Conclave
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4.2 • 110 Ratings
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
The Pope is dead.
Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and twenty 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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Robert Harris’ novels are consumed with power plays, whether they’re set in the halls of British Parliament (The Ghost) or on the streets of ancient Rome (the Cicero trilogy). In Conclave, the master of historical fiction heads deep within the Vatican, where the pope has died and a successor must be found. The 100 men charged with this decision may be cardinals, but they’re no saints. Harris deftly unspools their deceptions, secrets, sexual temptations, and colossal ambitions. The result is a thrilling and satisfyingly twisty race to that final puff of white smoke.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Thriller Award winner Harris (Dictator) successfully dramatizes the selection of a new pope. In the near future, the pontiff dies suddenly of a heart attack, and the Vatican leadership works fast to ensure an orderly transition. The process is conveyed from the perspective of Cardinal Jacopo Lomeli, the dean of the College of Cardinals, a rational and sympathetic figure who a month earlier sought permission to retire to a religious order. As the cardinals gather from around the world to vote, factions quickly develop around the leading contenders, including Joshua Adeyemi of Nigeria, who's seeking to become the first black pope, and Lomeli's successor as the Vatican's secretary of state, Aldo Bellini. Bellini gives Lomeli a glimpse at the hidden turmoil at the Vatican when he reveals that on the day of the Holy Father's death, the dying pope confided to Bellini that he had lost faith in the church. As the maneuvering for command continues, Lomeli must try to steer a path toward consensus. This is another impressive outing from an extremely versatile author.
