Looking for a good book about Joan of Arc

boswellbaxter · Post by **boswellbaxter** » Sun July 10th, 2011, 12:31 am

[quote=""rosepetal720""]I thought the Maid and the Queen was fiction? Out of curiosity, how can you tell besides reading the summary and guessing?[/quote]

I'm positive that it's nonfiction. The author's other recent books are nonfiction; the blurb sounds like a nonfiction book; and the author doesn't describe herself as a novelist on her website.

Divia · Post by **Divia** » Sun July 10th, 2011, 2:23 am

[quote=""rosepetal720""]Anyone know the secret, or do I have to physically go into a bookstore to find out the genres of books?[/quote]

I usually tell by the cover. And sometimes you can make it out by the description or what the author has done previously.

Or if you have a question you can always ask us and hopefully we will know.

TeralynPilgrim · Post by **TeralynPilgrim** » Mon July 11th, 2011, 3:44 pm

So let's see, that's... four books? I thought there were a lot more.

I wonder; could the world use another Joan of Arc book? I'm considering writing about her. I guess I should read these books to find out if there's anything new to say. I hate it when authors tell the same story over and over again when the author got it right the first time.

Now that would be an interesting topic; how do you feel about people always telling the same stories? Is there a thread already open on that? I'll have to look for it.

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Mon July 11th, 2011, 3:52 pm

I hate it when authors tell the same story over and over again when the author got it right the first time.

Like what is going on with the Tudors now. How many different times can they keep telling the same darned story anyway? If you can't bring anything fresh to it, why even bother? And by bringing something fresh, I don't mean sexing it up and making up a bunch of stuff that could have happened.

MLE (Emily Cotton) · Post by **MLE (Emily Cotton)** » Mon July 11th, 2011, 4:05 pm

There are plenty of other Tudor-era stories that could be told, with the familiar marital problems of Henry the much-married only playing a background part. At any Henry VIII renaissance faire (most of them lately have been more Elizabethan) you'll find hundreds of re-enactors doing amusing bits on their various noble characters, all of whom they have researched intimately. I could tell you a lot about the Browne family, which our guild plays, although I have only seen any of their eventful loves touched on only in Green Darkness. (Which I cannot, unfortunately, recommend; for a Seton, it was awful.)

And of course, Arthur has so many retellings, he beats out Henry hands down.

I think the reason for the paucity of Joan of Arc stories is that we are all reading in English. Bet there are a whole pile of them available for French readers. There is a certain ethnocentricity in a nation's reading preferences.

Egad, I'm drifting into academic-speak. I need to go wash my mouth out with soap.

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Mon July 11th, 2011, 4:38 pm

[quote=""MLE""]There are plenty of other Tudor-era stories that could be told, with the familiar marital problems of Henry the much-married only playing a background part. At any Henry VIII renaissance faire (most of them lately have been more Elizabethan) you'll find hundreds of re-enactors doing amusing bits on their various noble characters, all of whom they have researched intimately. I could tell you a lot about the Browne family, which our guild plays, although I have only seen any of their eventful loves touched on only in Green Darkness. (Which I cannot, unfortunately, recommend; for a Seton, it was awful.)

And of course, Arthur has so many retellings, he beats out Henry hands down.

I think the reason for the paucity of Joan of Arc stories is that we are all reading in English. Bet there are a whole pile of them available for French readers. There is a certain ethnocentricity in a nation's reading preferences.

Egad, I'm drifting into academic-speak. I need to go wash my mouth out with soap.[/quote]

I do agree, and while I applaud Kate Emerson for tackling some of these secondary characters, her books are such fluff (fairly good fluff, but still fluff) that I'm left hungering for something more. The character in her last one (the name escapes me) had so much potential for a really meaty book and it was just...fluff. Grrr.

Laura · Post by **Laura** » Mon July 18th, 2011, 11:18 am

I would like to add one book on Jeanne D'Arc not mentioned it before: it's Joan of Arc by Jules Michelet.

jessicajames · Post by **jessicajames** » Tue July 19th, 2011, 2:06 pm

If you're still looking for a Joan of Arc book - Mark Twain's really is by far the best. It was taken from actual transcripts of the trial so is very accurate historical fiction.

Divia · Post by **Divia** » Tue July 19th, 2011, 2:49 pm

[quote=""Misfit""]Like what is going on with the Tudors now. How many different times can they keep telling the same darned story anyway? If you can't bring anything fresh to it, why even bother? And by bringing something fresh, I don't mean sexing it up and making up a bunch of stuff that could have happened.[/quote]

I'm still waiting for the POV of the privy cleaner.

And I agree with Misfit. kate Emerson is a very nice lady(I sat next to her during one of the dinners at the conference) but I must say her stories are fluffy. I think she would even agree to that.

But really, enough with the Tudor stuff. I haven't read a Tudor book in about a year, and it feels great!

I think the world could use another Joan book, but I guess it depends on how you do it. She was either crazy. Religious or she had someone do all the work for her. And while I find her interesting, a lot of people don't because there isn't that romantic element though I suppose you could make one.

I think there are far less fiction books about Joan than a lot of historical figures.

Divia · Post by **Divia** » Tue July 19th, 2011, 3:07 pm

Ok, I found some new ones and some old ones and I threw a list together for you.

The Maid: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Kimberly Cutter(Dunno if this one was mentioned. Its the latest fiction book coming out. Thats the one I was talking about where Catherine gets killed by English soldiers.
An Army of Angels: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Pamela Marcantel
Warrior Girl: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Pauline Chandler (Young Adult)
Dove and Sword: A Novel of Joan of Arc (Young Adult/middle)
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (Dover Thrift Editions) by Mark Twain
Blood Red, Sister Rose by Thomas Keneally
Young Joan by Barbara Dana (Young Adult)
Joan of Arc by Josephine Poole and Angela Barrett (Illustrator) Children's book
The Story of Joan of Arc by Maurice Boutet de Monvel and Gerald Gottlieb (kids book, but has amazing illustrations. I think it was first published in the 20s?)

Historical Fiction Online

Looking for a good book about Joan of Arc

one more book