Wednesday, June 8, 2011

16. Pope Joan

16. Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross (6/8/2011 - 6/13/2011)

I loved this book.  I don't normally read books that are specifically focused on "strong women" or anything like that -- to me, it seems like any book should be able to have a woman in the main role without it having to be labeled as a pseudo-feminist text or something silly like that and it's rare that I read a book specifically aimed at any group or idea (for example: I don't read fluffy romance novels aimed solely at women).  But I could not resist this book. Maybe its appeal lies in a woman rebuffing all of Christianity :) No matter what the reason, I could not put it down.

The plotline is pretty straightforward -- a young, brilliant girl is repressed for her gender, assumes the identity of her brother after his murder, and eventually rises to become the Pope -- but what Woolfolk has does with that plot is incredible.  She paints a fascinating picture of life in this time period, which is roughly 850 AD, and does not spare any details with what it meant to be a woman, particularly a smart woman, during that time.  She handles the historical uncertainties well (and acknowledges them at the end in a note) and balances Joan's romantic feelings and inclinations toward one character perfectly with her desire to help the Catholic people/Church from the highest office available.  Even though I know that this text is fiction, I could have easily believed in its historical accuracy -- and in fact there is some evidence that the major events of this book took place. 

I also found this book to be a fairly easy read, but that may have more to do with my Catholic upbringing/schooling than with the construction of the text itself.  Having some understanding of Catholic dogma and attitudes definitely helped me make sense of some areas of this text -- such as dissections of Biblical passages and the scenes of Joan and other scholars arguing a point by quoting scriptures back and forth at each other.  Some background knowledge too of how women have been historically treated is helpful but not as necessary.  I'd recommend this book to anyone, ultimately, although those who cling more dearly to their Catholic faith may not be thrilled with the content :)

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