Unfortunately I was a little underwhelmed by this one too though the detail of how a new Pope is selected was interesting.

Let's see what earthcaroleanne's book group make of this one :)

This arrived yesterday. Thank you much and thanks also for the labels and all the little extras.

Well, this had our book group completely divided. The first people who gave their opinion hated it. It was described as boring, overlong, uninteresting etc. The best that was said was it would have been better as a novella. The next person felt the exact opposite, they enjoyed it the most and thought it was intriguing and thrilling and the rest of the group had much the same opinion. I wasn't quite as excited about it.

I must admit I wasn’t really looking forward to reading it. I made the mistake of judging a book by its cover. The title Conclave made me think of Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons and not in a good way. So I started reading it knowing the Pope would die and expecting him to have been murdered. But I was wrong. Robert Harris has again proved the amount of research he puts into a subject. I have always been very curious about the extraordinary goings-on which the appointment of a new pope involves. There has always seemed an unnecessary degree of secrecy involved, and this booked opened a window on the process. As I don’t have a very high opinion of the Catholic Church in the first place, I was not surprised at the machinations of a conclave and lack of piety in some of the cardinals. I did find the detail interesting which is exactly why some of the others didn’t like it – there was a discussion about fact or fiction. Finally, it was one of the few books I have finished in the house as I usually read on my commute and I did not see the twist at the end but it finished very quickly afterwards which was a slight let down.

Taking to the Old Gang Meetup.

I've only ever read Robert Harris's historical fiction, well Roman fiction. Will be interesting to see what his other work is like.

Picked up at Old Gang Meetup - thanks

Conclave by Robert Harris - Good

On the face of it, a book about Cardinals voting for a new Pope sounds dull as dishwater. In reality Robert Harris has brought all the intrigue alive. He paints viable characters and all the scheming and planning and ritual is vividly portrayed. Really enjoyed it but can't say much more without giving away the twists and turns of the plot.

Posted out to my Valentine RABCK - hope this is to your taste!

Although this book is registered at www.bookcrossing.com, you don't have to be a member. It's perfectly OK to just take the book and enjoy it. Of course, if you can visit the website and let us know that you've picked it up, that would be even better - you don't even have to join, you can add your comments anonymously - you can also post your review when you've read it, then return it or pass it on to someone else.

If you do join Bookcrossing, you'll be able to see what happens to it afterwards - for ever!

Received as part of my Valentine's NSS parcel - thank you!!

Couldn't get into this one so I am releasing it in the hope that it will find a new reader.
Will be released on the book shelf at Sidcup Station (London bound side).