The Maid
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- 8,49 €
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- 8,49 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
It is the early part of the fifteenth century and the Hundred Years War rages on. The French city of Orleans is under siege, English soldiers tear through the countryside wreaking destruction on all who cross their path, and Charles VII, the uncrowned king, has neither the strength nor the will to rally his army. And in the quiet of her parents' garden in Domremy, a twelve-year-old peasant girl, Jehanne, hears a voice that will change her life - and the course of European history.
The tale of Jehanne d'Arc, the saint and warrior who believed she had been chosen by God to save France, and who led an army of 10,000 soldiers against the English, has captivated our imagination for centuries. But the story of Jehanne - the girl - whose sister was murdered by the English, who sought an escape from her violent father and a forced marriage, who taught herself to ride, and fight, and lead, and who somehow found the courage and tenacity to convince first one, then two, then tens, then thousands to follow her, is at once thrilling, unexpected and heart-breaking.
Sweeping, gripping and rich with intrigue, betrayal, love and valour, The Maid is an unforgettable novel about the power and burden of faith, and the exhilarating and devastating consequences of fame.
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.
