Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 50
 Excellent Historical Fiction July 8, 2008
Jem (MD, USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
When this novel was released, there was some minor brouhaha about how it's "untrue", "there was never a female pope", "the author is taking liberties", etc. The kind of controversy that sprang up when "The Da Vinci Code" was released, though nowhere near that level. All of which drew me to the book like a moth to flame. The novel tells the tale of a young woman eager for knowledge who takes on the identity of her brother in order to get an education (as only clergy were eligible to be educated in that time) and ends up being elected Pope. I happen to be Roman catholic, and I wasn't offended by what the author proposes. I love historical fiction, so I didn't really care if it was true or not. What mattered was: did the author do adequate research on the time, customs, people and other details to make the story seem real, come alive and keep me turning the pages? Thankfully, the answer was a resounding yes.
Cross focuses on Joan, and the story is told from her point of view. She is an engaging heroine, and I immediately felt immersed in her tale. The writing is fluid, with good background description to put the reader in the right time frame. Yet, the author doesn't become bogged down with details. This truly was a page-turner. Joan slowly rises to prominence in the church, so I had no problem when she was elected Pope. One gripe I did have was the pregnancy fiasco - the ending became more of a circus attraction that didn't fit as well with the rest of the novel. However, it didn't ruin the novel, just tarnished it a bit. Overall, Cross manages to convince us that the unbelievable did happen.
Though this is a work of fiction, the author cleverly includes some factual evidence (circumstantial, certainly) to pique a reader's curiosity about the real possibility that a woman did indeed get elected pope disguised as a man. Church historians and leaders have quick, and likely valid, counters to this evidence, but its existence is tantalizing. This small section made the book that much better because it kept me thinking long past the final page. Some readers have blasted the book for being untrue. Just as many other historical fiction authors have been attacked, including best seller Philippa Gregory. This is fiction - don't read it if you're looking for facts. Overall, a thought-provoking tale with a smart, likeable heroine and excellent writing. Highly recommended.
Wonderful!!! June 2, 2008
Amy M. Smitherman (New York)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Wonderful Book, the story grabbed my attention from the beginning and I was sorry to see the book end.
 Pope Joan...was she or wasn't she? April 29, 2008
Frank N. Beans (New England)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I love historical fiction and particularly enjoy stories about powerful women in times when women were under-valued. It was for this reason that I didn't hesitate to order "Pope Joan" when I read about it here on Amazon.
The story of Pope Joan is a controversial one. The Catholic Church takes the official position that she is a myth, however, there are many scholars who support her existence and papacy with viable arguments. Whether she was fact or fiction, her story is intriguing to say the least.
The story is set in the 9th century, when Joan is born to a Viking mother and a fanatically religious/misogynistic father. Joan is a child with a keen intellect and a curiosity of the world beyond her simple village life. Much to the dismay of her father, Joan cares little for learning the domestic skills befitting a woman of her time. Instead, she is most taken with learning to read and write, a fact which infuriates her father and a behavior he deems to be sinful and un-natural. When a Bishop travels to Joan's home and witnesses her proclivities for learning, he secures regular lessons for her, in spite of her father's grumblings. Under the Bishop's tutelage, Joan excels in all things learned. When she has the chance to leave home and attend a prestigious boys' school, her father balks and happily denies her the privilege. Joan takes matters into her own hands, and it is at this point that her true adventure begins. Joan exhibits great courage as she disguises herself as a man to become a Catholic priest, a doctor and, finally, the Pope.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and thought Ms. Cross did an excellent job with character development (which is extremely important in my opinion and something I am very picky about). I was captivated by the beginning of the novel and by Joan's relationship with her mother and father. I lost a little bit of interest after Joan was elected Pope and I also felt that the novel ended a bit abruptly..but these are minor criticisms of what I thought was a very fine novel.
Women Must Learn To Become Empowered April 15, 2008
Story Circle Book Reviews (www.storycirclebookreviews.org)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
"Sin came through a woman," said her father when told he had a daughter. His displeasure was palpable. Her mother would later tell her, "Never give yourself to a man. If you marry, you will surrender everything--your body, your pride, your independence, even your life." So, naturally, the girl later would feel that marriage plunged a woman into a state of serf-like bondage with absolute control of her goods, property and children going to her husband. Her brother learned from his father and felt that he was far superior to Joan because she was just a useless daughter-she couldn't sew or spin, all she wanted was book learning.
This upbringing sets the stage for the tale of an extraordinary woman who set out to show that her birth was not a mistake, no man could have power over her, and knowledge was the key to success. She ran away from home at the age of 12, after her father beat her within an inch of her life when he caught her reading. She disguised herself as a man and entered the monastery pretending to be her brother.
In a quirk of fate, she met two men, Aesculapius & Gerald, who changed her life. They discovered she was a girl, but did not betray her or treat her condescendingly. They recognized her potential and encouraged her to reach high. Because of her brilliance, she would rise through the ranks, land in Rome, and become Pope of the most powerful institution of her day.
Is this story a fact? We don't know, but it certainly is exciting to think it might have happened.
The 9th century setting with vivid descriptions of the Middle Ages woven into the story of a strong, intelligent woman who loved life and learning made me care deeply about her. This book spoke to me. I was born in 1944, and my Daddy felt that girls didn't need higher education. They should just find a good man, get married and have children--which I did. It took me many years to realize that I could do anything I put my mind to. I sometimes wish I had been more like Joan.
Donna Woolfolk Cross graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, earned her Masters Degree at UCLA, and taught English in New York. Her other books include Word Abuse, Mediaspeak, and Speaking of Words.
The author says that for women to empower themselves in this world, they must learn. As we have all seen recently in Afghanistan, men control women by taking away their right to an education. In the Catholic Church as well, women are still limited in their involvement. Some things never change.
Many reading groups are discussing the implications of this book. You can log on by searching Donna Woolfolk Cross on the Web.
by Doris Anne Roop-Benner
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
 Absolute Fiction - Spurious Anti-Papal Clap-Trap March 30, 2008
M. Ganser (Headed to Africa)
5 out of 11 found this review helpful
Okay Dan Brown fan's, pick this one up and have a good time reading about the fictional life of a "Pope Joan" who was the invention of Protestant polemicists in the 16th century. Simple minds will always want to believe such clap-trap in the same vein as Dan Brown's better reading "The Da Vinci Code."
Fact: The interregnum between Popes Leo IV and Benedict III was only about three weeks - not the two years necessary for "Pope Joan's" alleged papacy.
Fact: There is no historical evidence of any mention of a "Pope Joan" until the middle of the 13th century some 400 years later. This despite the many enemies of the papacy during the early Middle Ages who would have loved to have made use of such a scandal.
A better read would be French Historian Florimond de Raemond's Erreur populaire de Papa Jane ("The Popular Error of Pope Joan" 1587). But then again why bother reading the truth when a fictional account better supports one's prejudices.
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