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The Maid: A Novel of Joan of Arc

by Kimberly Cutter (Goodreads Author)

3.33 of 5 stars 3.33 · rating details · 972 ratings · 239 reviews

It is the fifteenth century and the tumultuous Hundred Years War rages on. France is under siege, English soldiers tear through the countrysidedestroying all who cross their path, and Charles VII, the uncrowned king, has neither the strength nor the will to rally his army. And in the quiet of her parents’ garden in Lorraine, a peasant girl sees a spangle of light and hears...more

Hardcover, 287 pages

Published October 18th 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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Jun 20, 2011 Jenn (Booksessed) rated it 1 of 5 stars

I was initially really excited about this title because I love historical fiction and can still remember an episode of Wishbone dealing with Joan of Arc. (Please tell me there is at least one person who remembers Wishbone, the cute little dog that imagines himself the main character in classic literature? I got a Jack Russell because of Wishbone.)

However, once I started this title, it became very apparent that it wasn’t for me. There were several instances of child abuse and even a moment where...more I was initially really excited about this title because I love historical fiction and can still remember an episode of Wishbone dealing with Joan of Arc. (Please tell me there is at least one person who remembers Wishbone, the cute little dog that imagines himself the main character in classic literature? I got a Jack Russell because of Wishbone.)

However, once I started this title, it became very apparent that it wasn’t for me. There were several instances of child abuse and even a moment where Joan (who is called Jeanne in the novel) punches another child because they pick on her for being too religious. That made no sense to me, yes she had visions but historically speaking, the inhabitants of the villages in this time would be just as religious as Jeanne.

I also thought that there was too much sexual content. I think it was a misplaced attempt to put emphasis on the fact that she was supposed to be virginal. In every chapter there seemed to be a man who wanted to sleep with her; leading her to have another monologue as to how important it was that she remains chaste. The sexual content became distracting.

I could not get past the personality of Jeanne either. I was expecting her to be somewhat reserved, perhaps meek, yet still able to lead. Yet she came across as mean, bossy and self-righteous; the latter not being a compliment. I started this novel expecting to feel inspired by this character, when in actuality I was more so tempted to punch her. She expected everyone to listen to her (Yes, I know, she was hearing the voices of God and several Saints) but she didn’t extend that same courtesy to anyone else. Anyone who showed any hesitation to what she wanted, she treated like an idiot and an enemy.

I wish I had more enthusiasm for this title, as I am a historical fiction freak and because I was really excited to read this one, but I don’t. There were too many things that I didn’t like about this title for me to really like the book. I do think that there will definitely be an audience for this book. Sadly, I am not the one of them.
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Apr 22, 2011 Misfit rated it 3 of 5 stars

2.5 stars

Author Kimberly Cutter recounts the short life of Jeanne d'Arc (Jehanne here), The Maid of Orléans and later canonized as Saint Joan of Arc. This is one of those too complicated bits of history to try to explain in a review, and Wik can most definitely do it better than I can.

Joan's history is a fascinating one, and I've been eyeing novels on her for some time, so I was thrilled when this showed up on Net Galley. However, the book I read was very dry and the history itself is hard to fo...more

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Aug 18, 2011 Erik rated it 2 of 5 stars

