Pope Joan

Title: Pope Joan
Author: Donna Woolfolk Cross
Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: Kindle
Pages: 434
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:

My Thoughts

I didn’t love POPE JOAN, but I did like it. I really felt for Joan. I hated that no one would let her do things simply because she was a woman. I know that’s how life was in the 800s, but it still angered me. I also hated reading about the religious intolerance. Any person at any time could be accused of heresy or witchcraft simply because they acted, spoke, or believed differently than the church wanted them to.

The story’s premise was very interesting. I wonder if it’s true at all or if it is just a legend. It seems like it could be true because if there had been a female pope at that time, she would’ve been stricken from the records. But, how likely could any of this happen? I don’t know. All we can do is speculate and wonder.

I thought characters (or people) felt a bit shallow. Even though I really liked Joan and felt for the injustice she endured, I could’ve been more invested in her life as a character if the story hadn’t gone by so quickly. The ending felt rushed compared to the rest of the book, which is saying something.