Joan: The Mysterious Life of the Heretic Who Became a Saint

"Joan: The Mysterious Life Of The Heretic Who Became A Saint," is the only book I have read about Joan of Arc that confronts her Voices head on. And she is incomprehensible unless her Voices are taken seriously as a religious experience - the way Joan took them. The "voices" in her head could have told Joan anything, but they couldn't have enabled her, a 17 year old, illiterate, peasant girl, to ride a warhorse, wield a lance, place artillery - or confound and humiliate dozens of doctors of theology and civil law.Her enemies attributed their crushing defeats at the hand of Joan to Satan; not even they were superstitious enough to attribute her courage, competence, composure, and inundating intellect - like a spring tide - to schizophrenia or "tuberculosis of the brain." Yet they called Charles the Mad, the late king of France, and father of the Dauphin that Joan brought to his coronation as Charles VII, "Charles the Mad," not "Charles the Possessed." They knew about madness, and organic disease - why do you think they had medical doctors? Joan of Arc DID things; she did not just "believe" things. That she DID these things is incontrovertible; hostile and sympathetic witnesses agree with that, and there are plenty of extant contemporaneous documents to prove it. The author is very effective in documenting this, and explaining it. The book is fast paced, even exciting, to read. The author does an especially good job of describing the torturous conditions Joan was subjected to during her imprisonment at Rouen. Also, the author shows how lawless and obscene Joan's Stalinist show-trial was compared to regular trials conducted by the Inquisition (pages 120, 121, 123, and 124, among many others).A couple of quibbles: there are no maps and no index.The book is "pro" Joan of Arc, some might even say biased in her favour. I thought the book was concise, definitive, and a breath of fresh air. There is a remarkable reference to Mark Twain's novel "Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc" on page 204. Mark Twain clearly loved Joan of Arc, and Winston Churchill did also (page 203). Humbly, I join them.

Transcripts of the trial are the reason for the 4 star rating. It was eye-opening to read her own words - an illiterate peasant taking on the learned Church Leaders, playing by her own rules and besting them at every turn.First biography of Joan that I have read written by a practicing Catholic - which adds another dimension to her story that some will dislike and others will enjoy - but as the most prominent feature of her values and her life, it cannot be discounted.

Donald Spoto takes a departure from the pop-culture biography and applies his efforts toward the life of a young woman whose name is recognized by practically everyone, but whose life, although very well documented, has been perpetuated with myth and mysticism. There is something about Joan of Arc that that draws affection and devotion from people, something beyond her remarkable exploits--something about Joan herself. As Spoto tells her story, he avoids the mythological and mystical: he does not dwell on the provenance of her sword, her seemingly divine ability to have been able to recognize the dauphin Charles, or the sudden change of wind at Orleans. He focuses instead upon the girl, in language that is often poignant and revealingly endearing.For those who have studied Joan's life, through countless books, films, poems and plays, Spoto's take will read with the freshness of clean mountain air. Those who are just now taking up Joan's life (and especially those who have only seen the movies) will probably benefit more from Spoto's telling than any other available account. He embeds a chronology into the story, sometimes a day-by-day account, which helps the reader to comprehend events. He applies some of his own translations, which helps to clarify some of the fuzzier aspects of Joan's popular interpretation, and he includes some key details that are often overlooked, such as the unrelated deaths of Joan's older brother and sister, that two other brothers joined her during her campaigns, that her mother and father met her at Reims, and that her family was in Rouen during her imprisonment and execution. These are small details, but make for a more thorough story while eliminating the embellishments that have given rise to so much mythology. Spoto shows that Joan's factual life is much more compelling than her mythological life.

This was a great read from start to finish. It is short but it covers practically every area surrounding Joan's life that I could even think about. It even addresses more modern takes on her story and how those views fit with the primary sources that this book references very often, much to its credit. I appreciate the reliance on the primary sources combined with the writer providing relevant context and commentary. It is often very thought provoking.If there's anything that might turn people off it is the theological point of view this book has.Personally, I find the book has the pitch perfect balance of history and the recognition of Joan as a religious figure. The book gives weight to the spiritual side of her story and views it with due respect. It really works in giving a compelling narrative of the events and it never feels preachy.If your preference, however, it to have Joan's voices be a footnote in political and military action during the hundred years war, this book will still give you excellent information, but you'll likely be annoyed by religion being put on a pedestal.

Donald Soto used and uncovered a wealth of information about Jeanette d'Arc. The Maid, a young girl who became a leader to set Charles VII as King of France. She ultimately ended the Hundred Year War between England and France but was burned at the stake for trumped up charges, so she never saw the results of her mission given to her by God. The voices and angels of her visions sent to her by God resulted in a new country but also her death at about 19 years old. Readers will get facts, not a novel.

Excellent read, a very clear and concise history of a mystery and brave young woman