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Joan of Arc Audiobook
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(3.01) - 2,441 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Few people know that Mark Twain wrote a major work on Joan of Arc. Still fewer know that he considered it not only his most important but also his best work. Twain spent twelve years in research and many months in France doing archival work and then made several attempts until he felt he finally had the story he wanted to tell. He reached his conclusion about Joan’s unique place in history only after studying in detail accounts written by both sides: the French, for whom she raised an army to return the Dauphin to the throne, and the English, who fought the French in the Hundred Year’s War and were ultimately Joan’s executioners. This is a fascinating and remarkably accurate biography of the life and mission of Joan of Arc told by one of this country’s greatest storytellers.
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"It's interesting how many fans of Samuel Langhorne Clemens aren't even aware that this book exists. I should know, I was one once too. This is a fictionalized story of the life of Joan of Arc. Although what it lacks in humor which prevails in his other works is more than compensated for by the plot. This is a moving tale, and if you don't know about Joan of Arc here is a great place to find out. I was captivated and amazed at this story. This is truely history comes alive written at its best."
— J.P. (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“I like Joan of Arc best of all my books; and it is the best; I know it perfectly well. And besides, it furnished me seven times the pleasure afforded me by any of the others; twelve years of preparation, and two years of writing. The others needed no preparation and got none.”
— Mark Twain -
“Twain’s understanding of history and Joan’s place in it accounts for his regarding his book Joan of Arc as worth all of his other books together.”
— Edward Wagenknecht, author of Mark Twain: The Man and His Work -
“It is an extraordinary (and baffling) literary phenomenon that Mark Twain, who was not disposed to see God at work in the melancholy affairs of men, should have been so galvanized by the life and achievement of this young woman that he devoted years of his life to this book about her.”
— Thomas Howard, author of Chance or the Dance? -
“Mark Twain comes furtively like Nicodemus at night with this tribute to one of God’s saints. In doing so he tells a secret about himself. It is as though the man in a white suit and a cloud of cigar smoke thought there just might be a place where people in white robes stand in clouds of incense.”
— Fr. George Rutler, author of The Cure d'Ars Today
Joan of Arc Listener Reviews
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" Twain considered this book his best work. It was certainly different from any other work of his I've read. I felt as though it exposed Twain's inner heart like no other work. His passion and heart-deep admiration for his subject lights up the story as a whole and permeates its individual lines. Not only a fascinating read about a unique and admirable heroine but the underlying, unguarded accessibility to the heart and mind of a fascinating author. "
— Whitney, 2/19/2014 -
" WOW! what a woman. This is very inspiring and educational. "
— Angie, 2/17/2014 -
" Interesting that Mark Twain wrote it but overall pretty boring. "
— Chelsea, 2/13/2014 -
" I have loved this book forever. "
— Kluless, 2/3/2014 -
" I'm not sure why more people don't know about this book. I'm not sure why I didn't know about this book. It is brilliant. Mark Twain loves Joan of Arc, and now I see why. The story is compelling, inspiring, true. Read it while in France, which made it all the more stirring. "
— Wendy, 1/31/2014 -
" I would consider this a must read. The parallels that can be drawn to modern day history are scary. Even more scary is how this amazing young woman was martyred for talking with angels. Her conversations with the angels led directly to the victories the army achieved in battle, yet she was accused of witchcraft and consorting with demons. I dare not draw any parallels to modern day fears in the church... "
— ErikaWaz, 1/30/2014 -
" My new favorite book. She was an AMAZING girl! The book is divided into the three major parts of her life: childhood/mission and wars/trial. Loved them all and wanted more. "
— Shauna, 1/14/2014 -
" Joan of Arc has always been one of my heroes, but now, after finishing this book I esteem her even higher than I had before. What an amazing woman she was!!! "
— Laura, 1/6/2014 -
" Okay book but really long. I recommend for high school and up. "
— Ally, 1/6/2014 -
" An engaging and unexpectedly reverent take on the historical figure of St. Joan. "
