"Conclave" - Robert Harris
When I first saw Conclave (the movie), my initial thought was “wow, that was a really great film! There were a few parts that felt kind of sped through, I bet they go more in-depth about them in the book.” Reader, they did not. That doesn’t change the fact that I quite enjoyed this. Conclave is a 2016 novel by writer Robert Harris, set in and around a papal election. We follow Cardinal Lomeli (renamed Lawrence for the film), Dean of the College of Cardinals, as he manages, prepares, and directs the conclave to elect a new pope. Initially, the conclave has four front-runners: reluctant Bellini, bombastic Adeyemi, ambitious Tremblay, and traditionalist Tedesco. But as the election goes on, over the span of a few days, the front-runners find their positions challenged due to backroom dealing, late-game reveals, the unassuming newest Cardinal Benitez, and (despite his despair about the matter) Lomeli himself. Conclave is an airport book. This is not a dig, this is not ...