The Maid was one of my spontenious book-buys. Saw it on a bookshelf in Heathrow Airport, realised it was a book about Joan of Arc, thought to myself that I knew less than I would like about her life and work and thus concluded that I should buy it.
It is a very readable book, written with the simplicity which is so characteristic of novels sold in airports during summer months. This simplicity, however, does not appear to effect the story itself, something which I personally felt was more the res...more The Maid was one of my spontenious book-buys. Saw it on a bookshelf in Heathrow Airport, realised it was a book about Joan of Arc, thought to myself that I knew less than I would like about her life and work and thus concluded that I should buy it.
It is a very readable book, written with the simplicity which is so characteristic of novels sold in airports during summer months. This simplicity, however, does not appear to effect the story itself, something which I personally felt was more the result of the serious subject matter rather than Cutter's literary skills.
Where Cutter does excell is at the portrayal of the complex character and psychology of the young Jehanne (Joan) who is thrust into a violent, masculine world of war and betrayal by a trio of angelic and saintly voices (namely those of Archangel Micheal and Saints Cathrine and Margaret). Saddly, Cutter never gives the reader any reason to doubt the authenticity of the voices and thus indirectly concludes that she was indeed a saint, a conclusion which many readers might find hard to digest. Whatever the case, Jehanne jumps out of the pages as a very special young woman (which she no doubt was) and her charisma and skill are justifiably emminent throughout the book. Her masterful portrayal of human -and female in particular- psychology is no doubt a result of the experience Cutter has gained from working with popular magazines in which, I am sure, she was faced with the letters of troubled teenage girls more than once (none of which concerned reclaiming France in the name of God, hopefully).
Where Cutter really loses points in my rule book, is in her clumsy portrayal of the age. She describes army camps as smelling of gunpowder, in an age when cannons where used mostly (if not solely) for sieges and would most probably not cause an entire army camp to smell of their ammunition. Also Jehanne, for all her 'holiness' still a peasant girl, addresses her superiors by calling them 'sir' instead of 'your lordship'. Cutter needs to remember that medieval society was rigidly built upon hierarchical foundations and that anachronisms of the kind suffered in the book work towards misguided portrayals of an age which is terribly difficult to define and understand as it is.
I do not want people to click away from this review thinking that this is a bad book. Far from it! It is gripping and engaging, very hard to put down! It was a very enjoyable read and I am sure the book will be seen in many sunbeds around the beaches of the world. I doubt that many of those lying on them will be historians, though...(less)

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Sep 15, 2011 Diana rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Maid: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Kimberly Cutter is an intimate portrayal of Joan of Arc’s rise and fall from her pivotal role in the Hundred Years War. It begins with Jehanne d’Arc as a twelve year old girl from Domremy, France, whose father is the tax collector and king of the peasants, so to speak. Life at home is difficult for her; Jehanne, her mother, and brothers have to endure the patriarch’s violent outbursts. Her beautiful sister Catherine had been murdered, which is the possible cat...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark-side-of-religion, e-books, england, all-things-france, historical-fiction

Those who are seeking a tidied-up, romanticized tale of Jean d'Arc and the 100 Years' War would be well-advised to look elsewhere.

Kimberly Cutter brings us a gritty, realistic story about medieval warfare as she brings Jehanne, a young girl from Domremy (in the Lorraine) to life. Starting with Jehanne's childhood (including her sister's murder by the English), Cutter brings readers straight up through brutal battles, political intrigue both for and against Jehanne, and the girl's eventual execut...more

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May 03, 2011 Savonarola rated it 5 of 5 stars

There's no reason on the surface for me to love "The Maid": I'm not a huge fan of Joan of Arc, I'm not a woman, I don't know a whole lot about the history of the period. But I think this is a novel that transcends all of the usual categories through the sheer power of its writing and the way it brings Jehanne, the illiterate peasant girl who changed history, to indelible life. The prose is clean, clear and lyrical in a way that you don't often see in historical fiction. It's not larded down with...more

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Mar 20, 2012 April Hochstrasser rated it 5 of 5 stars

l liked the quick pace and the short chapters. The author had access to a lot of research and the book could have become bogged down with historical detail and background, instead I got the sense of being in Jehanne's head, seeing and feeling what she did, understanding how everyone and everything looked to her.

This book was a perfect intro to a complex historical figure. I got a feeling for the limited ways women could be in that era. Jehanne was such a departure from the norm that she really s...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Tamora Pierce rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, historical

I approached this book with some trepidation, since the only works about Joan I'd read (except Shaw's and Twain's) left me unhappy. I don't like anything that takes Joan's saints away from her, and one deep, abiding question I have--the question of Gilles de Rais, one of her great generals, later one of the most infamous mass murderers of children and the foundation for Bluebeard, burned at the stake himself for witchcraft and heresy--is never addressed in other works.

