Rating: 
Summary: Unputdownable
Review: I couldn't put this book down, I started reading it at 11 pm and finished it about 4 am. The story is based on the actual legend of Pope Joan, and the details and ending of the story are in agreement with the legend. What Donna Woolfolk-Cross does is to take the legend and flesh it out with a contemporary story. The description is very good, and the love-scenes with Gerold not overstated. You really get the sense of what life was like in the ninth century. Now that I've read it once straight through, I want to read it again to savour the details. The characters are interesting, and the historical aspects obviously well-researched. It is also one of the few historical novels I've read that has romance in it without compromising the character's feminist tendencies.
Rating:
Summary: A richly textured tale of a courageous Middle Ages woman.
Review: A biography about someone who lived eleven centuries ago would be a daunting task, even if that someone were a person as prominent as the pope. We can not be certain of the details of our own presidents' lives. How much more difficult, then, would it be to write anything interesting about anyone from a time when most people were illiterate and records were far from complete and often copied inaccurately. Plus, a person was more likely to write about his house than a female family member.Despite the challenge, Ms. Cross has woven a tapestry of lives with richness and depth. Her framework is well supported by a background of medieval Saxony and Rome. She uses ancient languages and a fine command of Latin to bring forth the details of the background. Her characters are complex and instilled emotional responses in this reader as skillfully as any more celebrated author. Pope Joan is more than a biography or a historical fiction. It is an allegory on the human ! condition. We can see at the eve of the 21st century little if any change in our social structure, our consideration for others, our prejudices and our concern for our neighbors. We still use the Bible (or the Qu'ran) to support bigotry and murder. While people may debate the facts, Ms. Cross presents a sound argument for the case of a Pope Joan in the form of an enthralling story about a woman who must have been truly remarkable. Whether you accept it as history or consider it pure fiction, it is a story you will not forget.
Rating: 
Summary: Great reading adventure from start to finish.
Review: This book is well written and moves along smoothly for the reader. The subject is an intriguing historical mystery. How the reader comes down on the subject will be based largely on whether or not the mind is open to logical process and historical evidence or content to accept without question the mutterings of some "authority".
Rating:
Summary: Uneven Rendering of Fascinating Legend
Review: In "Pope Joan," Cross presents a very probable rendering of the legend of a woman who assumes the papal throne for two years, presenting herself as a man. Cross is very upfront about the historical uncertainty of Joan -- she devotes a rather detailed afterward to the issue of whether there was, in fact, a female Pope in medieval times. She concludes that her existence is uncertain, although there are many resurfacings of the legend. The novel presents a very good sense of everyday life for common peasants, religious sholars, and Church officials of the times. It does tend to get a little "preachy" at times (how many times does the reader need to be reminded that Joan cannot obtain the knowledge she craves because she is a woman?). It is also uneven, moving from a very riveting introduction, to some seemingly contrived plot devices to move the action along, to some tense confrontations, and ultimately, to an ending that leaves the reader a bit let-down. Still, this is a very intriguing tale, worthy of a look by anyone who has ever wondered of the possibility -- or even the impossibility -- of a Pope Joan. And as for that person who is all in a dither over the legend being accepted as "fact," all I can advise is "chill." The respected historian Stephen Ambrose ("Undaunted Courage') once wrote that history, if told honesty, must be "AMBIGUOUS." I think he's right, and even if there never was a Pope Joan, one might justifiably conclude that there were countless would-be Pope Joans, denied existence due to the oppressive social conventions described in this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and educating; it's worth purchasing!
Review: I enjoyed Cross' Pope Joan very much. Some well informed someone, maybe Mark Twain, once said that a good book should educate and entertain. Pope Joan did both for me. I became quite immersed in Joan's world, reading her story, and was incited to check out some of the practices and locales mentioned therein. The early dark ages are not as dark as some might expect. One of my sources was Microsoft Encarta which had a short, but informative, article on Joan which provided a contrasting biography to the fictional character. I was entertained by the book to the extent that I regretted when I had to put it aside. The action moved forward well; and, it is a well told story. I felt transported to another time and place. Joan's character was fleshed out well, and the scenes were set up well. I nearly froze to death with the midwife, Hrotrud, in the prologue and her "trial" moved me to anger and judgment of her accusers. As a male, I gained a greater appreciation of what it meant and still means to be a female in our society which has suppressed, persecuted, and denied females their God-given rights and place in our world. The treatment that Cross gives religion and the catholic church added more pieces to that often puzzling, horrendous institution IMHO. I feel that things have and continue to improve for women in the church, however; equality has not and probably will not be achieved for quite a time yet! Joan's familial and social situation are not too farfetched that similar circumstances could not occur today. There are literally millions of people marrying people of foreign origin or race; we still have religious bigots and zealots; and women and men still impersonate the other sex regularly for various reasons. John, Joan's brother, lived and died with the same type of dreams as many of today's youngsters. This book is a fictional biography of a likeable, loveable character. She has her faults, i.e., she is a liar and a fraud; but, there are mitigating circumstances. I see her early on as a ! caged creature trying to survive in a hostile environment. It is difficult for me to condemn Joan for her actions! I like and admire her! She is vain, as we all are; but, not many of us have the strength, goodness, and mind that Joan's character has. There is intertwined with the biography a love story of no little interest. This book compares very favorably with other fictional historical pieces that I have read, e.g., Ellis Peters' Cadfael mystery series. My favorite part of the book is the time spent in Dorstadt where Joan finally begins to realise, actualize her dreams; and, falls in love. I am a great romantic at heart! I would buy this book again, and, maybe I will read it again. I'll definitely be referring to it as I am still investigating some of the things mentioned in it. Pope Joan is not just a woman's book. I recommend it to both young and older readers.
Rating: 
Summary: Came in like a lion, went out like a...well, it went out!
Review: The story of Hrotrud the midwife is riveting, but it is just the beginning of the book! After that I thought it got too much like it was writen to become a movie. It became, for me, an overrated romance novel.
Rating:
Summary: unforgettable book about an unknown woman
Review: This book has been in constant circulation among my friends ever since I finished it. Absolutely fascinating and a very plausible story. I would have never imagined that such a person could have existed, now it's almost impossible not to believe A must read for lovers of historical fiction and medival life.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful "read"- couldn't put it down!!!
Review: What an fascinating book! I was unaware of the legend of the female pope. This historical fiction was exciting AND informative. Donna Cross presents such a descriptive portrayal of the ninth century and the role of women in those times. My question at the end- have we really come very far? I think this book needs to be on Oprah's list!!!!I can't wait to read her next book!!! The author also will converse with book club groups- how accommodating!
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC book, storyline and historical content!
Review: I finished Pope Joan last night and it was absolutely wonderful...can't say enough good things about it! It was full of vivid historical detail, a very believable storyline and most of all, a strong AND feminine main character. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a highly entertaining, as well as educational, book. Reading Pope Joan makes me appreciative of how far women have come since the 9th century. This is one of the best books I've read in the past year, one I will highly recommend to to my friends!
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely fascinating...brings the past to life.
Review: Ms. Cross' characterization of Joan gave so much life to the woman that you cheered her on and fought with her to reach her intellectual achievement as though you were marching along side of her the whole way.
|
