Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

    • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Conclave: A novel
    Conclave: A novel
    Conclave: A novel
    Audiobook8 hours

    Conclave: A novel

    Written by Robert Harris

    Narrated by Roy McMillan

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    The best-selling author of Enigma and Fatherland turns to today's Vatican in a ripped-from-the-headlines novel, and gives us his most ambitious, page-turning thriller yet--where the power of God is nearly equaled by the ambition of men.

    The pope is dead. 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. They are holy men. But they have ambition. And they have rivals. Over the next seventy-two hours one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on Earth.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
    Release dateNov 22, 2016
    ISBN9781524757328
    Author

    Robert Harris

    Robert Harris is the author of fifteen novels, including Act of Oblivion, Pompeii, Enigma, and Fatherland. He has been a television correspondent with the BBC and a newspaper columnist for London’s Sunday Times and the Daily Telegraph. His novels have sold more than ten million copies and been translated into thirty languages. He lives in Berkshire, England, with his wife and four children.

    More audiobooks from Robert Harris

    Related to Conclave

    Related audiobooks

    Suspense For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related categories

    Reviews for Conclave

    4/5

    483 ratings45 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5

      Jan 6, 2025

      The plot of this book is simple: The pope has died and the College of Cardinals gathers in Vatican City to elect a new pope, in deep secrecy and seclusion, cloistered away, white smoke/black smoke kind of ritual. Our point of view character is Lomeli, an Italian cardinal who holds the office of the dean of the College of Cardinals. As dean, he is responsible for managing the election. There are four frontrunners for the office when the novel opens--Bellini, a progressive Italian cardinal; Tedesco, a conservative Italian cardinal; Adeyemi, an African cardinal who hopes to become the first black pope; and Tremblay, a French-Canadian cardinal. At the last moment, a previously unknown cardinal, Benetiz, who is Filipino and who has been the Bishop of Baghdad shows up. He had been made a cardinal "in pectare" by the old pope a few months before his death, a fact known to no one else. As the novel progresses, rumors begin swirling about each of the candidates, and secrets are outed.
      The pacing is good. It went a bit slowly a few times, but for the most part I was interested and kept turning the pages. Harris does a good job at character development as well. And I really enjoyed what seemed to be an accurate depiction of the rites and rituals of the Catholic church, particularly of its leaders, and particularly the rules for the mechanics of electing a new pope. It was also interesting to me as a non-religious person to grab a glimpse into the mind of one whose life is dedicated to God and who seems to be a good person, seemingly basing his decisions on what he perceives to be God's will.
      This is not a great literary masterpiece, but it is a well-written entertainment. The one aspect I did not like is the extreme plot twist that appears in the last pages of the novel. It was this plot twist that caused many Amazon reviewers to rate this as a one-star book. I can understand that, and in another book I read recently, Haven by Emma Donohue, a similar late plot twist caused me to give it a low rating. For some reason, the twist here did not bother me as much as the twist in Haven, but it was enough to lower my rating from 3 stars (a good solid B+ book) to 2 1/2 stars.

      Just another personal note, as I was reading this I kept being reminded of a book I read as a teenager, The Cardinal by Henry Morton Robinson which was made into a movie starring Tom Tyron by Otto Preminger. This caused me to check Amazon, and the book is now a cheap Kindle deal, so I purchased it in case I want to read more about religion.
    • 3/5

      Dec 18, 2024

      The story dragged in a few places but it was well researched and the end surprised me.
    • 2/5

      Nov 17, 2024

      Briskly paced thriller that's set up like a murder mystery, but is actually more of a political thriller where Harris shows off his research materials on the office of the pope, the Vatican and the election process. Unfortunately it's all in service of a big reveal at the end that's like a damp squib. Maybe in 1960 you could have gotten away with writing this as if it's the most shocking turn of events, but today (or even in 2016 when it originally came out), it's just a big shrug.
      Even the B plots where candidates rise and fall are really tame considering the real world scandals plaguing the church.
      With the mystery not being very mysterious, and the intrigue not that intriguing, what saves the book is a well written main protagonist and the interesting details surrounding the process itself.
    • 5/5

      May 25, 2024

      Could hardly put it down. Father Lomeli is the Dean of the Cardinals of the Catholic Church at the Vatican. The story opens as the last Pope has died in the night. The cardinals from around the world must now gather to elect a new pope.

