There is little of the legendary story of Joan of Arc that is not known. A peasant girl who, receiving visions from God, inspired the exiled Dauphin of France to fight back against the English, winning battles and allowing him to be crowned Charles VIII. She was captured by the English, tortured, convicted of heresy and burned at the stake at the age of 19. She was canonised in the early 20th Century. Saint Joan is a giant of France.

However, this is not a novel of pious, godly Jeanne d’Arc. Upon her arrival into the world in a small village, Joan was meant to be a boy, and was hated and regularly beaten by her father for that mistake of birth. Her harsh upbringing and losses of those that she loved, make her strong, dismissive of physical pain and focused. In this story, she becomes a sort of military genius, someone who can master weaponry quickly and effectively to become a symbol of hope and inspiration, rather than a saintly figure. Joan speaks to God seeking guidance but, beyond that, her actions are driven by her desire to avenge the misery and losses of war. She does not disabuse people who believe she is sent by God, because people will think what they want, and who is she to question the will of God in any case?

This is a fine historical novel, presenting Joan as the warrior she was. It was difficult to read in parts, particularly the abuse meted out to her as a child, and her premature end is brutally recounted. It has the ring of authenticity often missing in historical novels, making the real Joan all the more remarkable.

Reviewed by Lesley West