The Accidental Pope: A Novel [Paperback]

Raymond Flynn (Author), Robin Moore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 17, 2001

The former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican and the bestselling author of The French Connection join forces to write an unforgettable novel about a humble fisherman who is elected pope.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Writing in uninspired "what-if" mode, ex-U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Flynn and Moore (The French Connection) jam yet another tale of Triumphant Good through the eye of the millennial needle. Following the death of Pope John Paul II, the College of Cardinals convenes to elect a new pope. While the whole world watches, an Irish cardinal named Comiskey tells a moving story about his seminary friend Bill Kelly, an ex-priest-turned-fisherman, who once saved a group of fellow seminarians from drowning. Unable to reach a consensus after seven days, the cardinals end up casting their votes for the able fisherman. Bill himself has a vision that foretells his good fortune, and although he is a widower with four children, he takes up the mandate and the name of Peter, and heads for Rome with his family. Once established, Pope Peter II/Bill sets out to make everyone happy: the Jews, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Northern Irish Protestants, even homosexuals. Although some interesting modern Church issues are touched on frankly here, such as the controversial deeds of Pius XII and the Catholic and Orthodox conflicts of interest in Africa, theocratic tub-thumping and leaden dialogue sink a feel-good story that's hard to feel good about. (Dec.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

When a former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican joins forces with the author of The French Connection to write a novel about the Vatican, the result should be good. Pope John Paul II is dead, and a few of the deadlocked cardinals gathered to elect a new pope jokingly cast a ballot for Bill KellyDa priest turned fisherman who once rescued a swamped boatload of clerics off Cape Cod. To everyone's horror, he wins, and the reign of the first American pope begins.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (December 17, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312282982
• ISBN-13: 978-0312282981
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,239,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A surprisingly good read, January 15, 2001

By 

"--archangel--" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Accidental Pope: A Novel (Hardcover)

Sometimes you pick up a book because it looks interesting, or because you read everything a particular author has written. Sometimes books suprise you, sometimes they disappoint. I bought this book because of its unlikely (and seemingly humorous) premise, and kept reading because it turned out to be a good read.

The book, co-authored by the former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican, examines the papacy of Pope Peter II, who just happens to be an American fisherman who happens to be a laicized Catholic priest. While on the surface the premise seems almost ludicrous, by the middle of the book it no longer seems to be outside of the realm of the possible. Pope Bill, as he likes to be called, has to deal with the scrutiny of the world press, a stunned curia which cannot believe that they elected him, and, of all things, his children living at the Vatican. The authors use the new pope to examine the role and position of the Catholic Church as it moves into the third millenium. Pope Bill's actions and proclamations, while disturbing to the traditional-bound cardinals in the book, "play well in Peoria" and reflect the type of progressive thinking that the authors (not to mention many contemporary Catholics) seem to believe should prevail in the church today.

While the story moves along well for the most part, the authors do get bogged down in a few places and miss several opportunities for an interesting expansion of the story. For example, the pope's oldest daughter, who had been agnostic (at best) since her mother's death, has a sudden and stunning conversion in the story. Unfortunately, there is virtually nothing said about this change nor how it affects the father-daughter relationship. In addition, there are superfluous plot devices (the romance between Colleen and Jan, for instance) that seem to be tossed in a fillers while other issues--such as the novelty of an American pope--are left almost unexplored. Most disconcerting, however, is the irregular and maddening way in which the authors discuss but never fully reveal the contents of the letter from Bill's predecessor. At times, it seems that the authors simply forgot where they had left off in the story and started writing anew, leaving out key details that result in plot holes. But beyond these minor quibbles, the book is very entertaining.

This book will definitely be of interest to those interested in the inner workings of the Vatican and to those wondering what role the Catholic Church might be able to play as the new century begins.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Uneven; not good, March 17, 2001

By 

R. M Connors (Dedham, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Accidental Pope: A Novel (Hardcover)

I wanted to like this book because Ray Flynn is a fellow Catholic and a fellow Bostonian, and the basic idea of a pope being elected who is a widower with children has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, there are too many problems. The writing is very uneven; in places it isn't bad, but much of the dialogue is wooden and awkward. The theology is startlingly bad, especially in a work purportedly by a former ambassador to the Vatican. Or perhaps it was very badly edited. In any case I stopped reading altogether when I reached the point two thirds of the way through where the Eucharist was casually said to be symbolically the Body of the Lord (not REALLY!). That, of course, is the Protestant position; it has no place in a book that's supposed to be about Catholics.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An American Pope., A Fisherman.....Why not!, November 11, 2000

By 

marianne "alwaysbks" (Grafton, Morocco) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Accidental Pope: A Novel (Hardcover)

Considering the election problems currently making headlines, the idea behind this novel by the former Ambassador Ray Flynn is more probable then not. A Cape Cod fisherman, Bill Kelly, becomes Pope by either accident or divine intervention. With a family of four children, the widower and former priest accepts the position, the cardinals expected him to reject. As with all novels there is a "bad guy" a cardinal who expected to be pope. However, as a read for a rainy afternoon, when you would rather NOT watch the mess on the election, this novel is a fine way to pass the time. The insight to the inner workings of the Catholic Church or the reference to the Department of State as " Foggy Bottom," won't gain Ambassador Flynn any admires, but these assides give the book a more interesting turn. You can immediately know which character is Mr. Flynn, and very good one too. Yet, the essence of the story is to bring humanity to an office that seems remote to many, not just the faithful. A man with four children, who seems more human in his theology, adds character to a position long considered one held only by "old" men. By the end of the book, the reader wishes that " Pope Bill" really existed as his ideas have great merit. Give this one a try, you never know when fiction will become fact!