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mmullerm 's review for:
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, Volumes 1 & 2
by Mark Twain
I had no idea that Mark Twain had written a book about Joan of Arc, and I happened to stumble across this book and I'm very glad I did. When I think Mark Twain, I only think about Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, and this is one that is probably way under everyone's radar.
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, by the Sieur Louis de Conte, is a historical fiction account of the life of Joan of Arc. Conte tells this fascinating story and is an excellent narrator, starting with Joan as a young girl, then becoming her page, and standing by her side through her capture by the English and her very infamous trial where she was burned at the stake as a relapsed heretic.
For such a short life, she accomplished so much and her life was very impactful in the grand scheme of history. Joan was only 17 years old when she valiantly lead the French army against the English in the battles of Orleans' and Pate'. In my limited reading of history, I keep thinking about "what-ifs". What if Joan hadn't risen from her very humble and modest origins to effectively become the savior of France and drive the English out of France? What if she had immediately been killed by the English? Europe as we know it today would be very much different, and France would have been absorbed into the Kingdom of England. It boggles my mind how Joan accomplished so much and was so effective at such a young age.
The primary take away I got from this story is that Joan of Arc seemed to have a very similar story to Jesus Christ. She came from basically unknown/humble origins, she had an unshakable faith, and claimed that God and His angels spoke directly to her through visions and voices that came to her. She was also persecuted by leaders of the church, handed off to the secular arm/government to enforce her punishment and then put to death at a very young age because she was viewed as a threat and deeply feared by them. Her trial was completely and unfairly fabricated simply to convict her as a witch/sorceress and as an agent of the devil. There are so many parallels and I have to parse through fact and fiction or dramatic exaggeration that I'm sure were used to enhance the story, but she was seen as being the daughter of God and Divine by her contemporaries (and probably by herself).
Joan of Arc's story is so fascinating and impractical that it is hard for me to believe it is true. She was a heroine/savior for France, and has been martyred as a Saint there. This book tells her unbelievable story very well, and I highly recommend it. I also recommend this LibriVox audiobook, it is free, and the reader was really great.
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, by the Sieur Louis de Conte, is a historical fiction account of the life of Joan of Arc. Conte tells this fascinating story and is an excellent narrator, starting with Joan as a young girl, then becoming her page, and standing by her side through her capture by the English and her very infamous trial where she was burned at the stake as a relapsed heretic.
For such a short life, she accomplished so much and her life was very impactful in the grand scheme of history. Joan was only 17 years old when she valiantly lead the French army against the English in the battles of Orleans' and Pate'. In my limited reading of history, I keep thinking about "what-ifs". What if Joan hadn't risen from her very humble and modest origins to effectively become the savior of France and drive the English out of France? What if she had immediately been killed by the English? Europe as we know it today would be very much different, and France would have been absorbed into the Kingdom of England. It boggles my mind how Joan accomplished so much and was so effective at such a young age.
The primary take away I got from this story is that Joan of Arc seemed to have a very similar story to Jesus Christ. She came from basically unknown/humble origins, she had an unshakable faith, and claimed that God and His angels spoke directly to her through visions and voices that came to her. She was also persecuted by leaders of the church, handed off to the secular arm/government to enforce her punishment and then put to death at a very young age because she was viewed as a threat and deeply feared by them. Her trial was completely and unfairly fabricated simply to convict her as a witch/sorceress and as an agent of the devil. There are so many parallels and I have to parse through fact and fiction or dramatic exaggeration that I'm sure were used to enhance the story, but she was seen as being the daughter of God and Divine by her contemporaries (and probably by herself).
Joan of Arc's story is so fascinating and impractical that it is hard for me to believe it is true. She was a heroine/savior for France, and has been martyred as a Saint there. This book tells her unbelievable story very well, and I highly recommend it. I also recommend this LibriVox audiobook, it is free, and the reader was really great.