I'm generally sceptical of anyone who is universally adored, and all the more so of anyone who seems to be adored for no particularly good reason other than marketing. And so I am sceptical about JPII, and Cornwell's biography is the right one for me. It's cleanly written, willing to contest the received narrative of JPII as all great things, and it's not excessively long.

Cornwell's critique is fairly straight forward: as pope, John Paul tried to centralize the power of the Church; his response to sex abuse was morally despicable; he was too conservative. Fair enough.

But he often pushes the first point too hard. For whatever reason, rather than just say what is obviously true ("much of the Catholic Church hierarchy is morally bankrupt"), he tries to anchor this immorality in bureaucracy. For Cornwell, the problem is not that a small group of isolated men make horrible decisions, but that there is a small group of isolated men. I wonder what he would have made of an autocratic JPII who made all the decisions Cornwell wish he'd made? To be fair to our author, though, liberals of all stripes fall for this fallacy all the time. After all, you want to believe the best of people. If they consistently do the 'wrong' thing (deny the seriousness of sexual abuse; object to gay marriage; vote Republican), it must be because the system is somehow flawed, and not because people are all too often really, really stupid and unpleasant.

The problem is that Cornwell over-stresses the JPII-was-a-bureaucratic-nightmare-and-also-not-pluralist angle at the expense of the fascinating, disturbing features of the story. JP was the first mass-media pope; people often say he was like Reagan, but a better analogy might be JFK--more myth than substance, morally dubious, but found himself in the right time and place to become a historical figure. Catastrophically for the rest of the world, he, like JFK, was a Cold War man; he couldn't see past the evils of the USSR to the virtues of the welfare state. And his thought (sic) is remarkably silly (Scheler Kant Aquinas? really?), and yet, because he was pope, is taken seriously by many people.

Anyway, a critical biography of a man who deserves to be criticized, but one which perhaps criticizes the wrong things. Very easy to read, though.

One final note: In this book, Cornwell takes back much of what he said in 'Hitler's Pope.' Very responsible of him. ( )

A funny book. While listing the aspects of the multidimensional disaster that was Pope John Paul II, the book is really a limited hangout.

Gives moronic free passes to the effect of P2, the Vatican Bank corruption, and even pretends that Pope John Paul I died of natural causes.

A limited hangout.... so the author, John Cornwell, is corrupt. There you go. ( )

Extremely well written, it's always a pleasure to read Mr Cornwell. Every Catholic (and -phile) should read this book. It wakes you up to a reality not readily seen; the curtains are well and truly pulled back. The portrait revealed of this most profound world leader may offend those who prefer spin to reality. Yet the sincerity and respectfulness of the writer persists throughout. The book covers the main events of John Paul's life and, of course, the controversies. It is an education and reveals a world that no Catholic can afford not to know. If for no other reason than to read a fascinating character study and a well written book, then read this. ( )

Cambridge scholar George Holmes analyzes the long reign of Pope John Paul II, the former Karol Wojtyla. He discusses the pope's accomplishmnets and his views on controversial issues including birth control and abuses by the clergy. The author seems to be making his case for critizing the centralization of papal power. Though he does show us both the good and the bad affects the policy of this pope has had on the world. We see him as pope and a person. The book is well-written, but does not answer any questions. I am pleased I read a library copy. But I do suggest you read it and make up your own mind. ( )

Who but John Cornwell can write about the Catholic church with such credibility and a discerning eye? This is a very important book written by a respected and readable historian. His academic credentials are impeccable but this is not a book for academics. Everyone should read this book to understand how an individual pope can affect the lives of us all, not just Catholics.