Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

Joan by Katherine J. Chen

7 reviews

semperlunaris's review

Go to review page

emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

legs_n_chins's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional inspiring tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I think I’m just not a fan of war stories lol. Through most of the middle sections I found myself less absorbed than the beginning, and I thought it was a little meandering at times. Ironically, as I’ve just said that I don’t like war stories, I thought the battle scenes were really strong. Chen does a fantastic job laying out just how bloody battles are and describing the chaos and fear on a battlefield. The atmosphere she’s able to create is very effective in these parts. But beyond that, I struggled to decide what I did or did not really like about the book.

What struck me most was the final meeting with Joan, the Queen, and Yolande. This is where I really felt the roots of feminism in the story, when they were saying that Joan had so much further to fall. That she’s been reduced back to a woman and that’s all. Joan really reconciling that the stakes have always been so much higher for her. The last part of the book was probably the strongest for me because I did find it more interesting when Joan faced defeat and those interpersonal and existential conflicts. It was great when she won, when we celebrated with her and saw her getting deserved praise, but I ended up feeling just slightly more detached from her then. Maybe because Joan wasn’t meant to be in court like that and Chen really effectively conveyed that between the lines. Or maybe just because I like seeing the characters I love suffer a little.

I did waver around those parts with the feeling of “strong female character can punch good.” When Joan grew and was demonstratively good with weapons with little training. I was perfectly willing to suspend disbelief, I did want to see her succeed in these things and I was pretty thrilled when she loosed that first arrow, but it was dulled by, admittedly, my own cynicism. I understand why Chen had Joan be this physically imposing person and the ways she reflected masculinity in her dress and company, and I don’t think this falls under the trope of making a strong female character only physically strong ultimately. It’s just what was on my mind, which dampened some of my enjoyment.

I did like Joan overall, and she made for a very good protagonist. The voice Chen chose for her felt absolutely spot on and I liked her being a strategist and so determined and goal oriented. That felt very relatable (and as such I also am going to personally claim her as an aroace queen) and I liked the way the character was developed. That said, I wish we’d gotten a little more from the other characters. The King is fleshed out pretty well, Catherine and Jacques and Laxart work, but even some of Joan’s friends I just didn’t feel like we really knew them. Even at the end, when Jean pledged his allegiance to Joan, I found it very touching but I realized that beyond his position in her household and these moments of loyalty and affection, he essentially had no character at all. Which I found a little sad because I would’ve liked more of him. (If I consider it in a meta sense I wonder if Chen purposefully left many of the men as somewhat two dimensional because of how often women are left unexplored in so many stories. And I like that even if I wanted to get a little more out of the side characters lol.)

I think Chen’s writing style bumped this up at least a half star for me. There’s something very lyrical I found, but not teetering into overly poetic. It’s really flowing and beautiful. As I mentioned previously, she creates atmosphere so well and I really appreciate how she can set a scene. I liked reading this book because every word was such a pleasure to absorb. A lot of what kept me turning to the next page even way after my bedtime was Chen’s writing. Just wanting to know how she would hook me with the first sentence of a new chapter, or how she was describe a place, or what little detail she would throw in to really ground the moment and solidify the picture. I definitely would read more of her work for the writing style alone.

Overall, I like her version of Joan d’Arc and I think she paints a very compelling portrait of her life. Her strength of will, her resilience, and above all, her kindness and belief in the human spirit.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

withlivjones's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging hopeful slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Some books are sprints, and you can power through at least 100 pages a day. Some books are marathons. This is one such book. It took me nearly three months to get through it, when it would usually take me less than a week to read another book of the same length. Don’t get me wrong, the writing is often very good, particularly the sections where the narration goes into Joan’s internal monologue and she thinks an entire speech that she can’t say out loud because she’s a woman. But the book is so incredibly slow-paced and dense that it takes an awful lot of brain power to take in the prose. It got interesting around two thirds in, but it shouldn’t take two thirds of a book for it to get interesting. It’s a good book, but I would have definitely rated it higher had it been about 100 pages shorter. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kchessrice's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional informative inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“Before each battle, the foot soldiers, artillerymen, and sappers will bend their heads and call my name. They will say, Joan, give me strength and courage, and I shall hear them, wherever I am. I can never die.” 

What a thumping good historical fiction novel! Joan is a character that comes to life as a fully developed character - shaped by her harsh childhood in a small French village during the 100 Years War and becoming the legendary heroic figure (and eventual saint) that we remember today. The narrative is told in a way very similar in style to Hilary Mantel's "Wolf Hall" trilogy; we are with Joan the whole time as though just looking at what is happening from standing in line with her shoulder. 

