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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Loved this and devoured every word. I knew nothing about the process of electing a new Pope and the details of how a Conclave is held, but I've come away both educated and incredibly interested in the process. The book seems to be meticulously researched, and while there is a sea of names, job titles and statuses; I found it easy to keep track of the core characters.
The writing was powerful, the impact of every action and it's reverberations outwardly on how it impacts any single candidate for one of the most powerful positions in the world could really be felt with every word. The imperfection and scandal of Men and the Church wasn't watered down or brushed over. And the twist at the end truly blindsided me. Added to my favourites shelf immediately!
The writing was powerful, the impact of every action and it's reverberations outwardly on how it impacts any single candidate for one of the most powerful positions in the world could really be felt with every word. The imperfection and scandal of Men and the Church wasn't watered down or brushed over. And the twist at the end truly blindsided me. Added to my favourites shelf immediately!
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
informative
inspiring
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
5 stars for the writing in general, 3 for the ending, 4 overall as a compromise.
Harris' writing is definitely page-turning! As a practicing Catholic, my view on this book is mixed. The entire thing is VERY inside-baseball for Catholics, particularly for ones familiar with Church history and the politics of the Universal Church. Between that and the author's steady prose, it made this a very quick and enjoyable read for me for the vast majority of the book. It's also clear that Harris, who to my knowledge is not Catholic himself, has done an extensive amount of research and did his best to treat the Church with considerably more respect than most secular authors do.
Without spoiling the end, the trap this book falls into, which becomes increasingly more evident as one reads on and is very clear by the end, is the trap of "virtue signaling" at the expense of the writing (I don't love that phrase but it is the most fitting). The author does little to hide his own ideology as it is sprinkled throughout the book, and while expressing one's own opinions in one's art is nearly impossible not to do, it does the piece a disservice, and results in the caricaturing of many of the characters (almost all of which, it should be noted, have very apparent connections to counterparts in the real world, making the caricature game an even trickier one for the author to play). And while Harris does seem to respect Catholicism more than the average secular writer, his thinly-veiled criticisms of the Church are an indication that knowledge and research do not equal understanding.
I don't want to rattle on too much about it, I just want to say I both enjoyed the book and the process of reading it, but I also recognize it fell short in a lot of ways, ways that I think would be evident to someone practicing the religion rather than simply learning about it. Some things just don't make sense unless you have faith.
Harris' writing is definitely page-turning! As a practicing Catholic, my view on this book is mixed. The entire thing is VERY inside-baseball for Catholics, particularly for ones familiar with Church history and the politics of the Universal Church. Between that and the author's steady prose, it made this a very quick and enjoyable read for me for the vast majority of the book. It's also clear that Harris, who to my knowledge is not Catholic himself, has done an extensive amount of research and did his best to treat the Church with considerably more respect than most secular authors do.
Without spoiling the end, the trap this book falls into, which becomes increasingly more evident as one reads on and is very clear by the end, is the trap of "virtue signaling" at the expense of the writing (I don't love that phrase but it is the most fitting). The author does little to hide his own ideology as it is sprinkled throughout the book, and while expressing one's own opinions in one's art is nearly impossible not to do, it does the piece a disservice, and results in the caricaturing of many of the characters (almost all of which, it should be noted, have very apparent connections to counterparts in the real world, making the caricature game an even trickier one for the author to play). And while Harris does seem to respect Catholicism more than the average secular writer, his thinly-veiled criticisms of the Church are an indication that knowledge and research do not equal understanding.
I don't want to rattle on too much about it, I just want to say I both enjoyed the book and the process of reading it, but I also recognize it fell short in a lot of ways, ways that I think would be evident to someone practicing the religion rather than simply learning about it. Some things just don't make sense unless you have faith.
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
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
I never thought this would be the most addicting book I've read so far
fast-paced
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Really enjoyed this right up until the twist ending, which I was not a fan of.
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
man this was great. i started reading this at the conclusion of the irl conclave (can u believe that was this year???) and only got around to finishing it now because i’m an easily distracted reader but i really liked it!! while i personally enjoyed the film adaptation more just because of how the tension comes to life on screen — the cinematography, the SCORE, and the changes to the script just come together beautifully — this was still great albeit in a different way. i really felt like i was getting a glimpse into the inner workings of the papacy and all the bureaucracy and politics and heehee character dynamics. lomeli and benitez 4ever ❤️ was kicking my feet up in the air at all their scenes and i honestly didn’t expect to LMAO also obsessed with how benitez’s character is originally filipino here. representation! anyway i’m glad i finally finished this, it’s still very timely and as a disillusioned and recovering semi-catholic it was lowkey healing to process my own relationship to my faith through this fun lil thriller #popecrave