The story starts at the end...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Victoria Costello rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Kimberly Cutter convincingly gets into Joan of Arc's head in this portrayal of her life from preteen to war hero to victim of the Inquisition and finally sainthood. I haven't read detailed accounts of her life before so I can't speak comparatively but I found myself surprised by the amount of detailed factual information available to Cutter which she explains in her epilogue she used faithfully as would a nonfiction author like Eric Larson (of In the Garden of the Beasts). I also found myself th...more

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Sep 08, 2011 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, amazon-vine

I went into The Maid knowing the Jehanne d’Arc story mostly from high school history class – and Luc Besson’s movie, The Messenger. I assumed this book would be a guilty pleasure – not necessarily something I’d want to read again, but fun, and hopefully only mildly irritating in its anachronism. After all, it’s hard to find a novel about a great woman in history that doesn’t insert modern sensibilities into the character’s mind, so I was bracing myself for a feminist re-write that down played Jo...more I went into The Maid knowing the Jehanne d’Arc story mostly from high school history class – and Luc Besson’s movie, The Messenger. I assumed this book would be a guilty pleasure – not necessarily something I’d want to read again, but fun, and hopefully only mildly irritating in its anachronism. After all, it’s hard to find a novel about a great woman in history that doesn’t insert modern sensibilities into the character’s mind, so I was bracing myself for a feminist re-write that down played Joan’s faith.

But then I read the first page. The first thing that struck me is that Cutter takes Jehanne’s faith very, very seriously. And not only that, but she gives you a taste of it – her language is most inventive and fresh when she’s writing about Jehanne’s experience of God and the saints and angel that visit her.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about The Maid is that it’s almost all completely true. Her predictions of the tide of battles, of one of her wounds, of the time of her own death; her jumping, unscathed, 50-70 feet from the tower where she was imprisoned by the Burgundians – it’s all true.

Jehanne d’Arc was – and is – an extremely compelling, mysterious character in history. There’s still strong contention over whether she was carrying out a divine mission, or whether she was mentally (or physically) ill – whether she fought in battle with the French army, or was merely a standardbearer – whether she was raped in prison – how she managed to convince the dauphin and France to believe her and give her the means to complete her mission. As a Christian, I find her compelling and perplexing – with all the violence and nationalism integral to her story, she doesn’t fit easily into my idea of what a Christian looks like, but I can’t write her off as a lunatic.

Cutter’s interpretation of Jehanne’s character was similar to Luc Besson’s movie -- the line between her divine mission and her often wrathful, prideful will is often unclear. But both sides are there – it is neither wholly one nor the other that drives her. This, together with Cutter’s vivid interpretation of Jehanne’s visions, makes for a character at once thrillingly unlike ourselves and yet still just as subject to the same human sins as any of us. We’re also made to feel the poignancy of how Jehanne’s apartness feels to her – to know that she will never be married to anyone but God, will never have children, and she is left to anticipate the time of her death; an apartness that, as Cutter notes in the book, perhaps only Christ shares. And there are many, many men – half a dozen, maybe – who remind her of her loneliness, and who she must keep at arm’s length to remain true to her mission.

The book was a wonderful read, and I read it at a breakneck pace even as I knew the end – and her end – was coming. It was a hard read, though, too – it’s a book about total war, and includes many, many vivid battle scenes that are hard to take, as well as crude (but believable) language. It also includes at least one psychopath, Gilles du Rais, whose particular violent perversions are not only nauseating but linger in the mind.

A nice touch was Saint Margaret calling Jehanne by the nickname “cabbage” – which is, strangely enough, a real term of endearment in French (“chou-fleur”).

