St. Peter's Square, Rome. White smoke signals that a new Pope has been chosen. Is it possible that the new Pope...is a woman? The world is watching as historic crowds gather in Rome, waiting for news of a new Pope, one who promises to be unlike any other in the Church's history. Some followers are ecstatic, but the leading candidate has made a legion of powerful enemies. From a difficult childhood with drug addled parents, to a career as a doctor on the front lines in Sudan, to a series of trials that test her faith at every turn, Brigid Fitzgerald's convictions and callings have made her the target of all those who fear that the Church has lost its way--dangerous adversaries who abhor challenges to tradition. Locked in a deadly, high-stakes battle with forces determined to undermine everything she believes in, Brigid must convert her enemies to her cause before she loses her faith...and her life.
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**Thank you Sean Comstock for sending me this ARC**
This book was aweing. I was captivated from page one, even when it was a bit slow to start. I was into Brigid’s story and how she battled each blow that was thrown at her. It was inspiring, considering even my life is throwing its punches at me lately. She is such an excellent role model, so strong. I was surprised by how much I was in love with the story, considering I am not a religious person by any means. It drew attention to aspects of the world that people often overlook—women in the church, civil war what little help the victims are receiving, horrible tragedy to the family, etc. It seems like a book that will both be praised for these things and criticized for them. Which is perfect. We need talk about these things.
I will admit, though, it was a bit mis-advertised, with the woman-pope-speculation-blurb. Though it does get people to think: how will the world react when there is a woman pope? Also, I feel as if Brigid was trying too hard to find love after she was in the South Sudan. Colin, Zach, Karl, James, it was a lot in 360 pages. She was a good character who faced a lot and was just looking for something good in her life. I liked her. I liked this book.
All in all, it was a fantastic novel. I was involved from page one, and I felt Brigid’s pain every time something happened to her or her family, and that’s when you know you have a good book: when you feel the main character’s pain. It was a pleasant surprise from Patterson’s usual novels, and I enjoyed how the title was incorporated into the novel; how it all tied together. She was a woman questioning her faith in god after all this horrible shit happens to her, and she finds—over and over again—that she does have faith. What she needed was to question to reassure herself in it. She was a woman of god who defied standards…and death.
She is any ordinary human in a horrible situation.
Brigid is a model of all of us in the toughest of times.
So, I really do recommend everyone to read this one. Even if you don’t believe in god or anything, it’s a god novel that gets you thinking about the world and life.
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