Joan

The Mysterious Life of the Heretic Who Became a Saint

By: Donald Spoto

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Since her death at the age of 19 in 1431, Joan of Arc has maintained a remarkable hold on our collective imagination.

During the tumultuous Hundred Years War between England and France, a young peasant girl nicknamed "The Maid" (La Pucelle) followed her heart and came to the aid of her nation. Facing unimaginable odds, Joan's belief in her mission from God continued to propel her forward. Within months, she was directing soldiers and bravely fighting for her nation. Joan became a national hero and was the guest of honor at her king's coronation. However, her success and fame ultimately and ironically became her undoing.

Best-selling biographer Donald Spoto uses newly translated transcripts of Joan's trial to deliver an intimate portrait of this extraordinary woman. Neither wife nor nun, neither queen nor noblewoman, neither philosopher nor stateswoman, Joan showed the world that anyone who follows her or his heart has the power to change history.

©2007 Donald Spoto (P)2007 Tantor Media Inc.

Critic reviews

"Basing much of his research on newly translated transcripts of Joan's trial, Spoto breathes new life into an old subject." (Booklist)

fascinating

I was fascinated by this woman. In that day and age, at her young age, to be so clever and poised, so convicted in her beliefs. Something to aspire to, but so sad what pride causes us to do to another.

The Most Balanced Account I've Read About Joan

Mark Twain did not see himself as a religious man, and yet he was still captivated by the story of Joan of Arc. I share in Twain's fascination, and I've read a handful of accounts about the Maid of Orleans over the years. Some were in the larger context of the Hundred Years War, others were varying accounts trying to distinguish if Joan was just psychotic or not. Up until this particular biography, I've felt like the only account to actually attempt to understand Joan within her own time and circumstances was the historical fiction account that Twain himself wrote.

This book is quite possibly the most fair and balanced account of Joan I've ever had the privilege to read. Instead of dismissing claims as "it could not happen, therefore it didn't," Spoto instead looks at the facts and tries to make sense of them in more broad strokes. He compares Joan's story with Biblical stories and alongside religious figures ranging from Jesus to Mohammed to Buddha, pointing out the parallel themes and ideas. He tries to offer explanations that toe the line between the mystical and the simply human, and to my mind he walks that tightrope quite admirably. It's a completely new paradigm that explores the tale in terms of how it would appear to those in 15th century France and dares to suggest that, regardless of what your own spiritual background may or may not be, there is indeed something special about one called Joan of Arc.

Presented as based on primary sources

This was interesting and among one of my favorites of several biographies on Joan of Arc that I started. I didn’t love the choice of the male narrator doing Joan’s voice. At least not this specific deep voiced one. Otherwise the narration was good.

Questionable Credibility

This is an enjoyable and possibly good account of Saint Joan. However, the author states that Jesus was a disciple of John the Baptist. Why he makes that erroneous claim is beyond comprehension. Needless to say, Christians will reject that bogus assertion and in my case, question the fidelity of everything else conveyed in this book.

A Great Account of the Life of Joan of Arc

Spoto does a fine job relating an objective account of the life of Joan of Arc, from the perspective of a believer. The book was immensely interesting and it was refreshing to hear it told by one who shared a love of God and truth. The narration was also excellent, except for the fluctuation in volume mentioned by others when reading transcripts of Joan's trial. But that's a minor distraction to an otherwise great narration and deeply moving story.