      Later as they are gathering, a new man appears with documentation that he has been appointed a Cardinal (Latin word meaning in secret). He is the Cardinal of Bagdad whose life is constantly in danger, also a man who has served the poorest of poor in violent countries.

      The story tells of the conclave: the men vying for the title of Pope, those that seem humbled, those that are ambitious, and those that have secrets. The vote goes for more than seven times before a violent terrorist act occurs not only in Rome but in parts of Europe.

      The ending is a total surprise. At first one I felt was contrived, but as it finished, felt it was an interesting ending. Will read more by this author.
    • 5/5

      Sep 29, 2024

      I love a political thriller, especially based around elections, and I found this novel about the election of a fictional successor to a recently deceased Pope very gripping, the different personalities and factions providing plenty of food for speculation. Harris appears to have researched the arcane procedures thoroughly and says in his acknowledgement he interviewed off the record a Cardinal who had taken part in at least one conclave. Harris can indeed make almost any background into an effective thriller, as the breadth of his work shows. I partly guessed the final twist part way through, though was a little disappointed as this seemed a little farfetched in practice
    • 4/5

      Oct 31, 2022

      Set in Vatican City in contemporary times, the Pope has just died, and a new Pope must be elected. One hundred eighteen Cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel to determine the new leader. Protagonist Cardinal Lomeli is the in charge of the Dean of the College of Cardinals. They are sequestered until they reach a decision

      I enjoyed this peek inside the inner workings of the church. It is a detailed portrayal of what happens within a conclave. It depicts the schism between traditionalists and modernists. Factions vie for control, albeit in a diplomatic and courteous manner. The focus is on a handful of Cardinals who have a chance at becoming Pope. These characters are well fleshed out, struggling between human aspirations and requirements of faith.

      There is an element of mystery here, though I would not call it a traditional mystery. Cardinal Lomeli must look into several suspicious occurrences related to the qualifications of the candidates. Do not expect a thriller. There are only a few tense scenes toward the end, and all take place offstage. It is more of a drama and character study of the several main candidates for Pope.

      The writing is quite good – not overly flowery but descriptive enough to provide a good sense of the environment. It provides a couple of surprising twists. I have now read four of Harris’ books and find them consistently well-written and entertaining.
    • 4/5

      Aug 12, 2022

      An engaging read though at times predictable. Wished the ending had been stronger.
    • 5/5

      Aug 27, 2021

      Gripping plot, with impeccable attention to detail. Rarely (if ever) have I read a novel where 99% of ecclesiastical detail was spot on. First class book, which deserves ******
    • 4/5

      Jan 27, 2021

      My first book by the author, although he has always been someone I meant to try for some reason I always passed him by. Conclave sounded a bit different to other books, and who doesn't love a little bit of inside information on the Catholic Church and the mysterious workings of selecting a new Pope?

      Cardinal Lomeli leads a conclave tasked with the appointment of a new pope, he must ensure the smooth running of the voting system and cater for the needs of the other cardinals. The whole book is set over 72 hours and showcases the internal wranglings and political movements within the vatican as each vote sees allegiances shift. I really enjoyed this book and the way Harris has drawn the different personalities involved is brilliant. Obviously well researched and hopefully it gives a true representation of the appointment of a new pope.

