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brittsinbooks's review against another edition
3.0
This text deals far more with the political context of Joan's time rather than her own person. The writing itself is dry and does not piece well together as their is an inconsistent attempt at a narrator (the journal writer).
allthebookblognamesaretaken's review against another edition
3.0
It took all I had to finish this one. I should have paid more attention to the subtitle of 'A History'. While I am terribly interested in reading all I can about Joan of Arc, I have found I do not care one iota about the history of France - even in regards to the Hundred Years' War, which features one of the countries I love learning about so much, England. I was looking for another biography about Joan, and sadly, only a portion of this book is actually about Joan.
That's not to say this is a bad book. It is just not what I was looking for. Now, as I don't find the history of France my particular cup of tea, it was difficult for me to get through the sections pertaining to the war before Joan made her appearance. It is obvious though that Castor has done her research. This is not a hastily put together piece of work. Unfortunately, it is a very dry one. I simply could not get my interested in the 'Before' section, no matter how I tried, and I ended up skimming much of that section, so ready was I to read about Joan herself. The second section was most interesting to me, as it was directly about Joan and her mission, while section three dealt with 'After', meaning after her execution.
I understand what the author was doing, in writing a history and not a straight biography. To understand Joan is to understand the time in which she lived. The war itself was just not interesting to me, as I don't generally care to read military history - medieval or otherwise. And as I mentioned, the writing is quite dry and it was hard to remain interested in the book despite by great interest in Joan. As long as you go in knowing that Joan will not make an appearance for several chapters, and look at this as a history of this select time period, perhaps you will enjoy it more than I did.
That's not to say this is a bad book. It is just not what I was looking for. Now, as I don't find the history of France my particular cup of tea, it was difficult for me to get through the sections pertaining to the war before Joan made her appearance. It is obvious though that Castor has done her research. This is not a hastily put together piece of work. Unfortunately, it is a very dry one. I simply could not get my interested in the 'Before' section, no matter how I tried, and I ended up skimming much of that section, so ready was I to read about Joan herself. The second section was most interesting to me, as it was directly about Joan and her mission, while section three dealt with 'After', meaning after her execution.
I understand what the author was doing, in writing a history and not a straight biography. To understand Joan is to understand the time in which she lived. The war itself was just not interesting to me, as I don't generally care to read military history - medieval or otherwise. And as I mentioned, the writing is quite dry and it was hard to remain interested in the book despite by great interest in Joan. As long as you go in knowing that Joan will not make an appearance for several chapters, and look at this as a history of this select time period, perhaps you will enjoy it more than I did.
e_woodhouse's review against another edition
3.0
Il sottotitolo di questo libro è "A History" e non "A Biography", ed è una distinzione importante. Piuttosto che scrivere una biografia di Giovanna d'Arco, Helen Castor inserisce le sue vicende nel contesto più ampio della guerra dei cent'anni, o meglio di quella porzione di guerra che parte dalla battaglia di Azincourt, e racconta in particolare le lotte tra armagnacchi e borgognoni, i primi sostenitori di Carlo VII, i secondi di Enrico V, e poi VI, come re di Francia.
Il libro è molto corto, se togliamo le note saranno circa centocinquanta pagine, e il nominare tanti personaggi in pochissime pagine ha reso difficile riuscire a dinstinguerli tutti, eppure la spiegazione della politica francese dell'epoca è molto chiara.
Giovanna d'Arco entra in scena abbastanza tardi e la Castor sceglie di non cercare di spiegare le sue visioni, con diagnosi impossibili tanto all'epoca quanto adesso, a distanza di secoli, ma semplicemente di raccontare le reazioni delle persone che con Giovanna, o con la sua storia, ebbero a che fare: i commilitoni, i prelati che la condannarono e quelli che la riabilitarono, il re di Francia che a un certo punto, sostanzialmente, di lei si lavò le mani.
La cosa che ho trovato più interessante è la riflessione che la Castor fa nell'epilogo, partendo da una frase detta qualche anno fa da Benedetto XVI, e cioè che Giovanna d'Arco è una figura di riconciliazione che tutti amano e che tentò di portare la pace tra francesi e inglesi (cosa peraltro non vera, anzi mandò più volte proclami agli inglesi, prima delle battaglie, dicendo loro di tornarsene a casa se non volevano tutti finire ammazzati): che si rischia di perdere la donna per l'icona ("In gaining a saint, however, we have lost a woman", "the woman herself risks disappearing altogether"). La Castor conclude dicendo che she is still there to be found, in modo particolare nei documenti che riguardano la sua prigionia e il suo processo. E penso che lei l'abbia trovata, soprattutto quando racconta della confessione poi ritirata, in cui si sente lotta interiore della persona che non può, nemmeno di fronte alla paura della morte e del dolore, rinnegare qualcosa in cui crede profondamente.
