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jmpemberton's review
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Sexual violence
bessmonet's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, War, Animal death, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Child death, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
careinthelibrary's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
5.0
Joan is a stunning piece of writing. This character study is nearly unparalleled. Full of grim violence and dirt. But also, the aroma of luxurious cinnamon.
I suppose I should give a disclaimer that I've always loved Jeanne d'Arc and this version is the best I've ever encountered. This Joan is transgressive, and Chen has done away with the 'religious fervour' narrative for the better. Yes, she's a historical figure but there's scarce information that's reliably true and relatively unbiased about her and much is apocryphal. This version of Joan of Arc resonated most with my atheist nonbinary self. She is whole here. She's a literary and folkloric figure as well as a historical person.
This novel was perfect. I think of it (a month later) still so often. The memory evokes a tightness in my chest. It's special.
Highly recommend for fans of Wolf Hall and books that take political figures and make them personal and intimate.
Below are quotes that I transposed which reading because they captured the tone, voice, and emotion of the book. Potential spoilers below.
"She lays her hand on her sister's head, the movement like a blessing. What need do we have for holy women, Joan wonders, when we have sisters like Catherine? The saint for whom Catherine is named was a virgin of exceptional beauty, a scholar who spent the duration of her short, martyred life in the city of Alexandira, in the land of Egypt. But, Joan thinks, my sister must be more beautiful than even this saint, and I would climb the highest pole to heaven to dress her in the jewels she deserves, though my hands should be rubbed raw, though every finger of mine should bleed."
"She kneels, takes Catherine's hand, and presses it flat to the space over her heart. If you die, she thinks, all of my goodness dies with you, and this, here, this heart will become as hard as stone. I am afraid of what I will become. You hold my heart in your hand."
"He turns from her, chewing on that wafer. It is his last lesson to Joan: how you should approach life when its fists are pummeling you. Head up. Shoulders back. Your heart may be breaking, but you don't let it show, not on your face or in your eyes. You walk with a spring in your step toward a destination yet unknown. And your next warm meal may be hours or days away, your next bed in an inn or in a wet ditch, but in your mouth is the taste of cinnamon. The past is the past, and the dead, buried in their shrouds, must always be left behind."
"She thinks, I have become more than just myself. I am here, in this cage. But I have another body, which is unseen. I am the battle cry, the roar of spears, pikes, and poleaxes rattling. I am the sound of a hundred horses thundering down a hill and the wind that ripples through banners, the swing of a catapult, the deafening blast and explosion of cannonry. Every soldier, young and old, who goes to war shall think of me and carry me in his soul. A hundred years from now, the sound of name will still make the English shake, though my own people will look upon me tenderly, with pride and with love. 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. Here is God, in the sky and the rosy mist, ready to strike a bargain. In the roar of the waves she hears the cheers of the people — her people. She hears her sister's laughter and knows it comes from Paradise. God is listening. Into His ear, she prays. That is, she tells him: I, Joan, will return. All prayers are wishes, but this is not a wish. It is a promise."
I suppose I should give a disclaimer that I've always loved Jeanne d'Arc and this version is the best I've ever encountered. This Joan is transgressive, and Chen has done away with the 'religious fervour' narrative for the better. Yes, she's a historical figure but there's scarce information that's reliably true and relatively unbiased about her and much is apocryphal. This version of Joan of Arc resonated most with my atheist nonbinary self. She is whole here. She's a literary and folkloric figure as well as a historical person.
This novel was perfect. I think of it (a month later) still so often. The memory evokes a tightness in my chest. It's special.
Highly recommend for fans of Wolf Hall and books that take political figures and make them personal and intimate.
Below are quotes that I transposed which reading because they captured the tone, voice, and emotion of the book. Potential spoilers below.
"She lays her hand on her sister's head, the movement like a blessing. What need do we have for holy women, Joan wonders, when we have sisters like Catherine? The saint for whom Catherine is named was a virgin of exceptional beauty, a scholar who spent the duration of her short, martyred life in the city of Alexandira, in the land of Egypt. But, Joan thinks, my sister must be more beautiful than even this saint, and I would climb the highest pole to heaven to dress her in the jewels she deserves, though my hands should be rubbed raw, though every finger of mine should bleed."
