Synopsis: Pope
Joan: A Novel, by Cross, Donna Woolfolk
My thoughts: oh, how I’ve wished for this book to be real! Not
that I don’t believe in Johanna’s existence, on the contrary, but I wish that
they didn’t erase all the data about her. I know this is a story made of
fiction, but I want to believe that
she existed. Why did they have to destroy all evidence of her just because of
religion pride? Why didn’t they just hide it in the Vatican’s library in a
private part that only a few knew how to find? So that those historical pieces
weren’t lost?! How could they?
Johanna was born at the same day
that Carlos Magno died, January 28, 814 A.D. Hated by her father for being a
woman but loved by her mother and older brother, little Johanna showed a great
ability to write and read, better even than her middle brother Johannes. From
that on, she showed not only those skills, but also the ability of
argumentation and rhetoric, bringing her to the school of Dorstadt, where she
was educated, something that for a woman in the beginning of the Middle Ages
was unthinkable! However, she was bullied by her colleagues for her sex,
forcing her to disguise her female characters with bandages and starting to
behave like a man. When her brother Johannes was killed by Vikings, she took
her chance and went for the monastery of Fulda under her brother’s name. That
is just a few things that happened in the story, just to name you guys a few.
Even though most of this was a
fiction – like, how would someone (male, because female didn’t know how to
write), in the Middle Ages, keep record of a girl’s childhood in a small
village, as well as her life in a monastery as a man? – the more important
historical facts were real. They can deny the existence of her, but I like to
think that she existed.
My only difficulties were with
the vocabulary. The author used words related to the Vatican, such as the names
of each person in the Vatican’s hierarchy, the names of the clothes the Pope’s
used and the priests, making me go through the dictionary over and over, as
well as looking for images at the Google. It was kind of a pain, but it is good
to see how big and complex is the system of the Vatican, and there are still
some words that I don’t know and never will! Another thing that was really hard for me was the Latin. Since I'm not used with the language at all, I had a hard time with it, but luckily they used to put the translated sentence right after so most of the time I could get by with it. Because of this details that were essential to the book but very difficult not just to me but I think that for many readers as well, I think that this book is more recommendable for some one well-studied or a professional like a theologist or something, but it was a great book nonetheless.
I liked the ending, but it was a
little unsatisfying. For me, a perfect ending was to see Anastacio’s execution
because I don’t think that just being banned from Rome and not being able to
get to his goods ever again isn’t a punishment good enough for what he did. For
God’s sake, he tried to steal the Pope’s throne! Even though the Pope was dead
already, it would be considered high treason and if it were the case, how could
he eventually get to the librarian position? I think that they should have done
his execution at public and when he was going to be punished he looked around
and saw Johanna in her popery clothes and looking calmly to him. He then would
have started screaming things like “witch” and “whore” and she would only move
her lips and he would sooth down and dies. After all this scene, the author
would right what Johanna said: “I forgive you, Anastacio, and welcome to the
reins of Heaven.” The part of Arnalda could stay the same, because I liked it,
but I think that this ending for Anastacio would be better than the one of him living
until his eighties and something. Someone else could write the book.
Rate:
and a half
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