Joan of Arc

A History

By: Helen Castor

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

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 15th 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.

©2015 Helen Castor (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

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

Good book; abysmal narrator

I am a big Helen Castor fan. She is an accomplished historian. And her writing is academic in style, but with a more readable prose than is commonly found in academic texts or articles. I enjoyed the organization here, and it fits with a thesis she has advanced elsewhere, namely, that the battle of Agincourt is the seminal event in that period of French and English history, and all other events should be considered with that context in mind. See "Agincourt or Azincourt? Victory, Defeat, and the War of 1415" (a lecture she gave in October 2015, which is available online).

I would encourage anyone to listen to her online lectures. And, frankly, I wish someone from Tantor Audio had listened. The ideal narrator for Helen Castor's excellent books is obviously Helen Castor. Her ability to engross is not limited to her books; her lectures should be required listening for new college professors. Instead, Tantor chose as narrator Anne Flosnik. In Ms. Flosnik, Tantor found a performer who should not be allowed to read aloud the daily lunch specials, let alone an entire book.

A brief look at Ms. Flosnik's resume reveals a handful of romance novels featuring ladies in various stages of undress. See "Why Dukes Say I Do." Although I might not have thought about such a narrator for a serious book about a female subject, I am open-minded. Flosnik's oeuvre might signal that she possesses a deep, sonorous voice, or that she has a capacity for expressing passion and variety. Alas, it is not so.

Flosnik is difficult to understand. On this subject, other reviewers have spoken. But I disagree with their assertions that the difficulty is merely an accent or minor speech impediment. Lucy Worsley has a similar rhotacism, yet she is an easily-understood and highly-sought-after television host. Flosnik does not enunciate, she does not vary the rhythm of her sentences, and she fails to alter her tone. No matter the content, unintelligible sentences rise and fall in the same place. The result is a grating, hard-to-decipher sing-song proceeding mercilessly for eight-and-a-half hours.

I listened to this book in its entirety--a statement which is as great a tribute as anyone hearing the narrator's voice could possibly offer the author. Because the narrator is simply the worst I have ever heard on any audiobook anywhere, I give it three stars. But I've bought the Folio Society special printing of the book itself. And I'll give it a wonderful review--it can be enjoyed silently.

To Tantor Audio: Find Dr. Castor someone new. Anyone. But, hopefully, make it Dr. Castor herself.

Breathy English accent painful

The reader’s breathy English accent is better suited to a salacious novel than a non-fiction book.

The Maid of Orleans

Helen Castor has taken an unusual approach in structuring her biography of Joan of Arc. There's a huge amount of information about Joan in the sworn testimony of two church trials. Most writers use this information freely in reconstructing Joan's childhood; Castor has chosen to leave most of this intimate detail until the point in history when it became common knowledge - during the trials themselves.

As a consequence, Joan appears on the horizon in even more of a whirlwind than usual.

Much of the first part of the book is taken up with the history of the Hundred Years War, or at least the part of the war that began with Henry V's invasion and the battle of Agincourt. Charles VII, disinherited by his own parents, is struggling to re-establish his legitimacy as King. And there, suddenly, as if out of nowhere, is Joan.

It's a remarkable story, and Castor's book is the best one I've read on the subject. The battles and politics of this period are particularly tangled, with Armagnacs against Burgundians against English, and sieges and campaigns that seem to have no purpose other than to destroy the best fighters on all sides. Castor tells it all with such lucid balance and proportion that it all makes sense, all the better to highlight Joan's remarkable achievement and the sad unravelling of her life.

She was 19 when she died, burned at the stake. The executioner dampened the flames after her clothes had burned away, so everyone could see she was a woman; and then built the fire back up to reduce any possible relics to ash.

Anne Flosnik has an unusual voice. I can't quite articulate what's unusual about it; but it's rich and expressive and pleasing, and she does a terrific job pacing the story and giving voice to Joan. I loved it. When I want a refresher on the subject, this is the one I'll turn to.

In depth treatment of historical context.

Helen Castor spends a great deal of time setting the stage for the appearance of The Maid, a bit too much in my view, but those with an interest in the political intrigues of 15th Century France will enjoy the scholarly narrative. The personality of Joan comes through like a beacon. Narrator was annoying when doing any voice except Joan's.

Amazing

I’ve learned just so little about Joan of Arc in history class back in grad school. Getting her full story was absolutely remarkable. Such a beautiful well written book about the iconic Joan of Arc. Definitely recommend it. Definitely will listen to it again.

Excellent

Excellent recounting of the historical elements, excellent narration, an excellent vantage point from which the story is unfolded.

Highly-detailed historical description of times in which Joan lived and worked.

Toughest part from me was heavy accent of narrator. I was born and raised in Southern California, trained in four other languages beyond English, travelled and worked internationally in common and diplomatic circles. I struggle to understand narration at times. But the writing and research is top shelf.

A brilliantly historical examination

This book sets out to tell the story of Joan of Arc by first giving a full context to the world she entered. It provides a well-researched understanding of the broader situation surrounding the war between France and England, the inner divisions that pulled France to pieces, and the unity ultimately returned. As a student historian of an entirely different part of the world, I was very grateful for this wider picture, without which I likely would have struggled to understand the events of Joan’s life and her impact on France. I went looking for a good book about Joan of Arc, and this is that, certainly, but it is also about a turning point on French history, and I’m glad to have listened to it.

Takes awhile, but worth it

The book doesn't cover anything specifically about Joan until halfway through - literally Chapter 6 - so the first half is an intense in depth history of royalty and wars leading up to her coming onto the scene. Once the book finally started focusing on Joan and her story, though, it was everything I had wanted it to be and I learned more about Joan than I had thought imaginable. Her story is such a tragedy, and the book details how cruel and illogical the Catholic church was at that time and how poorly poor Joan was treated. I recommend if you really want to know about her story, but it's not very quick paced or overly entertaining, but very straight forward history.

More of a period history than a Joan of Arc histor

The author spent too much time on the background surrounding Joan's entry into the events. It is well written, but much less than 50% of the book is actually about Joan. Should be retitled to more clearly reflect the content of the book.