"She kneels, takes Catherine's hand, and presses it flat to the space over her heart. If you die, she thinks, all of my goodness dies with you, and this, here, this heart will become as hard as stone. I am afraid of what I will become. You hold my heart in your hand."
"He turns from her, chewing on that wafer. It is his last lesson to Joan: how you should approach life when its fists are pummeling you. Head up. Shoulders back. Your heart may be breaking, but you don't let it show, not on your face or in your eyes. You walk with a spring in your step toward a destination yet unknown. And your next warm meal may be hours or days away, your next bed in an inn or in a wet ditch, but in your mouth is the taste of cinnamon. The past is the past, and the dead, buried in their shrouds, must always be left behind."
"She thinks, I have become more than just myself. I am here, in this cage. But I have another body, which is unseen. I am the battle cry, the roar of spears, pikes, and poleaxes rattling. I am the sound of a hundred horses thundering down a hill and the wind that ripples through banners, the swing of a catapult, the deafening blast and explosion of cannonry. Every soldier, young and old, who goes to war shall think of me and carry me in his soul. A hundred years from now, the sound of name will still make the English shake, though my own people will look upon me tenderly, with pride and with love. 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. Here is God, in the sky and the rosy mist, ready to strike a bargain. In the roar of the waves she hears the cheers of the people — her people. She hears her sister's laughter and knows it comes from Paradise. God is listening. Into His ear, she prays. That is, she tells him: I, Joan, will return. All prayers are wishes, but this is not a wish. It is a promise."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Grief, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, War, and Death
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Sexism, Religious bigotry, and Classism
Graphic scene of an animal tortured/killed, unwanted pregnancy via sexual assaultjoann_l's review against another edition
dark
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
With such a well-known historical figure as the eponymous character, a reader has to wonder, "What is Chen going to bring to the story that we don't already know? What's going to be unique about this version?" In other words, why read this when Joan of Arc's biography can be so easily accessed elsewhere. The answer is apparent almost immediately, but -- in all honesty -- didn't fully hook me until Part Two.
Chen's "Joan" unfolds in four parts, the longest are the first two, which are focused on Joan's childhood and early life. Here, a word of warning on the content is warranted: I won't spoil it for you, just know that there are prolonged episodes of abuse and gendered violence. However, these are critical parts of both Joan's story and Chen's commentary on medieval gender; it is in these initial sections of the novel that the thread of feminist commentary on late Medieval injustice against the female sex and gender begin -- and is continually woven throughout the remainder. Parts three and four are shorter, though no less powerful or impactful. These sections cover the part of the Historical Joan's life that we know: her military victories and defeats, her incredible and rapid rise in the French court and royal favor, and her violent, tragic death.
Given that she was aged nineteen when she was executed, Chen's emphasis on the early and historically unknown years of Joan's life immediately signals Chen's intention. This is not a novel of SAINT Joan of Arc, not a novel about the Maid of Orleans, but -- as the title should amply hint -- is a novel about the girl, the woman, the person, Joan.
There are other ways Chen immediately announces this is a fictional take on the non-Historical Joan: the novel is written in 3rd person, present tense, which suggests to the reader that none of the events unfolding should be taken as a foregone conclusion; they are happening right now, the reader is a witness. Since historical scholarship is always written in the past tense (as a rule), Chen is clear that this should not be read as a piece of creative non-fiction.
Speaking of history, it is worth noting that Chen's novel is also not about Joan at all. While Joan is a fictional protagonist, Chen's novel is grounded in solid history. And I do not mean merely the dates and outcomes of the battles or the names of the characters who inhabit this world. Chen has clearly immersed themselves in the medieval French world and successfully does the same for the reader through their prose. Descriptions of characters and scenes convey not only the image of the person or the place, but reveal the rigid class hierarchies, influence of religion, gendered expectations, and cultural milieu of this period. Chen not only gives us a biography of Joan, but also texturizes her world for the reader so that the reader walks away with an almost tactile, palpable sense of this world. For example, in describing one character, Chen writes of how Joan notices their hands are smooth and absent of callouses, a clear signal of their status and lifestyle. "Joan", the novel, is a vivid landscape of medieval France and its culture. This is arguably Chen's strongest answer to the question I posed above, the special "thing" Chen brings to an already famous, somewhat overdone historical narrative.