One thing that bothered me, though, was that while Jehanne is in every other way an orthodox (small ‘o’) Catholic, each mention of Christ appears without capitalized pronouns – God is He, Christ is he. This is extremely unusual and, for me, very distracting. This is perhaps the one solid criticism I can make, though, besides the difficulty with some language and violent scenes.

Cutter’s book includes a brief factual note at the end, stating what things she interpreted, adapted, added or otherwise changed, as well as a list of books and authors whose work was helpful in writing The Maid – both of which are great resources that I’m glad to have. I also appreciate how closely Cutter hewed to the facts – she gave us her view of Jehanne’s character without spoiling the true story.

Ultimately, it was a thrilling book , and I plan to reread it. It has reignited my interest in Jehanne d’Arc, and I’m happy to have read it.
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Jul 11, 2011 Anne rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Maid is the story of Joan of Arc, set in the 15th century during the 100 years war. Joan is born a peasant girl in the French country side. Throughout her years of growing up she watches the English murder and pillage and slowly destroy her country. As she gets older she begins to here voices and have visions. She is convinced she is supposed to save her country from the English and spends the rest of her days trying to fulfill her destiny.

I was really excited to read this book. I have never...more

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Jun 28, 2011 Karen morsecode added it

She looked up at her saints in the stained-glass windows, Saint Catherine, Saint Margaret, Saint Clare... those tall, sad, lovely women illuminated by the sun. She though of their enormous love for God, their heroic lives, their miracles. How they'd found a way to be bigger, better, to do good, fight evil, escape the mud, the smallness of life. She thought they were the luckiest people in the world. (32)

I've been fascinated by Joan of Arc since I first heard her story so I was quite excited to r...more She looked up at her saints in the stained-glass windows, Saint Catherine, Saint Margaret, Saint Clare... those tall, sad, lovely women illuminated by the sun. She though of their enormous love for God, their heroic lives, their miracles. How they'd found a way to be bigger, better, to do good, fight evil, escape the mud, the smallness of life. She thought they were the luckiest people in the world. (32)

I've been fascinated by Joan of Arc since I first heard her story so I was quite excited to read Kimberly Cutter's novelization of her life.

Cutter begins The Maid with Jehanne (this is the proper period spelling of her given name) incarcerated and awaiting her death. Jehanne's recollections while in prison are the source of the novel's primary narrative, which begins with Jehanne at age twelve when she first received her visions.

Jehanne may be a saint, but she's also a teenage girl and Cutter does a wonderful job of portraying her as a flawed human being. Cutter's Jehanne is impatient, she gets mad, she feels temptation and doubt. However Jehanne is not a particularly sympathetic character and it's not because she's more than a little bit self-righteous.1 I assume that Cutter makes Jehanne difficult to identify with to highlight for readers just how confounding Jehanne's contemporaries found her to be.

One of the most interesting things about The Maid is how the secondary characters react to Jehanne. Jehanne has many fair-weather supporters and it seems like nearly every character in the novel changes the way he or she behaves toward Jehanne depending on the circumstances and whether she's in favor or not.

The Maid is well-researched and the battle scenes in particular seem authentic. Cutter also includes an author's note, which provides additional context and possible explanations for some of the more confusing things about Jehanne and her story. It also justifies the sexual content of the novel.

There was one thing in particular that bothered me about The Maid. Michael and the saints who speak to Jehanne have have pet names for her. Pet names like darling and cabbage. Yes, Margaret calls her cabbage.2 It may be minor quibble, but this use of pet names was incongruous and it occurred many times over the course of the novel, irritating me afresh with each instance.

