Conclave: The bestselling Richard and Judy Book Club thriller

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I cannot think of a better novel to read to contrast and compare with the circus of the upcoming US General Election. It initially appealed to me because I spent most of my school years in Catholic schools, was pretty young when Vatican two came around. What I do know is that in Conclave the sequence is very simple and pleasing indeed: the pope dies, the cardinals gather, there is the first ballot, there is the second ballot, there is the third ballot, and so on, each stage being accompanied by another twist, some new mystery or complication. I don’t know whether this is due to journalistic background, but they all had clear physical and character traits described which meant you weren’t constantly wondering who was who.

He remembered riding with the Holy Father in this very car early in his papacy when two elderly monsignors had got in. Among the possible chosen ones there is cardinal Tedesco the traditionalist, cardinal Tremblay the ambitious North American and Cardinal Adeyemi the African with strong views on the role of women and gay marriage.Por consiguiente, cuando fallece un Papa llevo un seguimiento del proceso del cónclave, desde el Extra omnes! There are moments when the cardinals may be moved by the voice of God, or it may just be that they imagine him saying what they want to hear. So it's a shame that Conclave, while an entertaining read, proves far less insightful than it might have been. There is a lot of detail of the traditions of the conclave, capturing both the splendour and the banality of the life of the Vatican. The dean of the Cardinals, is the Cardinal charged with making sure the Conclave runs smoothly, that all 118 cardinals from all over the world, adhere to the strict measures set within.

The only thing that remained for me to discover, therefore, was how Harris was going to get us from A to B. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Perfect storm … clouds over St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.Will a traditionalist be elected, someone who will sweep away the reforms to the Roman Catholic Church that have been made over the previous 50 years? Heading to the apartment of the Holy Father, Lomeli is met by a small group, who confirm the news and begin the prescribed acts required when the Vatican is without its Supreme Pontiff. 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. Finishing this splendid and intelligent story, as with all great fiction, brings an acute sense of loss.

Robert Harris is the author of ten bestselling novels: the Cicero Trilogy - Imperium, Lustrum and Dictator - Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel, Pompeii, The Ghost, The Fear Index, and An Officer and a Spy, which won four prizes including the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.Indeed, all the characters were well-drawn and interesting, and easy to distinguish (another of Harris’s fortés). Found myself totally glued to these pages, wanting to see what would happen next, who would ultimately be elected.

Sin ser una obra maestra a la altura de su trilogía sobre Cicerón, creo que es lo suficientemente interesante como para enganchar a muchos lectores. Robert Harris is the author of fourteen bestselling novels: the Cicero Trilogy - Imperium, Lustrum and Dictator - Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel, Pompeii, The Ghost, The Fear Index, An Officer and a Spy , which won four prizes including the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, Conclave , Munich , The Second Sleep and V2 . Harris puts flawed people on a big stage, in fancy clothes, equips them with heightened powers of rhetoric and – lo! And whether their heads, their hearts, or their ambition will guide them to a decision will soon be seen. Using these multi-dimensional individuals, the narrative moves in interesting ways to enrich the story the further it advances, using Lomeli as the central protagonist throughout.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. The thrones had been abandoned in 1965 after the Second Vatican Council, like so much else of the Church’s old traditions.