The descriptions of Joan in her shining battle armour and her incredible strength/prowess in battle reminded me of the portrayal of Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones! Which then led me to thinking whether George R.R. Martin was inspired to write such a character into his novels by the legend of Joan of Arc. 

Going into this novel I had no knowledge of Joan of Arc whatsoever (other than she was French and met a horrible end...) and I don't think that affected my enjoyment of this book at all. 

One to pick up if you enjoy historical fiction with a feminist edge, action-packed and pacy storytelling with vivid descriptions of people and place. 

TW: Child abuse/animal death/battle injury
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

imlfox's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous informative reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

just_one_more_paige's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 
Fun fact about me: I was obsessed with the story of Joan of Arc when I was in elementary school. I went to Catholic School through 6th grade and honestly, there were not a lot of actively inspiring women in the religious mythology of Catholicism. Like, men who were saints had stories about fighting dragons and shit, but women who were saints were mostly the victims of terrible societal violence in some way, or otherwise "pure" in an inaccessible way (impossible standards and not really anything one would want to live up to). Anyways, enter Joan of Arc. Definitely a victim of horrific end of life violence, and some weird purity stuff, BUT she also had armour and a sword and fought in wars and generally just seemed really badass. I have very distinct memories of my dad helping me make a spear out of a dowel and some cardstock for a class presentation I was doing about her. Needless to say, this historical fiction of her life was an absolute "must read" for me. 
 
In this retelling of the mythology of Joan of Arc's epic story, Chen breathes life into the women (girl, really), in an incredibly vibrant way. Starting with historical context about the contemporary state of the seemingly endless war between France and England, the reader is dropped right into rural France in the 1400s. Joan's childhood is described with a detailed and realistic touch, from the proxy wars fought between village children to the brutality of her relationship with her father, from her vagabond uncle's influence in her life to the closeness between her and her sister, and finally the tragedy that ensues when English soldiers overrun their village and how that starts Joan down the path of of becoming one of the most famous warriors not only of the Hundred Years War, but also of the entirety of  France's history, at only 17 years old. Facing violence of the physical sort on the battlefield and of the political sort at court, she fights for her country, her sister, and to prove to everyone that women deserve power, glory, and respect.    
 
Well, I admit that I am fully biased, but I absolutely loved this novel. From the beginning, Chen brings it with the sense of time and place. Just a really evocative historical setting, from the physical/location to the social-political to the characterization (in ways both fictional and nonfictional). The opening chapter takes the reader through a gorgeously horrible portrayal of the senselessness of war within the context of a youthful "game." And the violence and terror of that first scene sets up the themes of the rest of the story perfectly. That attention to detail in the experiences of Joan's childhood, so that the reader can reference back to the individual and specific lessons learned, as they are applied throughout her later life, are woven together so smoothly. 
 
War plays a major role in Joan's story, literally and thematically, of course, and Chen explored the violence and upheavals of it, in both peasant and high society lifestyles, in clear and central ways. The visceral portrayal of the effects of war, specific to this historical moment, is incredibly affecting, especially in Joan’s “normal" [female] person perspective. Considering the look at both the short and long term tragedies and sorrows that war brings the toll it takes and what it leaves behind, it really makes you understand and empathize with so many of the choices she makes (in general and in particular at her young age). There’s a few page section where Joan describes to the Dauphin "what she knows of war” and the greed for wealth/power that inspires it, and it is…phew, intense. I felt that it was an unexpected crux of the novel, as it was really just a reflective, if pointed, conversation, and not the action itself. 
 
Another overarching theme, or really more of an exploration, was how Joan's folklore was created. I loved this more secular take, in the retelling, on how a small group took advantage of belief and faith to manipulate the people. This effort was led in no small part, by women, because those tactics and tools were the only ones at hand to use the gifts they had in order to make their cause successful. And Chen did a great job keeping belief deeply intertwined with the story, addressing the faith and religious fervor that made Joan the figurehead she became, as well as a more introspective dive into Joan's own religious questioning and philosophy. I felt like this was such an important consideration, as Joan grapples with how she is "blessed" with such a terrible strength/skill (can being great at killing really be a gift from God?) and how to compromise her own faith with the horrors allowed by that God, the one that is supposedly so involved in so many aspects of war. But seriously, to bring it back around, the way storytelling makes a reputation, a legend, grow (and later how similar tactics were used by political enemies to bring her down again) was enthralling to follow. 
 
