Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Joan

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Joan by Katherine J. Chen

15 reviews

harveyhorse321's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.0

Overall I really enjoyed this book. Initially I found it hard to get into because of the amount of focus on her basically just being abused by her dad - was a little too much. Having said that, it does feed into Joan’s character development really nicely later on and is really important in truly understanding her. As soon as Joan meets Charles, the book transformed and instantly became a page-turner for me (as I predicted).
I loved how in Katherine J Chen really puts the reader in Joan’s head; it always felt very personal, like I knew her and to an extent was her. I also enjoyed the choice of making her relationship with God so strained to begin with because it left the question of whether she truly was divine or blessed so open and ambiguous.
This is not only a great read, but also I think an important one, and would highly recommend.

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withlivjones's review against another edition

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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.

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loki2's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced

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

4.25

Joan took a little bit of time to become engaging. The first few chapters focused primarily on her childhood which include an abusive father. It definitely took a little bit of motivation for me to push past the simultaneous slow drag of childhood and the abusive circumstances to get into the military career of Joan. However, once the book got into the military portion it was an amazing storytelling. The book is emotional and while it completely takes out any mention of the more religious aspects of Jones military stardom, it does focus on her spirit and strength of character which are so beloved and iconic to Joan of Arc. The book captures her strength of will and the resolution she must have had as a 17-year-old girl in a men's world fighting against all of the discrimination to simply be in the same room as a soldier. This book, while not perfect, is one of the best at capturing how she inspired the men around her while also being in the midst of a political landscape that she didn't have the tools to understand or fight with and how that ultimately affected her. Even knowing how the story ended I wished so desperately that she could have had a better ending. This book was a great retelling of the story of Joan.

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joanasimao's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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caleykapowski's review against another edition

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This book was less historical fiction and more fiction set in the past. Some known facts about Joan and her family were changed, some horrific moments were added that didn’t move the plot along so felt unnecessary. What also felt unnecessary was a moment perhaps of foreshadowing but seeing as most people picking up this book will know how it ends for Joan, it just felt unnecessary and gruesome

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imlfox's review against another edition

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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

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amgbgirl's review

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adventurous dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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just_one_more_paige's review

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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?”

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kamreadsandrecs's review against another edition

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emotional informative fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I’m familiar with Saint Joan of Arc, mostly thanks to a Catholic school education and a general curiosity about the lives of these people whom the Church seemed to think were pretty damn important, if they were powerful enough to bend God’s ear on behalf of us mere mortals. Like most Catholics I’m familiar with the general outline of her life story: how as a girl she had visions encouraging her to save France; how she spoke to the Dauphin and convinced him to give her an army; how she succeeded in battle until she didn’t; and then was burnt at the stake by the English for heresy. However, the memory of her victories continued to live in the memory of the French people (not least because her achievements were crucial to France winning the Hundred Years’ War), and almost five hundred years after her execution she’d be canonized as a saint, thus cementing her legendary status.

It’s a good story - a VERY good story. It’s why Joan is one of the most memorable saints in the Church’s immense roster, and why even non-religious folk know who she is and the general outline of her life and eventual death. It also helps that there are PLENTY of fictionalized depictions of her, both in print and in film, and there are almost as many non-fictional accounts of her life too. If you want to go down a rabbit hole of everything Saint Joan, you can easily do that and get lost down there for a good long while.

So: with all of these books and movies already out there, many of which are considered to be quite good, what makes Chen’s novel, in particular, stand out? Personally, I think it’s that her take on Joan is, firstly, very human, and secondly, there’s little of the divine to be seen anywhere in this story. Those two things are tied together: throughout the novel Joan’s perspective on her achievements is that SHE has accomplished them, no one else. Oh, sure, she’s aware that her talents are likely God-given, (and there’s a brief moment in the novel where she contemplates God taking those talents away and gets really scared), but more in the manner of a seed being planted in her - a seed that was nurtured under the abusive hand of her father Jacques d’Arc, and which she then found use for as she grew older.

This doesn’t mean she’s an atheist, of course, nor even an agnostic. No: Joan believes in God, but her relationship with God is different. Instead of begging and pleading to him when she prays, she bargains with him. There’s a couple scenes in the novel where she talks about how her prayers to God go, and it’s generally her talking about all these things she has done and wants to do, and then telling God “So: what do you think? Maybe we can help each other out here.” This is very different from the other depictions of Joan that I’ve seen, which have portrayed her as completely devoted to God and moving only as he (through her visions) commands her to.

Speaking of visions: there’s none of that to be seen here. Oh sure, Joan has dreams, but not the visions (or hallucinations) of the saints that a lot of material out there says she had. Instead, Joan’s motivations are entirely - and heartbreakingly - human. I won’t go into the details because that way lie spoilers, but suffice to say that what gets Joan out of her home and to the court of the Dauphin has very, VERY little to do with divine inspiration, but A LOT MORE to do with entirely human (and, therefore, probably more relatable) motivations.

But that raises the question: where DID all those stories of visions and divine inspiration come from in the first place? In Chen’s novel, those are all part of a propaganda push, orchestrated by certain members of the Dauphin’s court, in order to get the Dauphin off his butt and moving in fighting back against the English and the Burgundians, and then later, after her initial victories, rumors and stories concocted by people who had encountered her and were looking for something hopeful to hang onto in the face of the despair and tragedy of the war. Again I won’t get into that too much because spoilers, but it soon becomes clear to the reader that in the novel, the legend of Joan was something other people created, and that she herself didn’t have much to do with its creation except through her actions - actions which were then taken by others and spun this way and that for their own purposes. In the novel, Joan is entirely aware of these stories, and how she deals with them is interesting to read about too. Interesting, too, is how she is aware she is being used, but decides to take that in stride and find her own way of using others in turn to achieve her own ends.

Overall, this is a very good read, largely because I like this take on Joan: not a saint, and not a madwoman, but someone thoroughly human, who wanted to do what she could with what she had - and accomplished a great deal, even as she went against the grain of what was expected of her as a woman. However, just as her own motivations and desires were entirely human, so too were the challenges that stood in her way - and while some she could overcome, there were more that she could not, like systemic misogyny and political maneuvering. Despite knowing the end of her story even before the novel begins, reading about this particular take on a familiar figure was quite fun, and I think other people will enjoy it too.

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kissmelicia's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.0

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