Harris, Robert Conclave
Robert Harris writes potboilers. In 2016 he wrote CONCLAVE-- a book about the inner
workings of the Catholic church when in the throes of election of a new Pope.
The current hot movie of the same name starring Ralph Fiennes is adapted from
the book.
There are plotters a plenty amongst the Cardinals who are
vying for the throne of St. Peter and some of the activity seems a bit far-fetched.
For instance, Harris manages to get the Cardinals all housed in a sort of Motel
Six with paper-thin walls, but has it also contain the living quarters of the former
Pope. It’s justified by the old guy's preference for poverty, but it just makes
it convenient for one of the Cardinals to burgle the apartment in order to find
the secret materials that have caused the current Conclave to be so compelling.
Otherwise, it is smoothly organized around the sequence of ballots that show who’s up and who’s down and the intrigue that goes on between all of the nominees. It’s a good ride in print and I am looking forward to seeing the film.
I give it a 4 out of
5.
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