Chen’s hands, the myth and legend of Joan of Arc is transformed into a flesh-and-blood young woman: reckless, steel-willed, and brilliant. From this chaos emerges a teenage girl who will turn the tide of battle and lead the French to victory, becoming an unlikely hero whose name will echo across the centuries. France is mired in a losing war against England. “A secular reimagining and feminist celebration of the life of Joan of Arc that transforms the legendary saint into a flawed yet undeniable young woman.”- USA Todayġ412. “It is as if Chen has crept inside a statue and breathed a soul into it, re-creating Joan of Arc as a woman for our time.”-Hilary Mantel, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Booker Prize winner Wolf Hall If every generation gets the Joan it deserves, ours could do worse than an ass-kicking, avenging angel fighting simply for the right to fight.”- The New York Times Book Review Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.“This is not your grandmother’s St. I laughed, cried, and felt so much all the way through. This retelling of Joan of Arc is how I’d like to think she actually was: a flesh and blood woman, courageous, driven by a multitude of motivations.
It’s also written beautifully, told from Joan’s perspective, yet all encompassing.
I felt immersed into both the period and the location, and subsequently, became highly invested in the story. Not just on Joan herself, but also on the political, religious, and social history of the era. There is so much research that has gone into this novel that is evident throughout the story. You walk with a spring in your step toward a destination yet unknown.’ Your heart may be breaking, but you don’t let it show, not on your face or in your eyes. Particularly when it is someone as legendary as Joan of Arc, I was nothing but filled with anticipation for this novel and it more than lived up to my own personal expectations. I know that some people are hesitant when it comes to fictional retellings of the lives and doings of real people, but I’m not one of them. I do really love a good feminist retelling.
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