A review by gretchen3
The Last Days of Jeanne d'Arc by Ali Alizadeh

5.0

I found out about this book through another friend, and she was very enthusiastic about it. Considering how many times the story of Joan of Arc has been told, this one went out on a limb style and with the idea. The author has written poetry previously, and the style reflected that - short sharp, incomplete sentences, shifting point of view - from a omnipotent narrator, to first person from Joan, and addressing the reader directly. And the sheer idea of looking at Joan's story and imagining that she was a woman loving woman who had been promised that suffering through the war would lead her to the woman that God wanted her to love. As a queer woman who struggles with my faith and sexuality, this story was so very important. I was moved towards tears more than once, as Joan's story ended the same way, but with the promise that she would meet God, her Voices and her love in heaven. The style may not be for everyone, but once you adjust to it, it is beautiful.