Part of the reason this irritated me so much--besides the fact that something like "my child" seems more appropriate way for them to refer to her--is that Jehanne never seems like she needs comforting endearments. Even at twelve, she is wise beyond her years. For example:

She never considered telling the priest about her voices. She knew he would hate her for it. Would not be able to help hating her for it. He was a gentle main, Pere Guillaume, a decent main even, but fearful too. Scared, trembling beneath his holy robes. You could see it in his face. The thin purple lips, the dry papery white hands, the cold, silent judgments... She knew if she told him, he would see to it that she suffered. He would not inflict the suffering himself, that was not his way, but he would tell someone who would be sure to inflict it. (33)

Full review (with footnotes) on my blog: http://morsiereads.blogspot.com/2011/06/maid-by-kimberly-cutter.html (less)

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Sep 14, 2011 ☆Jessie☆ (Ageless Pages Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley-arc, historical-fiction, standalone, reviewed, 2011-reads, 2011-reviews, hf-france, arc, royal-family-tiffs-and-squabbles

Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

Joan of Arc is a far-famed and widely recognized name, especially if you're a. Catholic or b. French. As a rebel, as a saint, and even as a peasant, this young girl captivated an entire country, following her 'voices' and fighting the English for freedom. Taglined with "the girl who led an army, the peasant who crowned a King, the maid who became a legend," Cutter sets the stage for her version of the world famous knight right from the get-go. I did...more Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

Joan of Arc is a far-famed and widely recognized name, especially if you're a. Catholic or b. French. As a rebel, as a saint, and even as a peasant, this young girl captivated an entire country, following her 'voices' and fighting the English for freedom. Taglined with "the girl who led an army, the peasant who crowned a King, the maid who became a legend," Cutter sets the stage for her version of the world famous knight right from the get-go. I did have to do some reading up on the Hundred Years War during and after reading this because a few details were blurry in my memory and I wanted to check the validity of the events in this novel (medieval France is not my historical forte). Happily, and incredulously I might say, I found much of this novel to be factually correct, all the while maintaining a snarled plot and a brisk pace. Even the most incredible events from the book are recorded as fact (Jehanne's predictions of a defeat at Rouvray, telling Charles "Use me. I will last little more than a year"), and Cutter does a fine job of meshing the facts of the past with her interpretation of the person. She also steers clear of the inane repetition of titles and names of the nobility that some other historical fiction authors cannot seem to avoid. I thought that this was a well-told tale, and Ms. Cutter a more than able storyteller. Never dry, or dull, I was swept up in the story from beginning until the end and her Jehanne is more than believable: she is three-dimensional and vibrant.

The story is told by Jehanne herself, explaining her life up to capture by the English to her seemingly sympathetic jailer in a brisk, almost unfeeling reminisce. With the Hundred Years War raging from 1337 (before her death) until 1453 (twenty years after her execution), Jehanne begins and lives her entire life directly in the tumult of this dynastic warfare, and it leaves a lasting impression on the girl. With the third person perspective in use Cutter is deftly able to weave a complete - and devastating - picture of life in English-controlled France. And it is a harsh, unyielding picture full of mostly misery. With the external pressures of a mad father, a murdered sister and a devastated country, it is not hard to see why she turned to prayer for solace and then began to hear voices. Though The Maid plays the voices as if they are actual saints (Michael, Catherine and Margaret to be specific), it is not hackneyed element nor a podium from which Jehanne preaches. I did find the pet names from the saints to Jehanne a bit off ("cabbage" and "darling"? I could see "lamb" I suppose, as in lamb of God, but it wasn't used) and it threw me when one of the three would reference Jehanne with one of them. Jehanne was also never full of herself, simply stating she was "a lamp in which God had chosen to burn for a short time." Her humility rang true, and remained the forefront of personality for the duration.

