The Death of a Pope
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Short synopsis: The Death of a Pope by the highly acclaimed British writer Read is a novel of intrigue, church espionage, and an attempt to destroy the longest continuous government in the world-the Papacy.
A priest who seems to be the model of compassion for the poor is accused of terrorist activities. His worldwide charitable outreach is suspected of being a front for radicals. A young woman, a reporter and a lapsed Catholic, tries to undercover the truth but in the process she finds herself attracted to the priest and falls in love with him.
My review: This was an interesting book to read, but just did not satisfy. It is difficult to discuss without giving away major story lines, but the story contains intrigue, terrorists, journalism, suffering, and religion. I was never sure where the author was going with his characters who wondered if pedophilia really hurt anyone, or that the Catholic Church is to blame for AIDS and the other suffering in Africa because of their stand on condoms. I also never really cared about any of the characters in the book. Kate, a journalist, was a stupid and weak woman who decided she would commit an international crime just to impress her new boyfriend. Even worse was the situation for her character at the end of the book.
It is not a bad book, but it disappointed me.
Hm. That's too bad about this book. I actually wanted to read this one. I'm glad I came across this review. Now I'm not so sure. Just the idea of the woman falling in love with the priest just sounds so cliche. It's like The Thornbirds all over again. Egads.
ReplyDeleteI read and reviewed this too. Kind of seemed like it read like a play. I liked the Vatican facts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by this morning - hope you got some cake. I think it is spelled Blogoversary, at least according to the widget... ha ha