      Nearly a 5 star book, the only reason I have dropped to 4 it that the eventual twist wasn't all that much of a surprise and I kind of guessed it before it happened.
    • 4/5

      Sep 19, 2020

      Pretty well done, and manages to be a thriller involving Catholicism without going into silly territory like "The Da Vinci Code".
    • 5/5

      Apr 19, 2020

      It was a very exciting story. The Pope is found dead in his bed in the morning. Now the 'machinery' starts to run. Different actors have their assigned roles, be it for the preparation of the funeral and the conclave or for their implementation. It also shows that cardinals can also be bought. It's about power and intrigue. The protagonists relentlessly treat each other. Wouldn't it be a mysterious cardinal who suddenly appears unexpectedly.
      It is written very exciting and has grabbed me from the start.
    • 4/5

      Apr 10, 2020

      Competent, gripping, utterly implausible. Very high unputdownability score.
    • 3/5

      Nov 29, 2018

      Well written, but so full of set up that well, why bother. Too tricksey for me.
    • 4/5

      Nov 28, 2018

      Probably controversial, so calm down:

      I very much liked that the narriator was genuinely Christian in his habits and outlook. Many books dealing with the Papacy are not so generous to Princes of the Church.
    • 5/5

      Oct 8, 2018

      Brilliant! Absolutely riveting account of the inner workings of the Catholic Church during its most testing time - the election of a new Pope. Unlike previous novels about conclaves, there is no grand conspiracy or a threat to the world here, its presented as a fairly average conclave such as has happened twice so far in the 21st century. The protagonist is Cardinal Lomelli, Dean of the College of Cardinals, a conflicted individual agonising about the increasing guld between the progressives, led by his close friend Cardinal Bellini, and the arch-conservatives led by the aggressive Cardinal Tedesco. Further tension is provided by the French-Canadian Tremblay and the Nigerian Adeyma, both of who have big secrets to hide. To furtehr complicate matter, on the eve of the conclave it is revealed that there is a cardinal none of the others knew existed, the Archbishop of Baghdad, Vincent Benitez, created in secret by the previous pope. The tension mounts as the vote proceeds and clear favourites emerge only to falter as new secrets are revealed and Lomelli is forced to take action as the chequered pasts of the contenders emerge. There is a ripper of an ending that ultimately leaves the reader guessing what the final consequences of Lomelli's actions throughout the conclave. I read this book in two sittings, it was literally unputdownable. Just a great read.
    • 3/5

      Aug 21, 2018

      I had mixed feeling regarding Conclave. When I first started reading the novel, I was very intrigued. When I saw that it was going to be about a conclave to elect a new pope, I figured the setting would be somewhere around the Middle Ages, since novels about the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church tend to be set many centuries ago. After realizing that it was set in modern times, I was hooked. I like the first half of the book. As the characters were being introduced, and there was a great deal of wheeling and dealing, I thought it was pretty neat. It had a little Game of Thrones feel to it. The book steadily went downhill, and eventually came to a crashing, dumpster fire of an ending.

      I thought this novel could have been so much better than it turned out to be. There was a sufficient amount of intrigue. The pace of the novel was good. Where the novel started going south for me was when it became heavy-handed with its politics. I get inundated with politics in my day to day life. I don’t need it when I’m reading fiction. In this book, every progressive Cardinal was a fantastic person who walked on water, and every traditional Cardinal was an evil, loathsome person. It became too much and it got worse as the novel progressed to the point where the entire novel became just about the author expressing his political views in the form of a fiction drama. Then came the trainwreck of the ending. It was so utterly preposterous and groan inducing that it just killed the novel. I won’t spoil it, but it was one of the most ridiculous endings to a novel that I could ever remember. Any shred of believability of credibility went out the window. This novel has some entertainment value, and if you’re reading strictly on that basis, then you may even enjoy it. If you want something a little deeper, you’ll want to look elsewhere.

      Carl Alves – author of Battle of the Soul
    • 4/5

      Jul 27, 2018

      3.5 stars

      This is a fictional account of a conclave, when Catholic cardinals from around the world are called to Rome when a pope dies. They must now elect a new pope. To do so, anyone can be voted for, but there needs to be a 2/3 majority. They just keep voting until that happens. If it takes longer, they take breaks in order to pray on it.

      This story is told from the point of view of the “Dean”, Lomeli, who is basically in charge of making sure protocol is followed properly. In addition to prayer, there is a lot more going on behind the scenes, including politics and scandal.

