This is historic fiction at its best. The story of a intelligent young girl who hid her gender so that she could study in the monasteries. She rose in the Catholic hierarchy all the way to the top to become Pope - I guess she really leaned in to her career! People in Rome still talk about whether...
I have wanted to read this book for so long and now I'm done! What do I say about this, the idea that a woman could rise above her "station" in the 9th century and become one of the most revered and powerful figures in her society?I love it! The author provides some compelling evidence to toward the...
NO SPOILERS!!!In conclusion, having completed this novel, having struggled through to the end, I can say I did not like it. I didn't like it from the start to the end. When I voice this opinion, I am obviously in the minority. I do appreciate that the author concluded with an informative author's n...
While I am a lapsed Catholic, my parents are still very much involved in the Church themselves. My father, however, is a great lover of Catholic history, myth, and controversies, and loaned me Pope Joan: A Novel by Donna Woolfolk Cross in a swap for The DaVinci Code.::: The Legend Becomes Fiction ::...
I think I must be alone, but I found this to be really truly hideous and one of the worst examples of the historical fiction genre. I give an extra star because I was able to finish it (vs. chucking it across the room).
I've always been very fond of historical novels, and Pope Joan is definitely one of my favourites. It still bugs me to see how badly Joan is treated, just because she's a girl, but I know it's appropriate for the age the story takes place in, and find it fascinating to read how she succeeds despite ...
Interesting take on the legend, but has some flaws. I think I'm going to be another one in the minority here. I found the idea of a woman disguised as a man seated on the papal throne to be an interesting legend and the author did a decent job with it. I appreciated the research the author took on t...
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