Short Synopsis
Adding complexity, depth, and fresh insight into Joan’s life, and placing her actions in the context of the larger political and religious conflicts of fifteenth century France, Joan of Arc: A History is history at its finest and a surprising new portrait of this remarkable woman.

Full Synopsis
Helen Castor tells afresh the gripping story of the peasant girl from Domremy who hears voices from God, leads the French army to victory, is burned at the stake for heresy, and eventually becomes a saint. But unlike the traditional narrative, a story already shaped by the knowledge of what Joan would become and told in hindsight, Castor’s Joan of Arc: A History takes us back to fifteenth century France and tells the story forwards. Instead of an icon, she gives us a living, breathing woman confronting the challenges of faith and doubt, a roaring girl who, in fighting the English, was also taking sides in a bloody civil war. We meet this extraordinary girl amid the tumultuous events of her extraordinary world where no one—not Joan herself, nor the people around her—princes, bishops, soldiers, or peasants—knew what would happen next.

"Anne Flosnik's graceful, dignified voice is perfectly appropriate for Joan the Maid. Flosnik's French accent is flawless." ---AudioFile

"Anne Flosnik narrates the book with great sensitivity." ---Library Journal Audio Review

"An unorthodox yet erudite and elegant biography of this 'massive star.'" ---Kirkus

"Readers interested in history, rather than folklore, will find this detailed framing of Joan's story very rewarding." ---Library Journal

"[A] vivid and intelligent biography . . . . [H]ugely impressive." ---Sunday Business Post

"Castor brings keenly observed historical details to the grandeur and drama of the political and religious turmoil of medieval Europe and an extraordinary young woman." ---Booklist