The Maid
A Novel of Joan of Arc
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3.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A "stunning" novel of Joan of Arc, the fifteenth century teenage visionary who led an army and saved France (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
The tumultuous Hundred Years' War rages on and France is under siege. English soldiers tear through the countryside destroying all who cross their paths, and Charles VII, the uncrowned king, has neither the strength nor the will to rally his army. Meanwhile, in the quiet of her parents' garden in Domrémy, a seventeen-year-old peasant girl has a mystical vision and hears a powerful voice speak her name: Jehanne.
The story of Jehanne d'Arc, who believed she had been chosen by God to lead an army and save her country, has captivated our imaginations for centuries. But the story of a girl whose sister was murdered by the English; who sought an escape from a violent father and a forced marriage; who taught herself to ride and fight; and who somehow found the courage to persuade thousands to follow her—is at once thrilling, surprising, and heartbreaking.
"Impressive . . . Cutter evokes the novel's medieval world with striking details." —The New York Times Book Review
"Cutter's portrait of 'Jehanne' as a strange, gritty teenage tomboy and true believer is compelling." —USA Today
"Cutter strips away the romanticism in favor of a more complex portrayal that raises some provocative questions." —O, The Oprah Magazine
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Cutter brings fresh insight to the story of Joan of Arc in this dynamic page-turner. After an unremarkable childhood as the youngest of five children in rural France, we see the extraordinary moment in her adolescence when she first hears heavenly voices. Three saints impart to Joan the sacred mission of both raising an army against England and crowning the dauphin king of France in Reims. Cutter builds a credible case for how a 15th-century peasant girl from Domr my could embolden an army to reclaim their land from the English in the name of God. She ably describes Jehanne's transformation from an innocent, curious child into a confident, driven young woman who conquers souls, brings thousands to her support, and convinces a wary would-be king that she can make him realize his destiny infusing all with a sense of the holy wonder that fueled Jehanne's mission. The exhilaration of her many triumphs on the battlefield, the bloody combat, the deadly jealousies and political machinations that begin her undoing, and her tragic end are portrayed with vivid imagination and brio. In this stunning debut, Cutter pays vibrant homage to this legendary woman.
