Rating: 
Summary: Hate To Be The Dissenting Voter, But...
Review: Perhaps it is because I purchased this book in an audio format; I found it very difficult to listen to and lost interest. Yes, this is supposed to be Mark Twains masterpiece, but, at least to this reviewer, it does not even come close the Twains masterpiece Huckleberry Finn.Perhaps it I read this book before September 11th, I would had fared better. But the French have lost their soul. Even though in Joan we find a Frenchman (or should I say, a French woman) who has integrity and is willing to fight and die for a righteous cause, all what the French do now is irritate me.
Rating: 
Summary: I am sorry, but the French just irritate me
Review: Perhaps it is because I purchased this book in an audio format; I found it very difficult to listen to and lost interest. Yes, this is supposed to be Mark Twains masterpiece, but, at least to this reviewer, it does not even come close the Twains masterpiece Huckleberry Finn. Perhaps it I read this book before September 11th, I would had fared better. But the French have lost their soul. Even though in Joan we find a Frenchman (or should I say, a French woman) who has integrity and is willing to fight and die for a righteous cause, all what the French do now is irritate me.
Rating: 
Summary: WOW
Review: Really Excellent! I see a 6th grader has reviewed it. I think this book would have appeal from the youngest to the oldest. I loved the recent TV movie and wanted to read the book, but my library only had the book on tape. It's so enthralling I want my own set now, to hear again and bless others by sharing it. The book is so much better than the movie, and of course truer. What an uplifting inspirational life. It helps me understand why Catholics name Saints - what else can you do with lives such as these. If anyone likes a suspenseful, exciting court trial, there is none better than Joan's. If anyone loves heoric battle stories, there are none so exhilerating as this. If anyone thrills to see how God uses the least likely person to intervene miraculously in the life of man, they will marvel at this. (I thought Joan must have been a battle-loving tomboy - quite the opposite!). If anyone has a love of history, this truly puts you right there. If you love truth and love a heart of gold, you will thrill with this book. This was the first book on tape I tried and what a neat idea. I got laundry folded, drawers organized, and surfaces cleaned - so much more productive (and less guilty) than sitting. I'll be looking for more good books on tape.
Rating:
Summary: Joan the greatest
Review: Some folks dont get what Twain was trying to do, he did something that no one else has ever done for Joan of Arc, he has breathed life into the young woman we read about in the pages of history and made it come alive. the information contained in this book is correct, not made up. the was the true Joan of Arc. the new movie: the messenger, is an affront to this book, where this book shows the sprituality of Joan, the movie leaves you wondering if she was sane. Mark Twain respected and revered Joan above all other women, including, much to the chagrin of the publishers, Mary. Even if your catholic, you cannot help but praise him for portraying a woman of courage and decency called by god to enter a world she new nothing about and attack the english for france. Great stuff. Great book.
Rating: 
Summary: tres bon
Review: The book was interesting, inspiring and well written. An excellant read for all ages, packed with emotion, her heroism is amazing, a young girl commited to her goal. Though JOA was catholic..not christian as one reader said.
Rating:
Summary: Chivalry still matters
Review: The man universally acclaimed as the father of the American novel here abandons much of his trademark bite to show a surprisingly tender side. By the time Twain is done, you, too, will find yourself full of admiration for Joan of Arc. Although he knew full well that patriotism is often the last refuge of the scoundrel, Twain turns that saying on its head in this book. In language befitting the fifteenth century, he salutes Joan as a remarkable Catholic teenager who embodies patriotism. Indeed, to some of her peers, Joan becomes France. I especially enjoyed the few parallels between this book-length love letter and Twain's more famous work in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The Paladin does in this book what the "king" and the "duke" did in Huckleberry Finn. Better yet, while Joan's soul mates in real life would be other devout women who died young (like, for example, Therese of Lisieux), her soul mate in literature would have to be Mary Jane, the pretty girl who makes a brief but memorable appearance in Huckleberry Finn because her promise means more to Huck than "another man's kiss-the-bible." Why Twain loved Joan is understandable: her honesty and intelligence command devotion. Twain's affection for inept French generals who spent most of the Hundred Years War losing to the English is more mysterious, and may shock modern readers almost as much as the fuss that corrupt priests really did make over Joan's clothes. One way or the other, this meticulously researched and lovingly told tale stays with you like a tropical sunset. In two words, Virtue Rocks.
Rating:
Summary: A Different Type of Twain Masterpiece
Review: This book is a different type of masterpiece, portraying the life of one of the world's greatest people, and showing the more serious side of Mark Twain. "Joan of Arc" is narrated by Joan's best friend Louis, who follows Joan's life from her childhood to her tragic death "saying I was at her side through everything, and mine was the last human hand she touched". This book is known as Twain's personal favorite of all his works because he considered her "the most amazing person the human race has ever produced..." Twain spent twelve years researching archives and trial notes for this book and the result is a factual account of sheer brilliance. The style is indeed different, for example the way he is able to make Louis present for all of Joan's sufferings and life events. No other book would not have been able to create the reality that this book enwraps you in, thus this makes it his (Twain's) masterpiece. Twain is able to create the characters to be utterly real, and he makes Joan someone we relate with, feel pain with, and share the glory with. This is heartbreaking and tragic, exciting, and as all Twain books must be, hilarious, though we never lose touch with the person at the core, Joan. Reading this book will make you love and recognize Joan d'Arc for who she was even more, because she is seen as she was and how she, as a human being, was able to overcome the greatest odds and go down in history a saint.
Rating:
Summary: A Different Type of Twain Masterpiece
Review: This book is a different type of masterpiece, portraying the life of one of the world's greatest people, and showing the more serious side of Mark Twain. "Joan of Arc" is narrated by Joan's best friend Louis, who follows Joan's life from her childhood to her tragic death "saying I was at her side through everything, and mine was the last human hand she touched". This book is known as Twain's personal favorite of all his works because he considered her "the most amazing person the human race has ever produced..." Twain spent twelve years researching archives and trial notes for this book and the result is a factual account of sheer brilliance. The style is indeed different, for example the way he is able to make Louis present for all of Joan's sufferings and life events. No other book would not have been able to create the reality that this book enwraps you in, thus this makes it his (Twain's) masterpiece. Twain is able to create the characters to be utterly real, and he makes Joan someone we relate with, feel pain with, and share the glory with. This is heartbreaking and tragic, exciting, and as all Twain books must be, hilarious, though we never lose touch with the person at the core, Joan. Reading this book will make you love and recognize Joan d'Arc for who she was even more, because she is seen as she was and how she, as a human being, was able to overcome the greatest odds and go down in history a saint.
Rating:
Summary: An American masterpiece
Review: This book is a work of great beauty. It makes me very interested in Mark Twain himself, to choose this subject and create this wonderful masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Twain at his very best!
Review: This book is classic Twain, on a fascinating historical subject. While presenting a fact-based recounting of an actual event, Twain manages to touch on some of his favorite themes: the disparity between classes; foreign cultures; and humankind's inhumanity. He even works in a ghost story! Far and away one of the best historical novels. If you're a Twain fan, and you've overlooked this book (easy enough to do -- this is his least-known work) this one is a must-read. Even if you're not a huge Twain fan, it doesn't matter -- this is still an excellent book, and helps put a little-known era of European history in perspective
|
