Council (Holy See Trilogy)

Rating:
Summary: PURGATORY
Review: Even the best papal potboilers are cliché ridden: The "black horse" who is elected through the intervention of the Holy Spirit, and who's threatened by an assassination or grave illness; the wise and wily Secretary of State; the evil member of a right wing Roman Catholic organization modeled on Opus Dei; the priest with a crisis of conscience - usually in the area of celibacy; the astute journalist looking for God through a story, who may or may not be the lapsed Catholic being drawn back to the fold. Greg Tobin gave us the clichés in "Conclave," which was not great, but at least readable, and he repeats them all to less effect in "Council." Mr. Tobins' characters just don't rise above cliché, and regardless of the author's efforts to fill in with back-story, they're one dimensional throughout. But characters are only part of the problem with this book. The plot is telegraphed, the sex scenes are awful, trivial incidents are over elaborated, and attempts at weaving memory with "real time" stop rather than illuminate action or character.

The author does have a few ideas about the politics of putting a "Vatican III," together, and about how the event might turn out, but even these portions of "Council," are not adequately developed.

The book begins with the incidents of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and though those events help define one of his characters the novel seems to suffer from an opening that was opportunistically tacked in; or a book that was only a year in the writing and opportunistically published as close to the year anniversary of 9/11 as possible. If the former, then shame for writing a bad book and merchandising it around the horror of 9/11; if the latter, shame anyway for a rush job that's barely readable.

"Council," also seems like book two of a series - perhaps a trilogy - and leaves events unresolved for the next installment. I am a sucker for papal potboilers, so I'll probably read a third installment, used or remaindered, but in the meantime I'll say three Hail Mary's in the hope that book three ("Conciliation"?) doesn't repeat the purgatory of "Council."

Rating:
Summary: PURGATORY
Review: Even the best papal potboilers are cliché ridden: The "black horse" who is elected through the intervention of the Holy Spirit, and who's threatened by an assassination or grave illness; the wise and wily Secretary of State; the evil member of a right wing Roman Catholic organization modeled on Opus Dei; the priest with a crisis of conscience - usually in the area of celibacy; the astute journalist looking for God through a story, who may or may not be the lapsed Catholic being drawn back to the fold. Greg Tobin gave us the clichés in "Conclave," which was not great, but at least readable, and he repeats them all to less effect in "Council." Mr. Tobins' characters just don't rise above cliché, and regardless of the author's efforts to fill in with back-story, they're one dimensional throughout. But characters are only part of the problem with this book. The plot is telegraphed, the sex scenes are awful, trivial incidents are over elaborated, and attempts at weaving memory with "real time" stop rather than illuminate action or character.

The author does have a few ideas about the politics of putting a "Vatican III," together, and about how the event might turn out, but even these portions of "Council," are not adequately developed.

The book begins with the incidents of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and though those events help define one of his characters the novel seems to suffer from an opening that was opportunistically tacked in; or a book that was only a year in the writing and opportunistically published as close to the year anniversary of 9/11 as possible. If the former, then shame for writing a bad book and merchandising it around the horror of 9/11; if the latter, shame anyway for a rush job that`s barely readable.

"Council," also seems like book two of a series - perhaps a trilogy - and leaves events unresolved for the next installment. I am a sucker for papal potboilers, so I'll probably read a third installment, used or remaindered, but in the meantime I'll say three Hail Mary's in the hope that book three ("Conciliation"?) doesn't repeat the purgatory of "Council."

Rating:
Summary: Plots, Turns and Surprises and A Third Vatican Council
Review: Greg Tobin builds on his very fine first book on the Roman Catholic Papacy, Conclave, with the addition of Council. Written as fiction, Council continues the story of newly named former American Cardinal, Tim Mulrennhan, to the Papacy after the sudden death of an Interim Pope (after John Paul II). Tobin's books are extremely well researched and factually accurate as to Vatican protocols, electoral procedures, settings where meetings take place and in the degree of detail he provides within his fiction.

Council follows the new pope into his early adjustment to life in the Vatican and to the realization of the many challenges that he faces in his new role. His biggest decision at the start of the papacy is the one to convene a "Third Vatican Council" to consider the issues facing the Church in the new century.

Interwoven through the story are flashbacks and vignettes from the Pope's earlier years as a boy growing up in New Jersey, as a young seminarian, as a parish priest, as Bishop, and then as Cardinal Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey. Pope "Tim" is a very warm and human character who would probably appeal to many people (especially Americans) as a composite for the next Pope. The story reads well and the elements that Tobin works into the entire picture are quite well done.

Of course, there is much hope for the next Papacy and a desire on the part of many people that whoever is selected will "straighten out the Church". Of course 'straightening out the church' means many things to many different people. There are those who believe strongly that the solutions to the Church's problems rest in the undoing of the reforms of Pope John XXIII's Vatican II initiatives. There are others who believe the only hope for the future rests in the ordination of women, the relaxation of the requirement for celibacy, the approval of birth control as a personal choice, and in the greater true participation of the laity in the affairs of the Church. There is tremendous conviction on both ends of the spectrum and there are yet probably the greatest number of Catholics who simply refuse to get too caught up in hierarchical politics, but instead seek to remain Jesus-centered Catholic Christian believers who value their own conscience and who continue to find many of the Church traditions to hold important meaning for them.

Whether Tobin's fictive Pope will be warmly viewed by readers will have a great deal to do with where one's hopes for the Church of the next papacy lay. Whether right, left or center, Tobin's book is thought provoking in its own way and is extremely informative in its factual content. Personally, I experienced some disappointment in the events as they unfold through Council. Yet, this again is very much based on my own hopes for the Church's movement when the next Pope is selected. An interesting, informative and very timely read.

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Rating:
Summary: Very Interesting
Review: I anxiously awaited the arrival of this book, which is the sequel to Conclave. I felt that the book was very intersting. I felt the calling of a new council was interesting and I also learned a couple of things. I felt that the characters were very interesting. I just love Greg Tobin's writing style. I couldn't put the book down at all. I like the little tibits and the different personalitys that each characater had and I think that is what makes the book very interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone that is interesting to learning what it takes to call a council with all the world's cardinals and bishops.