Sull'edizione: i libri di storia non si leggono in ebook. Non si leggono e basta, e in questo caso non c'erano nemmeno i link alle note, cosa molto scocciante (non so se nell'edizione cartacea manchino i numeretti di rimando, ma sarebbe assurdo).
Il libro è molto corto, se togliamo le note saranno circa centocinquanta pagine, e il nominare tanti personaggi in pochissime pagine ha reso difficile riuscire a dinstinguerli tutti, eppure la spiegazione della politica francese dell'epoca è molto chiara.
Giovanna d'Arco entra in scena abbastanza tardi e la Castor sceglie di non cercare di spiegare le sue visioni, con diagnosi impossibili tanto all'epoca quanto adesso, a distanza di secoli, ma semplicemente di raccontare le reazioni delle persone che con Giovanna, o con la sua storia, ebbero a che fare: i commilitoni, i prelati che la condannarono e quelli che la riabilitarono, il re di Francia che a un certo punto, sostanzialmente, di lei si lavò le mani.
La cosa che ho trovato più interessante è la riflessione che la Castor fa nell'epilogo, partendo da una frase detta qualche anno fa da Benedetto XVI, e cioè che Giovanna d'Arco è una figura di riconciliazione che tutti amano e che tentò di portare la pace tra francesi e inglesi (cosa peraltro non vera, anzi mandò più volte proclami agli inglesi, prima delle battaglie, dicendo loro di tornarsene a casa se non volevano tutti finire ammazzati): che si rischia di perdere la donna per l'icona ("In gaining a saint, however, we have lost a woman", "the woman herself risks disappearing altogether"). La Castor conclude dicendo che she is still there to be found, in modo particolare nei documenti che riguardano la sua prigionia e il suo processo. E penso che lei l'abbia trovata, soprattutto quando racconta della confessione poi ritirata, in cui si sente lotta interiore della persona che non può, nemmeno di fronte alla paura della morte e del dolore, rinnegare qualcosa in cui crede profondamente.
Sull'edizione: i libri di storia non si leggono in ebook. Non si leggono e basta, e in questo caso non c'erano nemmeno i link alle note, cosa molto scocciante (non so se nell'edizione cartacea manchino i numeretti di rimando, ma sarebbe assurdo).
suggsygirl's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to give this book a higher mark than I am doing before I read it. I love history and I love the tiny bit of history where women appear to have got themselves documented in it but this book was just so dry I really had to force myself to read. I understand that we needed to know how the phenomenon of Joan of Arc really came about and exactly how unlikely it was that anyone would listen to her, especially the men in charge at the time, but if you know anything about the hundred years war and the Plantagenets then it was essentially just a list of things that you already know happened.
I enjoyed the bits about Joan herself but history really has made her to be far more successful than she actually was on her military campaigns (taking into account how weird it is that she persuaded them to let her essentially lead some soldiers in the first place) given that she got injured twice and basically won one siege situation and then was imprisoned. I'm not taking anything away from her achievement but she didn't single handedly crown a king and defeat the English army like we're always told.
If you know anything about me you know that I hate how mostly white old men used/use religion to punish poor people and especially women and that I believe there is no such thing as heresy and never was. I'm not entirely convinced that a lot of the people doing the torturing and burning were living their own lives free of 'sin' either so hypocrites going to hypocrite I guess.
Anyway, I have no doubt that the historical research was top notch but that doesn't always make for a great, readable story. Also I have to say it Joan was clearly as mad as a box of frogs. Just straight up bonkers. Take what you will from my collection of thoughts.
I enjoyed the bits about Joan herself but history really has made her to be far more successful than she actually was on her military campaigns (taking into account how weird it is that she persuaded them to let her essentially lead some soldiers in the first place) given that she got injured twice and basically won one siege situation and then was imprisoned. I'm not taking anything away from her achievement but she didn't single handedly crown a king and defeat the English army like we're always told.
If you know anything about me you know that I hate how mostly white old men used/use religion to punish poor people and especially women and that I believe there is no such thing as heresy and never was. I'm not entirely convinced that a lot of the people doing the torturing and burning were living their own lives free of 'sin' either so hypocrites going to hypocrite I guess.
Anyway, I have no doubt that the historical research was top notch but that doesn't always make for a great, readable story. Also I have to say it Joan was clearly as mad as a box of frogs. Just straight up bonkers. Take what you will from my collection of thoughts.
gkoskela's review against another edition
3.0
Great for context of the world Joan lived in. Writing very detailed, but can get tedious.