Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Renee at It’s Book Talk. Throwback Thursday is an awesome opportunity to share old favorites as well as older books in our TBR. I love this idea as I only started blogging about two years ago. Therefore, I have lots of old favorites to talk about. While I may not remember all of the details needed to write a complete review, I’m happy to share the thoughts and impressions that have remained with me long after I finished the book.
My pick of the the week is:
Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
The Blurb:
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 . . .
In this international bestseller, Cross brings the Dark Ages to life in all their brutal splendor and shares the dramatic story of a woman whose strength of vision led her to defy the social restrictions of her day.
My Thoughts:
Pope Joan is one of my all-time favorite book club reads. If you like historical fiction with strong female characters, this is one you don’t want to miss. I’m not sure I would have picked it up on my own as I don’t tend to gravitate toward books set in Rome during that era. I find they can be full of gratuitous bloodshed and require you to memorize the names of approximately one thousand warriors. This was not the case with Pope Joan, however. I was hooked from the beginning!
Sadly, this seems to be the only published novel by Donna Woolfolk Cross. Her website indicates that it took her seven years to research this novel so I’m still holding out hope that she’ll write another.
Cheers!
Ooooh. I am always looking for great new book club books. This one sounds like a winner. I would love this story to be true on some level…
I completely understand what you mean about wanting more books from authors. Writing is quite a challenge for my blog– I cannot imagine writing a novel! But if Erin Morgenstern doesn’t write another novel some day I might just die. I LOVE her writing.
It may be true. I did some Googling and there have been many rumors about a pope who was found to be a woman after giving birth in the middle of the road. They say she has been removed from history because of the shame it brought to the church. I’d also like to believe it.
I still haven’t read The Night Circus. I was on the fence about it for book club when it first came out but the reviews seemed very mixed though most are favorable. Do you think it’s a good book club pick?
I totally want to believe that. What an amazing story!
I definitely think it’s a good book club pick. Like you pointed out, most reviews are favorable. But there is a lot to unpack about the ethics and morals of the characters, how they interact, the imagery, and … well, even around why people like or dislike the book. It’s one of those books where the ending captured me so much I wanted to talk about it forever. In fact, you can find the discussion questions I wrote for this book on my blog: <a href="http://deathbytsundoku.com/wordpress/discussion-questions/the-night-circus-discussion-questions/"The Night Circus Discussion Questions
This looks like a perfect book club read! After reading your discussion questions, I’m even more interested in reading it.
Yay! I’m super glad you feel that way. Let me know if your book club reads it; I’d love to hear how that goes!
Will do!:)
I can’t believe I’ve found someone else who has read & loved this one! I read this one years ago. I also would never have picked it up, but my Aunt told me I HAD to read it. I typically shy away from “religious” books not wanting to be preached at, but this book was so much more!
You’re the first person outside of my book club that I know that’s read it. I’m so glad you liked it too. I don’t much like religious books in general either but I agree – this book is so much more and not preachy at all.