The second half of the book details the hypocritical trials held by faithless bishops and priests. During this time of indecision, Joan of Arc is captured in battle.

She is now known as the “Maid of Orleans.” Joan tells the king how to destroy the English power but he again acts the coward.

In short order, Joan raises the siege of Orleans and wins numerous battles. The king vacillates and his spineless councilors suggest not listening to this raving child.īut Joan of Arc insists, and eventually the king gives in. No one believes that a 17-year-old girl, unable to read, has the power to accomplish such immense deeds. She tells him that these armies will sweep the English from France and deliver the nation from captivity. The Voices tell the 17-year-old that she is to go to the King of France and tell him to make her the commander of the French armies. The French people have been so beaten down by horrible military defeats that there seems to be little left to do but surrender to the invaders. For more than 90 years the wretched war has dragged on and the northern half of France is under English rule. These spiritual beings are actually angels and saints sent by God to tell Joan about her mission to liberate France from the clutches of English rule. As the ghastly 100 Years War continues to grind the French Nation into submission, Joan begins to hear “The Voices.” At a young age, the girl already seems to be highly developed spiritually.

What a story this is.Īs a young child, Joan plays with her childhood friends in the fields and woods of the rustic village of Domremy. Mark Twain, the master of fiction and avowed agnostic, seems to undo his self-proclaimed denials of religion in this powerful and moving fictional biography of the young saint’s life.Īfter reading this masterpiece, readers will wonder if the Maid of Orleans, in addition to repeatedly defeating English armies had also conquered the high walls of the great writer’s heart. How did all of these momentous events happen? Joan of Arc’s life truly shows the truth of the old proverb that “man proposes but God disposes.”įor anyone familiar with the history of American literature, this biography is almost jaw-dropping. A young, illiterate peasant girl becomes the military victor of France in the short period of two years. Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 1989, 452 pages, Grades 8 and higher.įew people in history are more illustrious than St.

Saint joan of arc mark twain