A stunning feminist reimagining of the life of Joan of Arc – perfect for fans of Cecily, Ariadne and Matrix ‘It is as if the author has crept inside a statue and breathed a soul into it, re-creating Joan of Arc as a woman for our time’ Hilary Mantel, twice Booker Prize-winning author of The Mirror & the Light ‘A glorious, sweeping novel . . . Richly imagined, poignant and inspiring’ Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne ‘Chen earns the comparison [to Mantel] thanks to her vivid, visceral and boldly immediate storytelling . . . a hypnotic heroine for our time’ Telegraph ‘Chen’s Joan roars off the page. If you liked Ariadne, then this has to be your next read’ Red Magazine ‘Brilliant . . . Chen [presents] Joan as a beguiling, fully human mix of wariness and confidence, and fiercely protective of those she loves’ Guardian *Times Best Historical Novels of July 2022 Pick* *The Week Best Novels of 2022 Pick* *** Girl. Warrior. Heretic. Saint? France is mired in a losing war against England. Its people are starving. Its king is in hiding. Yet out of the chaos, an unlikely heroine emerges. Reckless, steel-willed and brilliant, Joan has survived a childhood steeped in both joy and violence to claim an extraordinary – and fragile – position at the head of the French army. The battlefield and the royal court are full of dangers and Joan finds herself under suspicion from all sides – as well as under threat from her own ambition. With unforgettably vivid characters and propulsive storytelling, Joan is a thrilling epic, a triumph of historical fiction, and a feminist celebration of one remarkable – and remarkably real – woman who left an indelible mark on history.