      This was much more interesting to me than I expected it to be (I am not Catholic, nor even religious). Because I listened to the audio, it did take a bit at the start to get “into” it, but once it got going, it was pretty good. There is quite the twist at the end!
    • 5/5

      Jul 12, 2018

      It would seem that Pope Francis is the deceased Pope in this story--the description sure sounds like him. I grabbed this book on audio when I saw that Richard Harris was the author of Pompeii which I enjoyed on audio some years ago. I enjoyed the descriptions of life in a conclave. The story was intriguing. There are quite a few sections where there is prayer. I suppose an atheist could enjoy this book, but would have to be willing to see things through the eyes of one who believes though not without struggle. This book will probably disappoint one looking for lurid details about evil men in power. It will also disappoint one who believes all is perfectly rosy which does not seem to be the actual view of the actual current Pope either.
    • 4/5

      Jul 3, 2018

      I enjoyed this novel about the selection of a new pope very much. It was very well researched, a real page-turner but with enough character development for me. I especially like the way the author brought the selection process into the modern world, with themes of reform vs. tradition, geo-political considerations, the reality of living in a 24-hours-a-day news cycle...and I loved the ending, which I kind of figured out in advance, but that didn't detract from the story a bit.
    • 4/5

      May 23, 2018

      Conclave by its nature is not action packed. Much of the book is quiet dialogue between elderly men locked away for the world in a series of rooms. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating view of how the conclave process works to select a new Pope and an interesting take on power, honesty and faith. It was well paced for an easy read that was quick to consume yet a thought provoking read.

      The entire apparatus was archaic, absurd, and oddly wonderful.

      Plot in a Nutshell
      Cardinal Lomeli is the Dean of the College of Cardinals, a man who is struggling to relocate his faith and disheartened after his attempt to resign was rejected by the Pope. He is woken in the middle of the night to be told the Pope is dead and must therefore manage the intergnum and the election of the new Pope. There are clear favourites for the role and Lomeli’s faith and beliefs are tested further as their ambition and histories become clear and he struggles to decide what the right thing to do might be

      Thoughts
      I have been fortunate to visit the Vatican on a few occasions and in this novel Harris catapults the reader into not just the public, but also the private spaces of the smallest country of earth. His scene setting is fantastic and he takes advantage of the private access he was granted whilst writing this book to the fullest. It’s not just the physical that Harris paints so effectively. He also describes the processes and traditions around conclave; the politics, the prayers and the ritual beautifully. The detail could be nonfiction but the story flows throughout.

      The character development is also exceedingly well done – I don’t know the extent to which the characters are based on real life players, although the Pope whose death kicks off the story seems to have more than a few similarities with Pope Francis, but they certainly reflect the challenges that the modern church faces. There are liberal and traditionalists amongst the candidates and the geographical pulls that have bene seen in the last two conclaves. The desire of the still strong Italians to have an Italian elected versus the excitement of the possibility of an African or North American pope.

      So far so good but when the doors lock and we’re left with 118 men grappling with faith, and power struggles it could become a slow read. Not so. Harris slowly ramps up the tension through not just the votes where no immediate front runner is identified but also by Lomeli battling to decide what to do as information about some of the preferred candidates comes into play leading to a final set of twists that whilst signposted I did not see coming to fruition.

      My favourite Harris novel since Fatherland.
    • 4/5

      Mar 26, 2018

      This is the gripping story of the election of a new Pope. I very much enjoyed it. Even though most of the ending was highly telegraphed from the start, Harris keeps our attention with very human, conflicted characters—cardinals struggling with doubts, ambition, corruption, aging, but with good hearts. It was fascinating to learn about this aspect of the Catholic church, and Harris does an excellent job at integrating the setting, e.g., Vatican artwork, into the story. I found the pacing to be perfect; sometimes it moves slowly but in a way that contributes to the atmosphere, as with the mixture of tension and introspection accompanying the voting ceremonies.
    • 4/5

      Sep 24, 2017

      A good enjoyable read that peeks into places that as a non-Catholic aren't my normal sphere of concern and does what seems to be a decent job of crating a novel out of them.
    • 4/5

