Joan: The Mysterious Life of the Heretic Who Became a Saint

The first lesson to be learned about Joan's life is that it can't be understood strictly in modern context. Her life in fifteenth century France is remarkably well-documented, yet the girl eludes our understanding. Born in 1412 in the village of Domremy in eastern France, she grew up tending the family flocks and crops and learning the domestic arts. Like village girls of her time, her education was exclusively based around church and home; there was nothing extraordinary about her until she began having visions at the age of twelve. Biographer Donald Spoto reminds us that a person of Joan's time--of any time--had only the vernacular to describe the indescribable. Saints and angels, sent from God, telling her to travel to Orleans and break the English siege, to bring the Dauphin to Rheims to be crowned as Charles VII ... the sheer implausibility of it! England and France were engaged in a long-running dispute over the throne of France, with England claiming the French throne through the royal family's French connections. This dispute, The Hundred Years' War, had raged intermittently from 1337. After a huge French defeat at Agincourt in 1415, England took parts of France and formed alliances with French supporters of the English claim. In 1429 the English armies were on the brink of taking Orleans by siege, when Joan persuaded the Dauphin to let her lead the troops against the English. The story is among the most widely retold in religious and secular culture: Joan in knight's armor leading the army to victory at Orleans; the triumphant coronation at Rheims; Joan's capture, Charles's refusal to pay her ransom, the irregularities and cruelty of her trial for heresy, her burning at the stake, and eventually her canonization as a saint. Records of testimony from the 1431 trial have been preserved, along with many eyewitness testimonies from the 1455 trial that exonerated her so long after her death. But understanding depends on medieval realities, such as the scriptural ban against cross-dressing, the significance of Joan's vow of virginity, the concept of divine right of kings to rule, and the peculiar power of the court of inquisition. In the end we can only try to understand. Joan: The Mysterious Life of the Heretic Who Became a Saint is a very accessible biography of a figure whose story is fascinating and unfathomable. I listened to the audio but can't really recommend it: the reading by the highly capable Dick Hill had an oddly staccato quality that, I believe, may have been engineered in somehow. Do choose this in book form; it's an excellent introduction to the life and times of the Maid of Orleans. Linda Bulger, 2009

Of the five biographies I've read on Joan, Spoto's stands out for it's even handed and compelling portrayal of one of history's more controversial figures. A depature from other biographies, Spoto's discriptions are vivid and exciting. His analytical skills are brought to bear as he dissects the trials of Condemnation and Rehabilitation, where characters that lie flat in other accounts are brought to life. This analysis is balanced by a sensitivity to Joan's spiritual side that, while far from being preachy, sheds light on the personal faith that was the basis for all she did. Spoto handles his subject with the skill of a well-trained biographer and the grace of a sensitive theologian. The result is excellent scholarship, insightful commentary and a well-paced narrative that make this an excellent read for believers and skeptics alike.

"Joan: The Mysterious Life" provided a chronological descripton of Joan's short life in a way that made her very human and compelling. This book provided great historical perspectives that gave insights into the possible thoughts and motivations of Joan, her supporters and her enemies - I learned a good deal about the French and English situations and ambitions in the early 15th century, and of the Church - enough to especially dislike the betrayal of Charles VII in failing to rescue the very person that gave him the crown and effectively saved France. It was emotionally involving, the things many people will do for money and power -- contrasting so sharply with the self-less, faith filled purity and purpose of Joan. Not that faith makes a differnce here to me (and the book does not take on the debate if Joan's visons were revealtions from God or not - only correctly suggests that Joan believed them them so, and this was enough), but Joan's purpose was decribed in such a way that reveals that her motives were indeed inspired and are inspiring. To provide more understanding, I also just finished "Beyond the Myth: The Story of Joan of Arc" which got 5 stars as opposed to this book's 4. "The Mysterious Life" presented Joan with much more personality and insight, "Myth" was more like a flat list of Joans' actions and activities by comparison.

Donald Spoto takes a departure from the pop-culture biography and applies his efforts toward the life of a young woman whose name is recognized by practically everyone, but whose life, although very well documented, has been perpetuated with myth and mysticism. There is something about Joan of Arc that that draws affection and devotion from people, something beyond her remarkable exploits--something about Joan herself. As Spoto tells her story, he avoids the mythological and mystical: he does not dwell on the provenance of her sword, her seemingly divine ability to have been able to recognize the dauphin Charles, or the sudden change of wind at Orleans. He focuses instead upon the girl, in language that is often poignant and revealingly endearing. For those who have studied Joan's life, through countless books, films, poems and plays, Spoto's take will read with the freshness of clean mountain air. Those who are just now taking up Joan's life (and especially those who have only seen the movies) will probably benefit more from Spoto's telling than any other available account. He embeds a chronology into the story, sometimes a day-by-day account, which helps the reader to comprehend events. He applies some of his own translations, which helps to clarify some of the fuzzier aspects of Joan's popular interpretation, and he includes some key details that are often overlooked, such as the unrelated deaths of Joan's older brother and sister, that two other brothers joined her during her campaigns, that her mother and father met her at Reims, and that her family was in Rouen during her imprisonment and execution. These are small details, but make for a more thorough story while eliminating the embellishments that have given rise to so much mythology. Spoto shows that Joan's factual life is much more compelling than her mythological life.

Spoto's picture of Joan is of a brave, patriotic, spiritual girl who followed what she believed to be God's will. His descriptions of her months of loneliness, terror and suffering -- chained in a dark dungeon and nearly starving -- and the disgraceful and dishonest onslaught from her tormentors will touch even a Joan skeptic. Spoto's message: 1) God is against imperialism; and 2) He often sends the least likely person to do the job (in this case, defending the French nation and culture from English invasion). Spoto's writing is lively, and he doesn't try to hide his admiration for this teenaged girl or his religious sensibilities. It is not a sermon, though, but an enthralling biography that makes a good introduction to Joan of Arc or adds to the understanding of those whom she continues to fascinate nearly six hundred years after her execution.