“Pope Joan has all the elements one wants in a historical drama—love, sex, violence, duplicity, and long-buried secrets. Cross has written an engaging book.”—Los Angeles Times Book ReviewIn this international bestseller and basis for the 2009 movie of the same name, Donna Woolfolk Cross brings the Dark Ages to life in all their brutal splendor and shares the dramatic story of a woman whose … dramatic story of a woman whose strength of vision led her to defy the social restrictions of her day.
For a thousand years her existence has been denied. She is the legend that will not die—Pope Joan, the ninth-century woman who disguised herself as a man and rose to become the only female ever to sit on the throne of St. Peter. Now in this riveting novel, Cross paints a sweeping portrait of an unforgettable heroine who struggles against restrictions her soul cannot accept.
Brilliant and talented, young Joan rebels against medieval social strictures forbidding women to learn. When her brother is brutally killed during a Viking attack, Joan takes up his cloak—and his identity—and enters the monastery of Fulda. As Brother John Anglicus, Joan distinguishes herself as a great scholar and healer. Eventually, she is drawn to Rome, where she becomes enmeshed in a dangerous web of love, passion, and politics. Triumphing over appalling odds, she finally attains the highest office in Christendom—wielding a power greater than any woman before or since. But such power always comes at a price . . .
“Brings the savage ninth century vividly to life in all its alien richness. An enthralling, scholarly historical novel.”—Rebecca Fraser, author of The Brontës
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Really enjoyed this ” out of the box” story. I had NO idea there may have been a female pope. This book made the possibility seem believable. I enjoyed having a peek into the world of the Catholic realm and all the jockeying for political positioning within.
What gets you in the heart is how hard this woman had to work to do the things she did!!! Imagine living in a very pious, religious world while struggling with every fiber of your being to remain in character, to convincingly live the deepest lie possible while representing an office where such a lie is unthinkable. The guilt of maintaining …
A lot of details in the book not related to the story. The story in facinating
I was shocked at how this book transferred me to an earlier time and made me feel for the characters as if it was real. I’m not normally used to enjoying books from this time era, but I was right home in an ease of reading. I loved every sentence of this book. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a well written book that transfers you to the …
I have found the “myth” of Joan fascinating and lean towards believing that she really did exist. Putting her story into a novel makes it entertaining – but also makes it hard to know what is speculation and what is not.
This is such an awesome historical fiction book…my favorite of this genre. Donna really spins Pope Joan’s tale realistically that you can actually see how Joan, a girl, succeeded in her life.
This is one of the best works of historical fiction I have ever read. The dark ages lived through the eyes of an ordinary girl who against all odds manages to become Pope and who will end up being written out of history – other than for a few traces here and there.
Inspiring at every page, deeply moving, with an incredible end – that I won’t …
Fiction woven into know facts that presented an interesting biography and arguments for her existence. Certainly lets you know what the church thought of women.
One of my all-time favorite books.
This is one of my favorite novels of all time. I was completely absorbed from start to finish. Gorgeously written.
It wan an informative read.
A truly epic work of historical fiction that was informative and intriguing. I personally
would have never imagined that this book could be such an unpredictable page turner, but it was and I loved it:)
The book as you read one page urged you to read the next. Read in one sitting
I enjoyed this book so much that I read it twice!
If only it could have been.
Wonderful reading! I had no clue there was once a woman pope.
It brought to life how women had no rights and how men thought women could not even think on their own.
I enjoyed this book very much, highly recommend.
Was interesting in the beginning but began to become too wordy. I didn’t finish it
A fascinating look into the Dark Ages and the little known circumstances that surround the probability that during these perilous times, especially for women of learning, such a woman could rise through the ranks of the all male clergy to become Pope.