A final and related note to this praise: Chen does not romanticize medieval European history and the effect of injecting medieval elements into her prose is (thankfully) not pedantic. It is informative and necessary, serving to achieve that cultural immersion I spoke of above. For example, religion is a major element of this period of history and in Chen's novel, but Chen does not pose secular, material concerns and ambitions in opposition to religion or divine will; Chen understands history and its nuances, framing the events of Joan's transformation in much more human and earthly terms. The effect is refreshing. Too much historical fiction assumes a presentist perspective; the characters are contemporary people, holding contemporary worldviews and values plonked down in some other era in time. Chen successfully avoids this annoying anachronism.
All in all, Chen's Joan is a fantastic novel: I personally dislike present tense narratives and Joan of Arc is not a historical figure that appeals, so my rating of four stars is not indicative of the merits of the novel itself. It's worth reading. Read it if you love medieval history, women's history, or Joan of Arc!
Chen's "Joan" unfolds in four parts, the longest are the first two, which are focused on Joan's childhood and early life. Here, a word of warning on the content is warranted: I won't spoil it for you, just know that there are prolonged episodes of abuse and gendered violence. However, these are critical parts of both Joan's story and Chen's commentary on medieval gender; it is in these initial sections of the novel that the thread of feminist commentary on late Medieval injustice against the female sex and gender begin -- and is continually woven throughout the remainder. Parts three and four are shorter, though no less powerful or impactful. These sections cover the part of the Historical Joan's life that we know: her military victories and defeats, her incredible and rapid rise in the French court and royal favor, and her violent, tragic death.
Given that she was aged nineteen when she was executed, Chen's emphasis on the early and historically unknown years of Joan's life immediately signals Chen's intention. This is not a novel of SAINT Joan of Arc, not a novel about the Maid of Orleans, but -- as the title should amply hint -- is a novel about the girl, the woman, the person, Joan.
There are other ways Chen immediately announces this is a fictional take on the non-Historical Joan: the novel is written in 3rd person, present tense, which suggests to the reader that none of the events unfolding should be taken as a foregone conclusion; they are happening right now, the reader is a witness. Since historical scholarship is always written in the past tense (as a rule), Chen is clear that this should not be read as a piece of creative non-fiction.
Speaking of history, it is worth noting that Chen's novel is also not about Joan at all. While Joan is a fictional protagonist, Chen's novel is grounded in solid history. And I do not mean merely the dates and outcomes of the battles or the names of the characters who inhabit this world. Chen has clearly immersed themselves in the medieval French world and successfully does the same for the reader through their prose. Descriptions of characters and scenes convey not only the image of the person or the place, but reveal the rigid class hierarchies, influence of religion, gendered expectations, and cultural milieu of this period. Chen not only gives us a biography of Joan, but also texturizes her world for the reader so that the reader walks away with an almost tactile, palpable sense of this world. For example, in describing one character, Chen writes of how Joan notices their hands are smooth and absent of callouses, a clear signal of their status and lifestyle. "Joan", the novel, is a vivid landscape of medieval France and its culture. This is arguably Chen's strongest answer to the question I posed above, the special "thing" Chen brings to an already famous, somewhat overdone historical narrative.
A final and related note to this praise: Chen does not romanticize medieval European history and the effect of injecting medieval elements into her prose is (thankfully) not pedantic. It is informative and necessary, serving to achieve that cultural immersion I spoke of above. For example, religion is a major element of this period of history and in Chen's novel, but Chen does not pose secular, material concerns and ambitions in opposition to religion or divine will; Chen understands history and its nuances, framing the events of Joan's transformation in much more human and earthly terms. The effect is refreshing. Too much historical fiction assumes a presentist perspective; the characters are contemporary people, holding contemporary worldviews and values plonked down in some other era in time. Chen successfully avoids this annoying anachronism.
All in all, Chen's Joan is a fantastic novel: I personally dislike present tense narratives and Joan of Arc is not a historical figure that appeals, so my rating of four stars is not indicative of the merits of the novel itself. It's worth reading. Read it if you love medieval history, women's history, or Joan of Arc!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual violence
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