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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Came from the movie and honestly the movie really did the book justice, if not better.
What I like:
What I like:
- I really enjoyed the inner narrative of Lomeli (Lawrence in the movie) as he struggles with his connection to God
until Vincent reminded him that the Holy spirit is not in the Church but omnipresent. Thats when he realised that maybe he has been worshipping the Church and not the actual Holy Spirit, hence his lack of connection. - Lomeli's intimacy with the key characters: compared to the movie, Lomeli is way less isolated, be in physically and spiritually.
ESPECIALLY WITH BELLINI - U TELLING ME THEY HELD HANDS AND BELLINI EVEN KISSED LOMELI ON THE CHEEKS?! Also with Sister Agnes - "I would like a wife like that.", sister agnes kissing lomeli's ring?! In addition to that, I theorise Lomeli is extremely sexually repressed: 1. He sleeps like he is already in the coffin, 2. The plot irrelevant descriptions of Tremblay' s 'perfectly coiffed' hair, Tedesco's curious way of eating and small dainty feet, Adeyemi's overpowering cologne?? 3. Chapter 5, second paragraph: He had known what it is like to desire and to be desired, both by men and women. - Elaboration on Adeyemi's sin: it really revealed how disgusting it was for him to take avantage of his position to sexually abuse a minor and how the Church simply did nothing.
What I didn't like:
- Excessive description of the position of each characters + every procedure in the Conclave: yes I know it is important and you have done research on the roles within the Church but do you need to repeat it every chapter? I mean I won't remember either - i just remember who they are and their authority. I really had to google every item they used because I have no idea how they look like + procedures they did so had to google or ask my friend who is a catholic.
- Plot points that were not exactly resolved:
The "betrayal" of Bellini - I don't like how it ends off with Lomeli losing his faith in his friend, at least the movie had a scene of closure where they reconcilled Bellini's lack of courage with Lawerence's ambition. Tremblay's disgrace - both the book and the movie failed to bring about any resolution to that unlike for Adeyemi. The ending: it felt very rushed and not enough time to let it sinked into the readers before it end. I think the movie did a better rendition and proper closure for the future of the Church.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Islamophobia
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I missed the film so I thought I'd give the book a go. This proved to be a wise decision.
Harris is a great writer. Stylistically much more simplistic that writers I usually admire, but he writes with an ease that made this a joy to read. His descriptions were perfectly pitched and the straightforwardness lent itself well to the twisting plot. There could have been moments when the descriptions of Vatican procedure became dry and boring, but with Harris's light touch they weren't.
The characterisation was also spot on. Well drawn, complex characters who you still find yourself second guessing the motives of. If I don't know them yet it's probably because they don't know themselves.
So why drop a star? The ending was a bit of a let down. There were two twists at the end, and I found one much more compelling that the other. Just one of them would have put a strain on credibility, but two made the last fifty pages feel rushed and crowded.
Harris is a great writer. Stylistically much more simplistic that writers I usually admire, but he writes with an ease that made this a joy to read. His descriptions were perfectly pitched and the straightforwardness lent itself well to the twisting plot. There could have been moments when the descriptions of Vatican procedure became dry and boring, but with Harris's light touch they weren't.
The characterisation was also spot on. Well drawn, complex characters who you still find yourself second guessing the motives of. If I don't know them yet it's probably because they don't know themselves.
So why drop a star? The ending was a bit of a let down. There were two twists at the end, and I found one much more compelling that the other. Just one of them would have put a strain on credibility, but two made the last fifty pages feel rushed and crowded.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fascinating read that really gets you into the mindset of a cardinal in the conclave, doubly impressive given my lack of religion. It surprises me just how faithful of an adaptation the movie was; I'm glad to have seen it first, so that I had the visuals, but you get a lot more detail of the main character's mindset in the book. Like any great adaptation, they each strengthen the other.