— Dan, 12/23/2013 -
" I agree that this is Twain's best work. "
— Janice, 12/10/2013 -
" One of my favorite authors and really cool saint. Doesn't get much better... :) "
— Joey, 11/30/2013 -
" One of Mark Twain's best. "
— Edward, 10/26/2013 -
" took me a while but i finally got it done. Took me a while to really get into it but, What an amazing girl to love her country so much that she gave her very life for it and for the king who betrayed her. "
— Kirstine, 9/13/2013 -
" My favorite book every. And also Mark Twain's favorite book. "
— Jared, 4/3/2013 -
" Very interesting. Shocking that book is so obscure: Twain considered it his best work. I learned a tremendous amount about Joan of Arc from this book. "
— Jack, 10/9/2012 -
" Illiterate, GIRL, leader of France's defense - enough said. Inspirational and magnificent!!! "
— Stephen, 7/1/2012 -
" I was amazed by this book. I knew nothing about Joan of Arc before reading it and what I found was beautiful and inspiring. Twain does a decent job of portraying her and engages the reader in a great way. He said that it was his best novel. I loved it. "
— Tammy, 4/24/2012 -
" Wow this is a great life to read about in Marc Twains words. "
— Deb, 2/28/2012 -
" An excellent read on a truly unique and amazing young woman. There are no words for what she accomplished. "
— Becky, 11/29/2011 -
" Better than any required leadership reading! "
— Marcy, 11/16/2011 -
" I just had to read this book. Joan of Ark was a facinating woman in history. "
— Melissa, 8/26/2011 -
" I think I preferred his essay at the end of the book to the book itself. The book for me seemed to drag. His prose is still good, and the dialogue always with a humorous lilt, yet it was a bit too sentimental for me and very little actually happening. I think I just wanted it to move faster. "
— Julie, 5/11/2011 -
" My favorite Twain novel. Though slow starting it is deftly handled and well researched. I have yet to read a better account of the period of this French saint. I can well understand why Twain considers this his best novel. "
— Dave, 4/28/2011 -
" Strange topic for Mark Twain...and that's why I liked it so much. "
— Gretchen, 4/21/2011 -
" I knew nothing about Joan of Arc. Now I know a lot!(It was a really long book and very detailed). Let's hope I can retain some of that knowledge. I wish I didn't have so short of a memory! "
— Jennifer, 3/11/2011 -
" I agree with Mr. Twain that this is his best work. It is the best history of Joan of Arc that I ever read. Mr. Twain shows himself to be a serious historian and biographer in this amazing book. "
— Sister, 3/8/2011 -
" First book I got from Google books for my iPad, and only the second book I read on it. Google books is a splendid resource. <br/> <br/>The book itself is not typical Twain, although it seems he considered it one of his finest pieces. "
— Jack, 3/5/2011 -
" I'm currently reading this and am thoroughly enjoying it. Mark Twain thought it was his most important work so I decided to give it a try and am glad that I did. "
— Molly, 2/10/2011 -
" This is a sly and tender novel about the character which most embodies France, according to Twain. Often overlooked, this novel is entertaining and simultaneously offers lessons on leadership through the fascinating portrayal of Joan of Arc by her childhood friend and scribe. "
— John, 12/7/2010 -
" Historical Fiction by Twain. . .educational read. "
— Connie, 11/17/2010 -
" Anything by Mark Twain is worth reading IMHO. It's old, but it's still very good. "
— Rebecca, 11/7/2010
About Mark Twain
Mark Twain, pseudonym of Samuel L. Clemens (1835–1910), was born in Florida, Missouri, and grew up in Hannibal on the west bank of the Mississippi River. He attended school briefly and then at age thirteen became a full-time apprentice to a local printer. When his older brother Orion established the Hannibal Journal, Samuel became a compositor for that paper and then, for a time, an itinerant printer. With a commission to write comic travel letters, he traveled down the Mississippi. Smitten with the riverboat life, he signed on as an apprentice to a steamboat pilot. After 1859, he became a licensed pilot, but two years later the Civil War put an end to the steam-boat traffic.
In 1861, he and his brother traveled to the Nevada Territory where Samuel became a writer for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise, and there, on February 3, 1863, he signed a humorous account with the pseudonym Mark Twain. The name was a river man’s term for water “two fathoms deep” and thus just barely safe for navigation.
In 1870 Twain married and moved with his wife to Hartford, Connecticut. He became a highly successful lecturer in the United States and England, and he continued to write.
About Michael Anthony
Michael Anthony is an actor and director with a lengthy resume in the Washington, DC, area.