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Summary: Pope Joan is provides the reader with insight to the 900's.
Review: Donna Woolfolk Cross successfully brings to light the possibility of how and why a woman could have been pope of Rome in the 900's. From the very beginning one is captivated by the figure of Joan, a girl not of her time, but with a mind too inquisitive to settle for the woman's role of that time. I was thoroughly engrossed in her plight and was reminded again and again of how the political aspirations of men interfered with the true purpose of a spiritual leader. Her format of intertwining known historical occurrences with the plot of the story was well fashioned. Our local book group gave this thumbs up!
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Summary: A vividly imagined account of the legendary Pope Joan
Review: As a librarian, I did this book with my book discussion group and they loved it. Everyone felt they learned alot about the Dark Ages from the vividly imagined accounts of everyday life. The research seemed especially rigorous on details pertaining to childbirth,household activities, weddings,attitudes towards women and marriage, monastic life, and scholarly activities in the Catholic Church.These richly evoked scenes were more than worth the price of admission so to speak. But the book also wove into this tapestry of medieval life a story of an historical figure, the controversial and legendary Pope Joan about whom there are many contradictory tales. The author's Joan is an enlightened, progressive, and thoroughly likeable character. Her rise through the Vatican heirarchy is well delineated. This is good historical fiction with a good feel for the period and rich in details. The Vatican descriptions are fascinating and the saga of Joan complete with a love story makes for enjoyable reading. I intend to recommend it to patrons looking for historical fiction on this period.
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Summary: Hurrah! to Donna Cross for detailing Pope Joan's rise
Review: Wonderful! Superb! Fantastically researched! As a librarian, I have access to thousands of books and when I read a review about _Pope Joan_, I couldn't *wait* to get my hands on it. And I was absolutely riveted with her detailed story, which not only gives life to this young woman but also to the century she lived in...reminiscent of _The Mists of Avalon_ by Marion Zimmer Bradley, this book is a must read for those interested in historical fiction as well as in hearing the woman's story.
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Summary: Dreadfully written and researched
Review: I read this book through a Book Club, and that is the only reason I finished it. The historical research is dreadful and inconsistent. One of the pivotal scenes in the book has a Warrior Bishop and his attendants celebrating Mass unarmed! The explanations by the author in the rear of the book are very much in keeping with the paranoia of conspiancy theorists. The writing style was uninteresting, and the plot line was loaded with unbelievable coincidences. There may or may not be any truth to the medieval story of a female Pope, but this book does nothing to help solve the question.
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Summary: An Excellent Read
Review: I greatly enjoyed this highly readable historical novel of Pope Joan, who may have actually existed.The book is written in a page-turning, clear, and direct style. The author really gets inside the character's heads. The book is so well written one feels as if they were actually living in the 9th Century along with the characters. The main characters, Joan and Gerold are very real,intelligent, admirable, and likeable people. You find yourself truly caring for them. The book is not weighed down with murky, draggy historical details or dialogue that have no bearing on the story. Everything ties in neatly together. Definitely a book that has found a permanent place on my bookshelf.
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Summary: Makes you wonder
Review: Cross does an excellent job of making the 9th century feel real to the reader. I felt like I knew Joan well by the end of the book. I couldn't put it down.
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Summary: What a pleasant surprise!
Review: This is not a book that I would have chosen to read. It was selcted by a member of my book discussion group, and I can remember groaning! Historical fiction? From the 8th century? What a surprise to find that I had trouble putting it down once I started it. The characters became so real and I truly wanted to know about their lives. Whether or not there actually was a Pope Joan may never be proven, but this book really provokes thought about the possibility. It also says a great deal about women's roles in the world and about the value of education - something we often take for granted. I'm sure that this will be a work that I will re-read in the future, and I'm sure that it is going to provide an excellent topic for book group discussion.
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Summary: Great book. Read already twice.
Review: I was first intrigued by the possibility of a woman having been Pope. I thought it was a great idea. I found the book very well written. The cha- racters were real and alive. The main character, Joan is a great role model. In impossibly adverse conditions, she accomplished what no other woman ever did and what very few men did. I hope that one day, history and the church will acknowledge her existence. I strongly recommend this book.
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Summary: Excellent book for young women looking for role models
Review: Pope Joan is an excellently written story about a woman who overcomes the smothering sexism of the dark ages to become a well educated priest. Joan goes on to become appointed Pope. The final chapter allows the reader to reflect on the plight of being female during the dark ages, and judge how far we have really come since that time. I especially liked the information about the historical facts that were gathered in order to write the book as well as a series of questions that could be used in leading a discussion about this book. The perennial problem of women having to choose love, or career was also truthfully portrayed. I would reccommend this book to high school students and up, especially to young women.
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Summary: What an Intriguing Life
Review: It's been almost two years now since I read this book and it was so incredibly intriguing. It's almost unbelievable what this woman went through - but there's no doubt in my mind that it might not be true. Donna's research is impeccable. I was so depressed when it ended - because it didn't want it to!
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