      Aug 19, 2017

      What goes on in the vatican election for Pope
    • 4/5

      Jul 12, 2017

      A quick an enjoyable read with a a good story structure, if rather a lot of plot turns to 'kill off' various character.
    • 4/5

      Jul 1, 2017

      A masterful thriller by the master story teller. Good characterisation, detail and pacing. Not labyrinthine or entirely unpredictable but a good read.
    • 3/5

      Jun 19, 2017

      I love these kinds of novels. I’m always up for a plot filled with intrigue, who’s going to backstab who, who’s got the dirty secrets and who’s the horrible but cunning bastage that will expose these secrets and so on….

      I had to whip out my dictionary for these latin/Catholic terms that are prevalent throughout this novel. (My knowledge in Catholicism is very rusty.) But you learn something new all the time right? Now I know there’s actually names for each piece of their clothing these men wear.

      I love how it in the first third of the novel the plotting to be the next pope starts. It’s a reminder that even though these people are spiritual figureheads and we look to them as authority figures, they’re still humans with ambition. But this is the part I loved reading the most. I love the intrigue, I love the plotting. I love how Lomeli is in the middle of this and is trying to make sure everything in the voting process is legitimate.

      You have a group of characters to keep track of, but there isn’t much to them. They’re broken into cliques to keep track of them easily but the book is centralized on Lomeli and he’s the only one that develops throughout the novel. He’s likable for the most part and does deal with his inner self for the most part. He has his faults as well which makes sense (who doesn’t want to be pope?!) which makes these characters realistic.

      The plot itself starts off really well. I liked the pace and events during the story. What bothered me was the last third of the novel where everything went chaotic and the author seemed to inject some action to make it more lively. I didn’t think it was necessary and there wasn’t any need for that. What I would prefer is more intrigue and inner plotting amongst the Cardinals. (There was but there was no need to the action sequence which wasn’t even a feature it happened “off screen”.)

      Another thing which didn’t sit too well was it was one thing after another with the surprises. First it was this guy. Then the other. Oh, can’t forget this guy either. We already elected the pope? No wait here’s another monkey wrench. It was just too much (by the end I was screaming out: “Just give him the papacy and let’s go home. This is getting ridiculous”.) Some parts were spaced out but it just felt too much. However, good on the author to make sure all the loose ends were tied together. Nothing was left unanswered.

      I liked this book but it would have been better without all the extra bits and pieces here. More intrigue and plotting within. It’s what makes it so much better. Otherwise, it was a short quick read and worth it. Just remember this is an alternate history of events.
    • 4/5

      May 29, 2017

      Exzellentes Buch über die Papstwahl und die Kämpfe die im Hintergrund sehr wahrscheinlich ablaufen. Sehr gut lesbar mit einem überraschenden Ende!
    • 3/5

      May 18, 2017

      Das Konklave ist eine der geheimsten Wahlen auf der Welt, aber gleichzeitig eine der faszinierendsten. In der Öffentlichkeit bekommt man nichts vom Wahlkampf der Wahlberechtigten mit, weil diese von eben jener Öffentlichkeit abgeschottet werden. So sehr, dass sogar die Fenster ihrer Zimmer vernagelt werden. Man fragt sich immer, was in der Sixtinischen Kapelle während der Wahl vor sich geht, ob Diskussionen, Streitereien, Intrigen stattfinden oder auch komplett andere Dinge – Robert Harris gibt uns mit „Konklave“ einen wunderbaren Einblick in die Kirchenwelt.