Moving at a brisk pace, the novel shows Jehanne through five parts, divided by age or events within. Jehanne's early life was surprisingly compelling for a peasant in medieval France, and Cutter shed light and personality upon the mostly-historically-ignored family that brought Jehanne into the world. The abduction and murder of her sister Catherine at the hands of the "Goddons" (English), though one of the fabricated events, served as a nice foreshadowing of Jehanne's future treatment by the same nation, and also served to explain more of Jehanne's reasons for her calling. Her relationship with her father was severely troubled, a symptom that reappears in almost all Jehanne's later interactions with men and possibly the reason for such issues in the first place. Jehanne is shown to be a full, complete person: she doesn't survive of religious fervor. The author took care to craft a well-rounded personality who can feel and express doubt and fear instead of an unfeeling zealot: her latent feelings and romance with the Duke of Alencon, her struggles with violence, and even nostalgia from home.. these are all problems with which Jehanne must wrestle and overcome. Jehanne grows into herself: from a shy girl turned away from the dauphin, she becomes a ferocious general, dealing with insubordination and mistrust with ease. Cutter does an admirable job of showing a human side to a saint venerated for her supreme piety. Slowly, her Jehanne is revealed as a woman that is much admired, but sadly not liked within her support base.

Jehanne represents much more than just resistance from the English. She took a dynastic struggle lasting decades between nobles and kings and made it about the country itself. She is a living symbol of the peasantry, fighting for their freedom rather than a King defending his inherited lands. While her prowess at Orleans could be laid at the feet of "surprise", I tend to think Jehanne's natural abilities were the cause. The excellently described, gory battle scenes were a high point for the novel as well: each seemed alive and different than the preceding fight, practically thrumming with excitement and action. All in all, this version of Jehanne was utterly compelling and engaging. Though the end cut off before her execution, the timing was perfect. It felt like the end; there was no need to see read her execution at the hands of the English. A nicely well-rounded and plotted historical fiction, alive with tension and fear... this was one of the better historical fictions I've read so far this year. More than enjoyable, and though not astounding, The Maid is a great historical fiction novel for anyone looking into a fun read about Joan of Arc.(less)

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May 25, 2011 Siobian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-copy, historical-fiction, kindle, read-in-2011

Set in the fifteenth century during the Hundred Years War, The Maid tells the story of Jehanne d'Arc (later known as Joan of Arc) as she sets out to fulfill her destiny. Jehanne has grown up in the French countryside and watched as English soldiers tear the country apart. When she is young, she begins hearing voices and seeing angels that tell her that she is the one who will save the France and return the exiled Dauphin to his throne. After overcoming enormous obstacles, she does just this but...more

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May 21, 2011 Suzanne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who liked "Blood Royal"/"The Queen's Lover" by Vanora Bennett

Shelves: genre-historical-fiction, language-english, time-late-middle-ages, setting-france

3.5 stars for this nice debut.

A very interesting read about Joanne of Arc, which mostly comes across as well researched.
(Having been to both Chinon and Loches myself I was excited to read about these places, though the descriptions of them were not very detailed which left me wondering if the author ever visited.)

The chapters are really short, which some people object to, but which I always kinda like, as it makes the book seem like a box of candy.
I've noticed another thing some people object to...more

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Dec 02, 2010 Jo at Jaffareadstoo rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is an interesting, and well written debut book, which focuses on the life of Jehanne d’Arc. The story begins, when as a child, Jehanne bewilders her peasant family by her religious zeal, and her ability to communicate directly with saints. Guided by her religious voices, Jehanne sets out to change the focus of European history, when, convinced that God has chosen her to restore power to the French, she embarks on a brutal, and courageous fight for glory.
Startlingly honest in its narrative,...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Merredith rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4-or-5-stars, historical-fiction

I was almost hesitant to read this book because of some of the bad reviews. I'm confused as to those, because this was a great book! It's about Joan of Arc, called Jehanne, from when she starts hearing voices till she's executed. This is a sad story, but definitely leaves me wanting to research more about this remarkable woman. Even in present day, a poor woman with no education wouldn't be able to rise up and lead armies, but back then, when it was an executionable offense just for a woman to w...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Helen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The tale of Jehanne d'Arc, the fifteenth century saint and warrior who believed she had been chosen by God to save France, and who led an army of 10,000 soldiers against the English.
The novel explores the themes of courage, the power and burden of faith, and the consequences of fame/charisma.
As it is based on such a well-known historical story this was always going to be a hard act to pull off. The author skilfully portrays the fact that the heroine achieves all that she does when she is only a...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Ruthie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Many reviewers did not like aspects of the author's writing style, but l liked the quick pace and the short chapters. The author had access to a lot of research and the book could have become bogged down with historical detail and background, instead I get the sense of being in Jehane's head, seeing and feeling what she did, understanding how everyone and everything looked to her.

