Pope Joan

By: Donna Woolfolk Cross

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat

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, Donna Woolfolk 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....

©1996 , 2009 Donna Woolfolk Cross (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Whether or not one believes in Joan as Pope, this is a compelling story, filled with all kinds of lore: the brutishness of the Dark Ages, Vatican intrigue, politics and favoritism and most of all, the place of women in the Church and in the world." (Amazon.com review)
"In this colorful, richly imagined novel, Cross ably inspires a suspension of disbelief, pulling off the improbable feat of writing a romance starring a pregnant pope." ( Publishers Weekly)

A Story That All Should Read

This book is surely entertaining, but make no mistake about it, a Fable when it comes to factual matters. That does not change my mind though.
If you like a good yarn, then I do not think you will find this book disappointing in any way. The moderator was fairly good at his craft, so why not read it? The folks out in Audible Land that have animosity towards those with faith, will be happy to know that the book has nothing to do with religion, but surely a great listen or read.

Refreshingly honest

NOW I understand my father describing "women unclean" and refusing me high school Latin classes.

Wonderful narrator...

Story had so many plot holes I could sail a ship through. The most basic and obvious : Women menstruate. There is one passage about using absorbent leave, but what did she hold them up with? There were not tight underclothes. Freebleeding was common. Wearing underskirts to absorb the flow was also common. How did her robes get washed without blood being noticed? Or when she was locked in the dungeon for more than a month (was it three months?), and she walked out without anyone noticing blood caked everywhere?

Overall good story, but requires rose colored glasses to get past some of the issues.

KittyDancer

I enjoyed the Pope Joan character. But i did like the Mention of how badly women were treated. She didnt change anything for women but was clever in saving herself from that horrible treatment.

Captivating story

What did you love best about Pope Joan?

Her character---she was brilliant, honest and true to her values despite what wrath that would bring down on her.

What did you like best about this story?

It gave a very honest potrayal of the dysfunction of the Church in the treatment of women, the cruel punishments inflicted on its members and the blatant hypocrisy of the hierarchy.

What does Barbara Rosenblat bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her narration was excellent! You could tell exactly which characters she was portraying by the changes in her voice. I love the audio books because I load them on my ipod and I can listen to them when I go walking or when I'm doing boring household tasks. I have a busy life and don't have time to sit and read a book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

My heart went out to the child Joan when she was so savagelly beaten by her wicked father just because she wanted to read. Also when the monks were beaten mercilessly because they would fall asleep during their reading of the scriptures. All of this in the name of religion was appalling to me.