Papisa Ivana

This extraordinary novel brings her legend to life, portraying an unforgettable figure who fought with all her heart against the constraints of society. When her older brother is killed in a Viking raid, the brilliant young Joan assumes his identity and enters a Benedictine monastery, where, under the name John the English, she is educated as a priest and physician. Leaving the monastery, she travels to Rome, where she becomes entangled in a dangerous circle of power, passion, and politics, risking her life constantly as she climbs to the highest throne in the Western world. In this thrilling international bestseller, the author relives the Dark Ages in all their brutal glory and brings us the story of a woman whose courage makes her a timeless heroine.