A review by burningupasun
The Maid and the Queen: The Secret History of Joan of Arc by Nancy Goldstone

5.0

I actually finished this a week ago, but I have just not been in the mental place to write a review. I'm still not, tbh, but I don't like leaving this just sitting here, so. This was an incredibly interesting book that delved into a story most of us know-- Joan of Arc-- but from an angle I had never seen before. Rather than truly being about Joan or Arc, this story is about Yolande of Aragon, and how she made a place for Joan in the world and helped set up the events that lead to Joan of Arc's moment in history. It's an incredibly well written book, just the right balance of historical facts but also brilliant, almost fiction-like writing that keeps you invested. And my favorite quote:

"For those who wonder after reading these pages how it is possible that evidence of Yolande's involvement in the story of Joan of Arc has never before been adequately explored, I can only respond that there is no more effective camouflage in history than to have been born a woman."