I really enjoyed this book and I feel it was a perfect "intro" to a complex historical figure/time/event.

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Oct 15, 2011 Susan Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is oddly written type of novel about Joan of Arc. It is a fiction book written as if were non-fiction. It is finely written but the author doesn't make the characters come alive. It's like the author holds them at arms length examining them as scientific experiments. Just as you get into that strange rhythm, the author deviates into this weird conversations between Joan and the Saints. There was a lot of history that I didn't know. King Charles had a horrific upbringing. It was another less...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars

First, I want to start off by saying that Joan of Arc is my patron saint and has been a symbol of inspiration and hope for me throughout my entire life. I really loved this book for it's accurate portrayal. I've seen a lot of negative reviews on here saying that her character was annoying, etc. I think the problem here is that today, we simply look at the fact that she is a saint. The truth is, she was a human being. She did in fact have a mission from God, however she was born a human and died...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Jenny GB rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have not read a lot of historical fiction dealing with Joan of Arc, but I would have to say this is probably a really good one. The author tries to stay close to the true story while taking some of her own artistic license, of course. Joan is portrayed beautifully. The author really gets inside her head to her love of God, her doubts, and her ferocious courage. At times reading this sent chills down my back at her boldness and daring. I could entirely believe that armies would want to follow h...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Frances rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

Historical fiction isn't my favourite genre - I tend to find it a bit dry and over-formal. I do, however, have a bit of a weakness for Joan of Arc, ever since seeing the 1948 film (starring Ingrid Bergman) as a child.
The appeal of Joan to a young girl is obvious - in an age when women are supposed to be submissive and obedient, Joan is neither - she is determined and active, transforming herself from an illiterate peasant into a warrior. As a historical figure her enduring popularity is remarkab...more

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Apr 24, 2012 Cynthia Archer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was very good; it was actually better than I anticipated. I knew the rough tale of Joan of Arc, but it really came alive as the author used factual information and expanding it into a marvelous work of historic fiction. She used some interesting techniques in writing that I appreciated. One was breaking the book into many short chapters. For me this made the action move faster and kept the story from dragging with too much verbiage. She also chose to add the thoughts of Joan, or Jehann...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars

I didn't know much about Joan of Arc, so it was an interesting read. The author includes in the end what is true and what is fiction. Other than a little graphic, which it would be, it was written pretty well and very interesting. I couldn't help wanting a different ending for her.

In the end of the book, the author says that some think instead of hearing from her voices and dreams, she had epilepsy or schizophrenia. I can't speak to schizophrenia, but I can speak for epilepsy or migraines. My si...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: recently-read, favorites

Tricky thing, historical fiction. Make it too imaginative and it becomes a fanciful interpretation that bears little resemblance to the actual history. Make it too dry and it reads like a boring textbook.

That's why what Kimberly Cutter has done with The Maid: A Novel of Joan of Arc is extraordinary. Her heroine, the illiterate peasant teenager who struck the blows against the Kingdom of England that saw its defeat in the Hundred Years' War, leaps off the pages through her sheer conviction and d...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Rachael Hewison rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: medieval-fiction

