What I'm Reading Now:

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Pope Joan

Title: Pope Joan

Author: Donna Woolfolk Cross

Pages: 422

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Nobody really knows whether or not Pope Joan actually existed.  She was born more than a millennium ago and had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, but at the time girls were not allowed to study and learn.  When her brother is killed by marauding Vikings, she takes up his cloak and identity and enters training in the monastery at Fulda.  From then on, her genius, compassion and abilities took her to Rome, where eventually she was elected as the Supreme Pontiff.

My Review: I love books like this that take a story from the dark ages and bring it to life injecting details and storylines.  Based on what I've read about Pope Joan, I believe that she actually existed in history and even sat on the throne of St. Peter for a time.  All of the other details from the book are completely fiction, and are generally believeable, but there are some that are a bit of a stretch.

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