A few other things I want to mention. First, the positive or observational. I love (*sarcasm*) that a big strong woman with skill in fighting and weapons can’t be natural... she must be a miracle or gift from god (*eye roll*). The passage where Joan first shoots the bow, the way she sinks into the experience and is carried away by it, by the transcendence of the moment, was written so gorgeously; it was so moving. I don't  know if this was intentional or not, but I was here for the ace coding on Joan's purity/virginity - a fantastic reclaiming of sexuality and reframing of this ridiculous patriarchal religious BS part of her mythos. Next, the less positive. The only real "complaint" I have is that there was some unevenness in the pacing of the story, with the end wrapping up quickly in comparison to the depth of exposition earlier on. However, I partly understand the choice because that is what builds the Joan we then feel we understand, when we get to the later stages of her life. And being left with extensive details of Joan's losses and failures and (horrific) death is perhaps not the legacy that Chen wants the reader to remember most or be left with. I respect that. It just felt a little unevenly handled. Also, and this often frustrates me in fiction about women, there is no mention of menstruation ever... Now, maybe the lack of nutrition or (with all the commentary on her size, etc.) maybe a hormone situation *could* explain her not having one. And yet, I would have liked some recognition/discussion of that part of her female-ness and how it might have been handled within the context of her atypical life. 
 
And now, back to how much I loved this book. I love where it ended. This story of Joan in her own perspective, closing out with her belief in herself and her impact on the future, was just right. We all know the gruesome ending, and it’s insinuated, but it is not the image of her we are left with and that is beautiful to me. The narrative style and tone are just right for this work. Chen takes a figure who has since been…purified…into something that cannot have been the "truth" recreating her humanity to make her something real. Joan was charismatic but flawed, proud and angry but with a focus on making things better for French people and women. She was perhaps blessed, and faith gave her strength, but that would have been nothing without her own courage and leadership and personality to make things happen. Joan just comes alive in Chen’s hands; what an honor, an homage, to the memory of a strong, inspiring, unbelievable woman. 
 
“There are no happy stories, just stories that make you feel grateful you weren't born somewhere else…” 
 
“You must make your own map of the world. Search out your own piece of sky and patch of earth, your own awning to sleep under when it is raining and it feels the sun may never shine again, for there will certainly be such days. No one can walk this path for you. You cannot simply follow in another's footsteps, as though life were a complicated dance, every turn and twist memorized and prepared for ahead of time. There are many things in the world one can inherit: money, land, power, a crown. But an adventure is not one of them; you must make your own journey.” 
 
“How can compassion, temperance, mercy, which are all features of the Virgin, serve you against men such as these? The answer is, they can’t.” 
 
“But I will tell you something I have learned in my forty--eight years. Either a woman must be raised high, higher than the heads of men, or she will be crushed beneath their feet. So, we must raise you high. We must raise you to the height of the heavens themselves. We must dress you in the very mantle of God. Do you understand, Joan?” 
 
“But one must fight for what one loves [...] Or else it will not be heard for others to take it from you.” 
 
“She learns: It's not always armies that win a battle. Sometimes it’s fear.” 
 
“War is like a box. Once you open it, there is no way to close it again, to unsee what you have seen.” 
 
“She can understand how God would inspire poets and artists. She can picture angels breathing sweet music into the ears of the dozing troubadour. But does a talent for slaughter count as a heavenly gift, too?” 
 
“Pain is like this. You endure it, and if you live through it, eventually it becomes something else.” 
 
“Those who do nothing, who stand by and watch as chaos unravels, who feel that as long as they are alive and in good health, it does not matter what else is happening in front of them, why should they be innocent? They are guilty, too.” 
 
“Goodness is just as capable of torment; it thaws the heart and fills up the soul, then leaves in its wake a pit so deep it can never be whole again.” 
 
“I am the greatest warrior alive. [...] I am the performer of miracles. [...] What are you, other than a king?” 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

erinj_96's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I was hoping this would be the ‘Song of Achilles’ for feminist rage and unfortunately it was not.  There are many good passages about being a girl and a strong woman and how men view that and those were very real and evocative.  Catherine’s story is heartbreaking.  I think this Joan, while completely unrealistic physically, is very realistic internally.  Many women are angry and want to avenge the people who have hurt them and their loved ones.  I think the relationship between her and God is also good as she questions why things have happened the way they have.  The writing style was a bit dense and it felt like it took a long time for the book to get going.  I wish it was a little more concise and action packed.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...