27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely one-sided and unbalanced, July 26, 2005
Osborn's book is a cross between a criticism of the traditional Catholic Church and a liberal wish fulfillment of what he wants the Church to become. It lacks any real drama or tension, and as some of the other reviewers note, the ending is utterly non-surprising.
The book partially roots itself in a real event wherein a group of liberal Catholics took out a full-page ad in the New York Times and challenged the Church hierarchy to engage in a dialogue over contraception, women priests, etc. The Church shot it down, thus establishing the author's undercurrent that the Church is run by ignorant, tyrannical old men. I find the book's premise that the only "good" Catholic people are those who are young and open-minded, (and conveniently American), and that dialogue and free-thought will solve everything. If that's the case, then why is the book so one-sided?
As a case in point, early into the story, the main character has a litany of traditionally liberal Catholic questions: why is it wrong for a person to use contraception? Why does the Church stand in the way of a woman's right to choose? Osborn fails to present any sound theological justification for why the Church should change its view. It simply revolves around a loose, American feeling of "This is the way I feel." He forgets that if the Church is to maintain its identity as a holy institution founded by Jesus Christ for the purpose of bringing man back to God, then changes in Church philosophy need to be consistent with the core Church beliefs. But instead of logic, theology, or serious debate, the novel is reduced to "the Church keeps me from doing what I want." Where's the dialogue in that?
It's unsurprising, then, that the hero of the story is a young, American Cardinal whose background is from working with the poor, while the villain is an opulent European Cardinal portrayed as a gaunt and bitter old man with delusions of grandeur. The book has no real engagement or question of Church philosophy, but a simple stark contrast of "young is good, old is bad."
To potential readers, I say this: there's better books out there, even those that criticize the Church. (At least "The DaVinci Code" had a plot.) If you're a non-Catholic who wants to learn more about the Church, even from a critical standpoint, I suggest reading The Catechism of the Catholic Church so you can learn what the Church's official teachings are and WHY they teach it (unlike Gregory's book here, which just mulls over what they teach without the reasons why).
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Pass on this!, July 13, 2006
This review is from: The Last Pope (Paperback)
This was a major disappointment. I am a great fan of any "Vatican" novel and will read some mediocre stuff to get my fix. This, however, did not reach that standard! It is the first novel I have been tempted to give up when only half-way through. As for the suggestion that a bunch of feminist-minded nuns are trying to change the church, this compliments the book too much. There is a dream story that keeps appearing throughout the story but adds nothing. Page after page of some medieval drivel. Comparisons to Morris West - kidding? You might say I didn't like this one.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Overrated and Disappointing, June 25, 2004
By A Customer
Based on the raving reviews here and from a friend, I purchased and read this book. I kept reading, waiting for the cliches to give way to whatever people raving about and, frankly, I never found it. It's not a bad book, but everything in it has appeared in other papal conclave-types of novels and usually done somewhat better. If you have not read "Shoes of the Fisherman," "The Last Conclave," and others of the genre, read this and enjoy it. If you have read them, you will probably be disappointed.
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