Having studied this period whilst at university, and even covered Joan d’Arc, I was very excited before even picking up the book. I thought the book was solidly written from a historical point of view, very well dramatised and built up. All in all bar a couple of speed bumps interrupting the flow during the book I really got into it. The book is based around five sections, each describing a pivotal point in her life. The chapters are short taking you through the book at a rapid pace but she stil...more Having studied this period whilst at university, and even covered Joan d’Arc, I was very excited before even picking up the book. I thought the book was solidly written from a historical point of view, very well dramatised and built up. All in all bar a couple of speed bumps interrupting the flow during the book I really got into it. The book is based around five sections, each describing a pivotal point in her life. The chapters are short taking you through the book at a rapid pace but she still manages to cram them with historical information.
At points however it did feel a little rushed; for example when it came to the battles and her trial toward the end. I also disliked how every so often Cutter would divert from the main narrative and flit to Joan telling her story to the priest; it strongly affected the flow of the story and for me added very little insight to Joan’s feelings or the narrative as a whole.
Another quibble I have with the writing structure of the book is the short sentences that Cutter seems to overuse. Frequently through the book there were sentences made up of one or two words that, to me at least, proved quite annoying. “It made me very tall, my secret. It made me very tall and it made every-one around me very small. Like dollhouse people. Little doll house people with little muddy problems. Cattle, pigs, taxes, harvests. My problems were huge, vast as the universe. God. War. The King. France,” is just one such example.
However she described the character of Joan superbly and I felt myself empathising with her more as the book went on. Once the king turned against her when it came to Paris, I found myself getting just as frustrated as she was with their lack of help. She does make her seem human and she experiences emotions that we all feel (angry, hurt, desire etc)
Whilst she explored the character of Joan fantastically, however with other characters I felt lost and forgot who was who at times. She should have explored them more and they felt slightly lifeless. There were a number of times where she referred to the Baron as either the Baron or Rais but I kept forgetting and therefore would lose track of who Joan was talking to.
Religion is obviously a very important part of the story, being as how God supposedly came to Joan. Cutter deals with this issue very well and offering it as seen from Joan’s perspective without trying to delve into all the politics that would surround such a statement in this day and age. As such she never tries to force religion on to the reader, instead giving it simply as part of the story.
I did wonder throughout the book how much of it was actually true. I was therefore delighted to find in the back of the book, a chapter from the author telling us herself how much was true and what she had elaborated (not a lot). As such it is very well researched and historically accurate but Cutter still turns the historical material into a good story using a little artistic licence. However I read this book having studied this period at university so I knew a lot about the historical content. I do wonder whether someone who doesn’t know much of this period would be able to follow the book as easily.
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Nov 29, 2011 Audrey rated it 3 of 5 stars

If high school history presented the past through stories instead of memorizing dates and places, I might have learned more. The author stuck close to know facts and minimized story telling. Amazing story and an amazing woman. Interesting parallel to religious wars throughout history and current times. Does God really ask people to go to war?

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Sep 18, 2012 Helen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ylto-theme, historic

meh. I can't decide what to think of this. Maybe it suffered in comparison with the Mark Twain version of the same story, where Joan is put on a pedestal and transmuted into a goddess. Here Joan is a lot more human, she's fallible, but also she's not always very nice.

Took a while for me to work out who the narrator was. I think it was Joan herself, talking to a chronicler in retrospect. But it got a bit confuding, with some events being described almost as they happened with asides that were cl...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Dione Sage rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure, drama, faith-religion, fresh-take-on-legend, historical-fiction, history

Found through Libboo The Maid ...The Maid: A Novel of Joan of Arc is in my opinion an excellent historical fiction with plenty of actual historical facts in it. Author Kimberly Cutter did a phenomenal job and capturing the story of the peasant girl, Jehanne d’Arc’s beautiful struggle. A woman would not have been treated with any real respect or dignity when it came to affairs that were considered a man’s work in the 1400’s but for a 17 yr old girl to leave all she knows because she truly believ...more

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“Most of [her ashes] fell into the river in a long gray curtain. But some was caught by the wind and blown upward toward the blue spring sky where it swirled a moment in the air, before dissolving into sunlight.” — 2 people liked it

“...because who in the throes of love can ever remember the gray, lonesome days, and who among us does not hope with all their hearts that somehow, by some miracle, such love might go on forever?” — 2 people liked it

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