Joan of Arc

From Publishers Weekly Stanley (Leonardo da Vinci) orchestrates the complexities of history into a gripping, unusually challenging story in this exemplary biography. As much a portrait of an age as of a person, her work here carefully and accessibly establishes the context of Joan's life, explaining the Hundred Years' War and its impact on ordinary people. Judiciously chosen details build atmosphere in both the text and the artwork?painstakingly wrought, gilded paintings modeled after the illuminated manuscripts of Joan's day. Providing a more rounded view than in Poole's biography (see above review), Stanley quotes Joan and her contemporaries (and cites her sources), describes pivotal moments in battle and insightfully chronicles Joan's trial, imprisonment, recantation, execution and posthumous rehabilitation. The immaculate paintings, too, testify to scrupulous research (cathedrals, weaponry, landscapes are accurately depicted) and artistry (for example, the paintings are shaped irregularly but symmetrically, like altarpieces). At the end, Stanley offers readers different theories about Joan's "voices," and concludes, "Sometimes, in studying history, we have to accept what we know and let the rest remain a mystery." Appealing to the audience's intelligence and imagination, this book stimulates an interest in both its particular subject, Joan of Arc, and history in general. Ages 8-up. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal Grade 4-7-This magnificent picture book exemplifies the author's talent for historical research, skill in writing clear and interesting prose, and ability to adopt different art styles and techniques appropriate to her subject. Joan of Arc's story is both history and mystery. How a peasant girl living in a class-structured century, a female in a man's world of war and politics, an unlettered visionary in a church-dominated society could change the course of history has been an ever-intriguing puzzle. Stanley finds answers in Joan's own words spoken before the Inquisition during her trial for heresy and in the 115 eyewitness accounts recorded in the Trial of Rehabilitation held after her martyrdom. From these 15th-century documents and other sources, the author weaves an absorbing and convincing story of a naive, brave, and driven young woman willing to face death to accomplish God's will as she heard it in her "voices." Stanley does not answer the question of whether Joan's role was divine or human in origin, concluding, "Sometimes, in studying history, we have to accept what we know and let the rest remain a mystery." The meticulously designed pages and colorful, decoratively framed illustrations are full of details from Joan's era. Decorative banners, costumes, scenes with crowds of soldiers and nobles, rooms with patterned floors, and gabled houses and crenellated castles reflect the bright world of the Flemish art of the late Middle Ages. Joan is pictured as young and serene, an innocent child among a throng of cynical warriors and disapproving priests. This narrative description of the greatest of French saints is a work of art, a good story, and a model of historical writing.