Title: A hackneyed "expose" of papal politics, tho' with some charm
Product review: This may be one of the better novels of papal election I have read in a while (except Hadrian VII by FW Rolfe), but it suffers from Catholic moralizing and a sycophantic fascination with the Roman class system. The inevitability of the plot and the predictability of the characterization may draw the reader on, but for all the wrong reasons. Nonetheless, there are some pretty set pieces and the atmosphere of a conclave will of itself always cast a spell.
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