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sbauer378's review
3.0
3.5 stars. While the writing was decently good, at times it was hard to remember the timeline and geography. I wish the author had included her maps and timeline of events in the beginning of the book or at various points asking the way, not at the end.
It is also unclear at times where the author falls on the issue of whether Joan is a saint that actually heard the voices of angels, which I think detracts from the historical facts. The author often presents her so-called miracles without ever once talking about how five centuries and the mythologizing of Joan has diluted historical facts.
Finally, I disliked all the references to the various plays and movies made about Joan. Those are pieces of fiction and have no place being analyzed in what is supposed to be a look into Joan's actual like.
It is also unclear at times where the author falls on the issue of whether Joan is a saint that actually heard the voices of angels, which I think detracts from the historical facts. The author often presents her so-called miracles without ever once talking about how five centuries and the mythologizing of Joan has diluted historical facts.
Finally, I disliked all the references to the various plays and movies made about Joan. Those are pieces of fiction and have no place being analyzed in what is supposed to be a look into Joan's actual like.
mccaggers's review against another edition
4.0
I wish more nonfiction books were written as if they were magical realism or literary fiction.
jandi's review against another edition
2.0
I give up. I am having serious trouble following the narrative. The author goes off into tangents frequently, and spends way too much time describing scenes of Joan's life from movies. It is too disjointed, nothing seems to be tying the story together.
katymvt's review
2.0
Was this a book about Joan of Arc the person, or Joan or Arc the character? i only ask because there are sooo many quotes from books and movies made about her. Moreso, than from contemporaries.
kiminohon's review
3.0
Joan of Arc’s story makes for fascinating history: A teenaged peasant girl declares herself a messenger of God, cuts her hair, crossdresses, and convinces the Dauphin to allow her to lead the French army. Then Joan kicks some medieval English ass, helps get the Dauphin crowned King of France but is captured by the English. At her trial, she upstages some of the best legal/ecclesiastical scholars of her day but gets burned at the stake for heresy anyway. It’s truly compelling stuff.
In addition to the history, Harrison interweaves interpretations of Joan’s life in art, literature and film so we can see how different eras and schools of thought have interpreted Joan and her story. From heretic to saint to schizophrenic. From nationalist icon to social activist to feminist warrior. Joan’s life has been viewed through different lenses and Harrison coalesces them here into one interesting narrative.
In addition to the history, Harrison interweaves interpretations of Joan’s life in art, literature and film so we can see how different eras and schools of thought have interpreted Joan and her story. From heretic to saint to schizophrenic. From nationalist icon to social activist to feminist warrior. Joan’s life has been viewed through different lenses and Harrison coalesces them here into one interesting narrative.
spacestationtrustfund's review
2.0
Not everything has to be a phallic metaphor, y'know? Sometimes an arrow that gets shot at you is just an arrow.