always nice.
Yep, this is a great book! I love Robert Harris, though I’m fairly new to him too. But, like you, I didn’t think he’d be able to make the election of a new Pope exciting… but he did! (And I’m not over 70! 😉 ) I’d recommend his Enigma, if you haven’t read it – about the codebreakers in WW2. Again he makes it much more interesting than you’d think…
Thanks for the tip, people seem to go being crazy for Robert Harris right now (see below!). And although I’m not over 70 either, I have the tastes of a 70 year old, which also explains why I loved this book so much 🙂
I just read a review a few days ago (after hearing you talk about this on the radio), of An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris, which also sounded good! This one is about the Dreyfus Affair. He seems all over the place all of a sudden!
Hmm I’ve never been one for spy novels in the past, but this actually sounds interesting (again, very surprising!).
An Officer and a Spy is brilliant! It was the first one of his I read, and got me hooked…
I know this guy is super famous, though I haven’t read his books because spy thrill type reads aren’t my thing. However, choosing a new Pope is a super exciting event. People stand outside for days waiting to see that white smoke!
I loved reading about the whole smoke tradition, it’s so fascinating!
I have this on my tbr list as I love some of his books. I loved Fatherland, Archangel and The Ghost, but I gave up on An Officer and A Spy.
hmm that’s interesting, because other people loved An officer and a spy! To each his own 🙂 But yes, you’ll enjoy this book for sure!
I’m not over 70 or boring, but I love your catchy first line! It sounds like a movie I’ve seen. I think the Catholic Church attracts mystery writers like the Masons or other secretive organizations. Actually, most organizations are fairly secretive if you are not in the inner circle. There are probably lots of non-boring books just waiting to be written about boring topics. 🙂 Loved the review. 🙂
Thanks for reading! Yes I totally agree about these secretive organizations, I’m not sure why but Robert Harris reminded me of a more subtle Dan Brown like writer…
That’s what I thought of when I read your post. I will have to read it to see if I’ve read it! hehehe Thanks for the suggestion. I’m going to Australia in a few days. I’ll need lots of entertainment options. 🙂