Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross

In the 9th century, education and literacy were very rare.  Very few men learned to read and write and even fewer women.  Joan yearns to read and write and learn but finds that her sex stands in the way.  When her brother is murdered in a viking raid she seizes the opportunity and assumes his identity.  As she works her way up the ranks in the church she finds ample opportunity to pursue her love of learning.  Eventually, Joan is elected pope, where she serves for a very short time before she is exposed as a woman.

I had never heard of Pope Joan before I read this book so I’ll give you the condensed version in case you’re as ignorant as I was.  There’s a legend about a female pope who rose to power in the mid-9th century.  There is some evidence to support this legend but just as much, if not more, that does not support the theory of a female pope.  Apparently, historians have not able to reach an agreement on whether or not Pope Joan actually existed.

I found this book to be so-so.  My biggest complaint is that it was a little heavy on the details.  I just found there were far too many descriptions of places, things and ceremonies.  I realize that as historical fiction it’s to be expected but it was just too much for me.  In some parts I really felt that it took away from the story and made it seem drawn-out and boring.  When I was able to get past the extra detail and really get into the meat of the story, it was actually quite engaging.

And what an intriguing subject.  True or not, it’s definitely a fascinating idea.  And whether or not Pope Joan existed, there are certainly other examples of women who impersonated men in history.  It made me wonder how many others there were that we don’t even know about.  And who could blame them?  It made me realize just how lucky I am to be living in the time and place I do.  I don’t think I could handle being treated the way women were in Pope Joan’s time.  (Or the way they are in other parts of the world today, for that matter.)

I really know nothing about the 9th century and I had to do some research on the politics in the world at the time which was fascinating.  It’s a period of time that I’ve never read about before and every historical detail was new to me.  I’ve always kind of wondered what happened after the fall of the Roman Empire and this book filled in some of those blank spots for me.  I really wish that Cross had included a map of some of the places that were described in the novel.  (It was simple enough to look up online but it just would have been handier if it had been in the book.)

Overall, the book was well written, educational, and entertaining.  I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction or women’s literature.