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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Oh man. This book packs a punch! I've been reading it with all the Greta Thunberg stuff going on. What a sobering reality that man is capable of such cruelty.
Twain is such a genius at turn of phrases. It got a little long during the trial but I give nods to the amount of research and adherence to history.
There is no happy ending to this story. May it be a lesson to us all.
Twain is such a genius at turn of phrases. It got a little long during the trial but I give nods to the amount of research and adherence to history.
There is no happy ending to this story. May it be a lesson to us all.
'She is easily and by far the most extraordinary person the human race has ever produced' , so says Twain. I believe so, too. Be sure to read the Introduction and particularly the Translator's Preface. Positives: the strength of character, the kindness, the lightheartedness. Negatives: it can be repetitious at times, wordy, thus the three stars. I do though love that Twain brings us to time and place. Where are we in France, who are we meeting; toughness and lightness via Joan of Arc and the soldiers and friends around her.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
I listened to this on the CraftLit podcast and learned so much about Joan of Arc and French history from the host, Heather Ordover. It made a great book even better!
A majestic, slow-moving, deeply affecting masterpiece. There were definitely moments when I started to lose patience—all the battles, all the spectacle—but what kept me going were the characters, and especially Twain's Joan, who has to be one of the most compelling and sympathetic characters in literature. The ending in particular is beautiful, leaving the reader (or listener, in my case), feeling deeply bereft and at the same time spiritually and emotionally enriched. The fact that the novel hews so closely to the history must have made it tough to write, but made me feel that I understood the whole Joan of Arc story in a much more complete and nuanced way than I had before. But it's Twain's filling in of the gaps that makes the novel so rich, funny, and emotionally gripping. Very glad to have put in the 17 plus hours it took to listen to this one, and the reader is very good. Takes some patience, but it's well rewarded. Highly recommended!
This had been on my list for a while. Definitely worth reading! It also made me want to look up the official record from her trial and see if there’s an English translation that’s easily accessible/available for a good price. Joan’s character and virtue shine out of the pages of this book.
The style is very different from Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, which is why Twain originally published it under a (different) pen name.
The style is very different from Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, which is why Twain originally published it under a (different) pen name.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes