Joan of Arc: A Life (Penguin Lives)

“A master of the story form” (The New York Times) offers a fresh, revealing portrait of the legendary saint Celebrated novelist Mary Gordon brings Joan of Arc alive as a complex figure full of contradictions and desires, as well as spiritual devotion. A humble peasant girl, Joan transformed herself into the legendary Maid of Orleans, knight, martyr, and saint. Following the voice of God, she led an army to victory and crowned the king of France, only to be captured and burned at the stake as a heretic–all by the age of nineteen. Gordon does more than tell this gripping story–she explores Joan’s mystery and the many facets of her inspiring life.