Online since 1997 Pope Joan: A NovelClick on a title to get information such as reviews, price comparisons, and availability or to purchase. Search Again-Enter Keyword, Title, or ISBN: |
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Pope Joan: A Novel
by: Donna Cross |
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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54 EAN: 9780345416261 ISBN: 0345416260 Label: Ballantine Books Manufacturer: Ballantine Books Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 448 Publication Date: 1996 Publisher: Ballantine Books Release Date: August 19, 1997 Studio: Ballantine Books
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  - Pope Joan...was she or wasn't she? 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 came across it, here on Amazon (of course, my decision was also fortified by all of the excellent reviews it received!). 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 an intriguing one. Born in the 9th century to a Viking mother and a fanatically religious/misogynistic father, Joan excelled at anything requiring a keen intellect. I don't like including plot spoilers in my reviews so I won't expand on the plot beyond noting that, as an adult, Joan impersonates her brother and becomes a scholar, priest and, eventually, the Pope (this synopsis is included on the book-jacket). I thoroughly enjoyed the 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 fine novel. I recommend it without hesitation and I should also note that I really enjoyed reading the Ms. Cross' afterword (during which she presents a number of interesting arguments concerning Pope Joan's existence). I would like to see another historical fiction novel written by this author. Rating:  - Women Must Learn To Become Empowered"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 Rating:  - Absolute Fiction - Spurious Anti-Papal Clap-TrapOkay 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. Rating: - Top notch adventure with exceedingly accurate historical referenceWhen reading this book, it becomes abundantly clear that the author had had to do a tremendous amount of medieval research in order to write this book. Medieval history, in itself, is the most difficult period to reference and research. The 800's are particularly hard to research because of the lack of written information available to historians. Literacy is at an all time low, very little is written. Much of that which was written (in general) on anything preceding this time period is considered blasphemy and destroyed. The fact that this pope is a woman and the fact that the Catholic Church blatantly destroyed any reference or document pertaining to the female pope makes this book all the more a treasure. Reading this book will accomplish two things. You will have yourself an excellent adventure AND you will learn a good deal about history in the process. Expect yourself to learn about the thoughts and processes of the time. Topics that one may find extreme with reference to behavior/actions/thoughts of the time are quite accurate and realistic. You might find that you will want to become an amateur historian, yourself, after reading this intrigue. Women in this time period were awarded a very specific lot in life. Their sole value was based on how many male children their womb could produce. They were not that of citizens, but less than slaves or surfs, they were property only. Is it any wonder, then, that women chose to impersonate men in order to have a life they considered fulfilling? Rating:  - Good read, but.....I just read the last page and the first thing I thought was "I'm finally finished, now what do I read?". I liked the book but several times found myself comparing it to one of my all-time favorites "Pillars of the Earth" (which is much longer, but a book I didn't want to put down even after reading it twice) and it just couldn't compare. I enjoyed the character of Joan and found her to be a wonderful example of a strong, goal-minded woman but became quite bored with the "can't be with the one you love" scenerio between her and Gerold. The book became a bit predictable and I found myself skimming through many parts at the end so I could complete it only to find that I had successfully predicted the end midway through the book. Don't get me wrong I really did like it and probably would have loved it if I wasn't such a big fan of "Pillars of the Earth". |
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