“Joan” by Katherine J Chen

Did I say I don’t like reading about war? Maybe that’s because I'd never read about war waged by a woman. 

I'd never heard of this book (or its author) before, though I'd certainly heard of Joan of Arc. In third grade, we were required to dress up as a historical figure and present an oral biography about them in front of the class, and I did mine about Joan. Standing up before all those vicious kids and making a speech one time was hard enough for a painfully shy girl, but then my classmates voted for me to be filmed doing a repeat performance for our school's weekly news show. (I have always thought of that as an intentional punishment rather than a reward or honor.) Needless to say, this is something that stuck in my memory, as horrifying experiences tend to do. But even without the childhood trauma, I think I would have carried a lifelong fascination for Joan of Arc. She's one of those historical figures surrounded by an intense aura of mythology. I always wanted to know more, even if I knew I would never really be able to get at the whole truth. 

So during our last browse in Half Price Books, while constrained by the knowledge that I really REALLY don't need to buy any more books because (even if I'm here for another five decades) I likely don't have enough life left to live to make it through all of the unread books I already own, when I saw the spine that simply said JOAN, I was immediately drawn to pick up this book. And I was pretty eager to get to it. This wasn't going to be one of those books I still haven't read ten (or twenty!) years after I bought it. 

When I did get started on it, it didn't grab me right away, and I'm not sure it ever really reached critical mass, but I really REALLY enjoyed reading it. It starts with Joan's childhood in Domrémy and follows her to Chinon where she serves the Dauphin (Charles VII of France) by leading his army to amazing military victories. Joan's story is captivating enough on its own, but in Chen's hands it was shaped into an eminently readable tale. I especially loved the way the author explained the mythology of Joan. There was really nothing supernatural about it (despite Joan's preternatural abilities). In this story, Joan never had visions from God; religion was merely used as a means to an end by those in power around her. 

I thought the way Joan was written may have been influenced by Game of Thrones. I could see Arya in Joan (specifically as relates to her revenge list), but in my mind she looked a lot like a dark-haired Brienne of Tarth. Speaking of which, Joan was described far differently than I ever remember hearing before. The Joan I expected was a mere slip of a girl, holy and pious, emboldened only by God; the Joan of this book was very strong, skilled at all physical feats, and practically a giantess. She was emboldened by her own talents, though without the inflated ego that would typically be encountered in someone so gifted; she had all the qualities of a man with none of the flaws. 

Do you know how Joan of Arc's life ended?  If you don't, well . . . I must say I don't believe in six-century-old historical spoilers. But strangely, it wasn't until page 140 when the memory suddenly hit me, and I went cold: Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for heresy and witchcraft. That knowledge lent a gravity to the remainder of the book. What would have to happen for Joan to go from the savior of Orléans to the ash heap? I dreaded what I imagined would be the ultimate rotisserie scene. So I'm happy to tell you that the book ended before Joan's life did! I was not disappointed by that fact.