![]() ![]() The general idea behind Joan of Arc is sound. ![]() Unfortunately, that mega-effort did not lend itself to a readable or enjoyable book. ![]() On the contrary, I found this to be an extraordinarily well researched and cited biography. The two star rating that I'm giving Joan of Arc: A History has nothing to do with the historical accuracy of the book. In Joan of Arc: A History, Helen Castor tells this gripping story afresh: forwards, not backwards, setting this extraordinary girl within her extraordinary world where no one - not Joan herself, nor the people around her, princes, bishops, soldiers or peasants - knew what would happen next. What could be more revealing? But all is not as simple as it seems, because this is a life told backwards, in hindsight - a story already shaped by the knowledge of what Joan would become. In the transcripts, we hear first-hand testimony from Joan, her family and her friends: a rare survival from the medieval world. One trial, in 1431, condemned her the other, twenty-five years after her death, cleared her name. Burned at the stake as a heretic at the age of just nineteen. The Maid of Orleans, and the saviour of France. A warrior leading an army to victory, in an age that believes women cannot fight. A peasant girl who hears voices from God. ![]()
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