Reviews

Pope Joan: A Novel by Donna Woolfolk Cross

pilateschick's review against another edition

3.0

I gave Pope Joan three stars, which means "I liked it". For me, to "really like it", or think "it was amazing", the book needs to be one that's hard to put down. This wasn't hard to put down because it didn't suck me in.

I have two thoughts to share:

First, this was HUGE accomplishment for a first-time novelist. Donna Cross researched the subject for seven years before writing Pope Joan, and each page oozes that painstaking work.

Second, what in the world happened to Christianity?! Okay, I know what happened, but, people!! A few hundred years go by, and most of Christ's followers morphed into something beyond anything Christlike. It's sickening to read all of the superstitions and the twistings and contortings of scripture.

aroth638's review against another edition

dark inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Where this book shines is in the research the author has clearly put a lot of care and time into and in the writing itself. I found this book to be very educational, which didn’t always translate to engaging but was always interesting. It was difficult to read about the life of a girl/woman in the first half of the book but once Joan disguised herself as a man the world of religion, politics and much more opened up to her and that was fun to explore. Overall, it’s just a matter of taste that this book wasn’t a five star read for me, it’s prose and historical accuracy were extremely well done. 

3.75/5

vanvicki's review against another edition

dark informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

jobustitch's review against another edition

2.0

I could not finish this book. I had about 60 pages left and I gave up. There is nothing terrible about the book, but I found it soooooooo boring. I just feel as if I've read this story about a hundred times before in a hundred different ways in other historical fiction. I didn't care for Joan at all and felt that there was little emotion in the book that seemed original or engaging. Bleh. I have to move on to other books now.

akalavander's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

popgoesbitty's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 rounded up to 4. What a fascinating historical figure! You sort of can't NOT write a cool book about this woman, which is what led me to the 3.5 rating. It sort of felt like if Joan wasn't such a badass historical figure, the book would've been a bit flat. Joan, as a human being, carried the book to the end--not the writing. Nevertheless, I had a good time with it.

marlisphillips's review against another edition

3.0

This was a very interesting book. Something I, as a Catholic, have never heard of. It was well-written but got a little draggy at times. The ending seemed to wrap up a little too neatly for my liking.

jess_mango's review against another edition

5.0

Pope Joan is a fascinating novel loosely based on facts. It takes place in 9th century Europe and the main character, Joan, is a woman with a strong desire for knowledge and learning. In order to gain education in the male-dominateed society she assumes the identity of her murdered brother.

m_bbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

lise_wejlby's review against another edition

1.0

En af de bøger, jeg ikke fik læst færdig. Der var mere historieundervisning end fortælling på de første 100 sider, og den greb mig bare ikke