      Seit ich „Illuminati“ von Dan Brown gelesen habe, fasziniert mich das Konklave zutiefst, diese geheimnisvolle, ja fast schaurige Zeremonie, von der man als Außenstehender nichts mitbekommt, außer den Rauch, der nach einem Wahlgang aufsteigt. Aber wie genau diese Wahl abläuft, hat uns Brown damals nicht erklärt. Harris tut dies in all ihren Einzelheiten. Wir begleiten Jacopo Lomeli, der unser Hauptcharakter ist. Er ist nicht nur Kardinalbischof und damit selbst wahlberechtigter Kandidat für den Heiligen Stuhl, sondern auch noch Dekan des Kardinalskollegiums, und als dieser der Hauptorganisator des Konklave. Das ist besonders geschickt von Harris, denn so bekommt der Leser wirklich alles von der Wahl mit und die Geschichte bekommt außer dem dramaturgischen Aspekt auch noch einen dokumentarischen – einen klassischen Krimi oder Thriller darf man sich jedoch nicht erwarten. Besonders zu Beginn ist das leider auch zu Lasten der Geschichte, die dadurch relativ zäh wird, erst nach etwa 50 Seiten nimmt die Geschichte an Fahrt auf. Gleich zu Beginn taucht man in eine ganz spezielle Atmosphäre ein, die etwas Erhabenes hat, aber gleichzeitig etwas völlig Banales, bei dem man merkt, dass Kirchenleute nicht anders sind als Leute, die nichts mit der Kirche am Hut haben; das zieht sich danach durch die ganze Geschichte.

      Über Lomeli, wie geschrieben unser Hauptcharakter, erfährt man nicht atemberaubend viel, außer, dass er gerne Krimis liest und dies als Laster bezeichnet und ein paar weitere Dinge; er macht beim Leser einen nicht allzu glücklichen Eindruck. Von allen anderen Charakteren erfährt man höchstens Alter, Herkunft und ihre Auslegung des Amtes (traditionalistisch, liberal, oder irgendwas dazwischen). Vor allem bei Lomeli hätte Harris ein bisschen ausschweifen können und uns nicht nur mit ein paar Fetzen abspeisen brauchen. Die Personalie Benítez, jener Kardinal, den niemand kennt, ist ein geschickt gewählter Charakter. Er ist nämlich Philippiner, der in Bagdad arbeitet; geschickt heißt in diesem Kontext allerdings nicht unbedingt gut, denn Harris nutzt seine Herkunft, um der Geschichte einen besonderen Twist zu verpassen – ein Twist, den man zwar erwarten kann, aber im Kontext ziemlich deplatziert ist. Man merkt, dass Harris irgendetwas benötigt hat, um die Geschichte in eine bestimmte Richtung zu lenken.

      Der Plot ist sehr fokussiert erzählt, man bekommt fast nur das serviert, was der Titel verspricht – nämlich das Konklave. Vorgeschichte gibt es nur eine kurze, Nachgeschichte fast keine. Einen Showdown in dem Sinne, wie wir es bei konventionellen Krimis und Thriller gewohnt sind, gibt es nicht. Viel eher gibt es mehrere kleine, nämlich immer dann, wenn ein Wahlergebnis feststeht und dieses manifest wird. Vor fast jedem Wahlgang gibt es einen Paukenschlag, der das Ergebnis beeinflusst; ab einem gewissen Zeitpunkt ist allerdings absehbar, wer die Wahl gewinnt, da hätte Harris für mein Dafürhalten kreativer und weniger durchschaubar sein können. Den größten Paukenschlag behält sich Harris aber für den Schluss vor, und setzt damit letztendlich auch sein eigenes Statement.

      Fazit: „Konklave“ ist ein akkurat recherchierter Roman, der eigentlich weder als klassischer Krimi, noch als Thriller durchgeht, aber doch einiges an Spannung aufweisen kann, wenngleich der Einstieg nicht der leichteste ist.

      Mehr Rezensionen gibt's auf Krimisofa.com
    • 1/5

      May 18, 2017

      A pt-boiler. A 21st century take on the conclave story. With Islamic terrorism and oppression of Catholics in the Islamic countries, a trans papal candidate etc. Shoes of the Fisherman, in its day, was better, but in the same hyper drama key.
    • 5/5

      May 15, 2017

      A masterclass in how-to structure a story, weave character and setting, keep multiple personae in focus (as Harris has done throughout his 'Cicero' books), and educate while entertaining. A one-sitting read.