Customer Reviews

Conclave

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I only take the time to write about a book if I hate it or love it. I loved this one. Conclave is one of those 'It's way past time to go to sleep but I can't put this down' books. I loved getting to peek behind the doors of the Vatican to see the inner workings of the church. I also cared about these characters, even the villians. It was a bit like the television series 'West Wing' only with priests rather than politicians. The main character, an American Cardinal, was especially engaging. Intensely spiritual but with feet of clay, a leader but reticent to lead, possessed of both great pride and great humility, he was a complex and surprising character. I was sorry to part company with him at the end of the book, but if any story deserves a sequel, it's this one. When the next real-life conclave occurs (in the not so distant future I expect) I'm going to feel like I have an insider's track. And perhaps life will end up imitating art. Treat yourself to this book - it's excellent.

This is a page-turner. I couldn't put it down. In a way,it resembles the Cardinal, a pre-Vatican II look at an Irish American priest who rises to the highest levels of the American Church. Timothy Mulrennan, however, lives in a different era and experiences some of the pivotal issues of the second half of 20th century America and the post-Vatican II Church. He is a totally sympathetic character and his humanity and compassion shine through. It is not a far-fetched account. The present pope experienced the traumas of Europe during an earlier period and reacted with similar courage. This book has two moving encounters involving Karol Wojtyla and Tim Mulrennan. If you follow Church affairs, this is a must read. As a Catholic, I would want the next pope to be someone like Tim Mulrennan. He is a moderate liberal who has a great affection for the present pontiff. Not an intellectual, but a man of action, he grapples with difficult issues and follows his conscience. Yet he is Catholic to the core and loyal to his vows. There are characters in the Church who pale in comparison with him and who he ultimately confronts. The book presents a series of flashbacks while Cardinal Mulrennan is in the conclave to elect a successor to the late pontiff. Mulrennan has enemies; people who lack his love and faith. But he also has friends, who are well-positioned and who share his vision of the church. This book is inspiring and beautiful and one terrific read.

I just couldn't wait until I started reading this book. I am counting down as to when the sequel will be published. Once I started to read the book - I couldn't put it down. Greg Tobin is a great writer who gives the reader an "inside" view of what happens when the Cardinals of the Catholic Church gets together to elect a new Pope. This a very timely book. It shows that Cardinals are just like normal people that have their own personal problems that they have to deal with. I have been a Catholic all my life and from this book I learned things that I didn't know about the Church. I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to learn more about the Catholic Church. There were parts of the book that while I am reading made my cry.

Nelson DeMille endorsed this book with the word "old-fasheioned." Conclave is old-fashioned in the sense that if one is looking for an expose of the Roman Communion, he will be disappointed. Moreover, if one is looking for the salacious or a slam dunk on human frailty and if one takes joy in watching someone get his comeuppance, Conclave will also disappoint. The protagonist is a familiar figure because he is real, however extraordinary. It was a pleasure to walk with him, get in his head, struggle with his struggles and watch his pain and resolve, joy and obedience. I not only believe there are Tim Mulrennan's in the world, I even know some.

Conclave proabably won't appeal to Evangelicals except to "prove" how rotten is Rome. However, it should easily find a home in the hearts of readers who just love a good story and, perhaps, those who appreciate a Roman Catholic writer with a keen eye for the abuse of power and at the same time, a love of true religion. (By the way -- I'm not Roman Catholic, but I confess to being Episcopalian.)

Greg Tobin is a fine writer with the keenest of eyes towards setting and character. Conclave, the newest novel by Tobin, is gripping -- unsparing in authentic detail. Indeed, the book is almost a crash course in Catholicism, here, in Conclave he has given us a story of a young priests humanity and morality Tobin brings the atmosphere of a place to his literary table better than many writers. The readers are transported to this place, seeing what the characters see, breathing the same air... promises made, loves realized and the haunting memories of the Vietnam War... as well as promises kept. The book works magic with clear and crisp prose, drawing the reader deeper and deeper into the story...a truly believable and heartwrenching tale...

Conclave is a good read even if you are not catholic. I found it highly interesting to go behind the walls of the Vatican and see how succession is arranged for the pope. The characters are interesting and their lives are revealed in snippets of information that make you anticipate the next piece of the story. The humanity and struggle of priests to find their own truth and define their own beliefs is also clearly revealed in this story. Worth the read.

Wow. Not quite what I was expecting, stay away if you think you're going to get info on the actual upcoming conclave selecting the next pope.
On it's own terms (beyond what I thought I was going to get), it's still amazingly poorly written. Sorry!

A good look, not only at the inner workings of the high levels of the Roman Catholic Church, but at those of the deeply flawed human beings who make it up.
Although the protagonist, Cardinal Mulrennan, is one of the most visible members of the hierarchy, he prefers another life among the least of the members of the Church. Particularly moving is his work in an abbey in New Mexico serving troubled priests. All his life he is haunted by the early death of his alcoholic mother. As much as he feels for priests who are alcoholic, addicted or sexually compulsive, his compassion extends to those damaged by them. What a refreshing change!
Not so pure are the motivations of of the ultra-conservative organization Evangelium Christi. Shades of Opus Dei here, only beneath the veneer they are up to no good. And yet the head honcho's secret, that he himself was sexually abused while in a Catholic orphanage, prevents him from being a one-dimensional bad guy.
A great page-turner, difficult to put down!

There seems to be a growing number of novels whose authors speculate about when the present pope will die, and who will succeed him. Greg Tobin's Conclave is one of the more entertaining ones. I cared about the hero Tim, the unlikely American cardinal, but he seems too good to be true, and he was too conveniently involved in several major events of the past 40 years.

But Conclave, after all, is a novel, and Tim's presence at the Second Vatican Council, in a rehab center for priests, in Viet Nam during the war, and in the College of Cardinals gives Tobin an opportunity to reflect on many of the issues that have engaged Catholics in America over the last generation.

Tobin's portrayal of Pope John Paul is surprisingly sympathetic. And we learn why many Catholics who may have disagreements with church leadership nevertheless love the church in remain in it.

Read and enjoy Conclave, but do not expect it to be great literature.

This book had me right from the start. As a friend of a dying pope and an Archibishop, we see the main character, Timothry Mulrennan as a friend, as a priest and as a man. As the book progresses, we watch a man struggle with his faith and his conscience as he endures personal attacks during his time in a Conclave for the election of a new Pope. I learned a lot about the Catholic Church and their traditions which is useful to me as a Jew married to a Catholic. I also enjoyed the panorama of the book as we are taken from Newark (I'm a Jersey boy so this resonated with me) to Viet Nam to the Vatican and to various parts of the US to participate in our priest friends journey. In an age where priests are being viliified, I thoroughly enjoyed a story about one man's struggles and growth along a spiritual path...