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The Maid

The Maid

by KimberlyCutter (Author)

  • Used

    Hardcover 2011

    $3.25
Synopsis

It is the early part of the fifteenth century and the Hundred Years War rages on. The French city of Orleans is under siege, English soldiers tear through the countryside wreaking destruction on all who cross their path, and Charles VII, the uncrowned king, has neither the strength nor the will to rally his army. And in the quiet of her parents' garden in Domremy, a twelve-year-old peasant girl, Jehanne, hears a voice that will change her life - and the course of European history. The tale of Jehanne d'Arc, the saint and warrior who believed she had been chosen by God to save France, and who led an army of 10,000 soldiers against the English, has captivated our imagination for centuries. But the story of Jehanne - the girl - whose sister was murdered by the English, who sought an escape from her violent father and a forced marriage, who taught herself to ride, and fight, and lead, and who somehow found the courage and tenacity to convince first one, then two, then tens, then thousands to follow her, is at once thrilling, unexpected and heart-breaking. Sweeping, gripping and rich with intrigue, betrayal, love and valour, The Maid is an unforgettable novel about the power and burden of faith, and the exhilarating and devastating consequences of fame.

$3.25

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Quantity

3 in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 304
 Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published: 03 May 2011
ISBN 10: 1408807629
ISBN 13: 9781408807620
Book Overview: The girl who led an army The peasant who crowned a king The maid who became a legend

Media Reviews
Joan of Arc has been depicted as a heroine, a victim, a witch and a saint, but Kimberly Cutter makes of her a heartbreakingly real human being. Searingly unsentimental but emotionally powerful, this is a groundbreaking and ultimately beautiful book. Essential reading * A L Berridge, author of Honour and the Sword *
In Cutter's creative telling, the perfection of nature contrasts with the brutality of battle that has become an everyday part of Jehanne's world ... Cutter makes the story of Saint Joan worth retelling by breathing new life into these characters and dramatizing the complex politics of their era in a strikingly engaging way ... Cutter's depiction of this frequently told story does what all the best historical novels do: It raises the ongoing questions we need to ask ourselves: Is war ever justified? Why do we destroy those who inspire us? Should we put our faith in our own understanding of God or in someone else's interpretation? ... By exploring these questions, The Maid sheds new light on a legend from the past and ultimately succeeds in illuminating the present * Washington Post *
Kimberly Cutter's novel comes at you like one of Joan's visions: intense, mesmerizing and utterly commanding. The experience of reading it - and it is an experience - is both exhausting and exhilarating. Joan of Arc might've been a saint or a lunatic, but in Cutter's artful, sympathetic hands, she is first and foremost a human being. She lives, breathes, fights, dies, and you are there every step of the way. The Maid is an astounding achievement * John Stephens, author of The Emerald Atlas *
Pacy enough to outstrip any cliche about Saint Joan, yet also a tender portrait of a young girl drawn into a hateful destiny * Michelle Lovric, author of The Book of Human Skin *
A fiery portrait of one of history's most exalted heroines. Cutter's lavish imagery is outstanding and her dynamic characters are truly absorbing. The Maid is an entertaining and triumphant re-imagining of a courageous, faithful and remarkably resilient woman * Amanda Foreman *
Delivers all the bravura one craves from historical fiction in a nuanced portrait of the French martyr * Harper's Bazaar *
A compassionate, unsentimental take on the peasant girl who led the French army. We see the passionate human side of the young girl in the midst of epic battles and voices from God * Grazia *
Kimberly Cutter succeeds in bringing a new dimension to a well-trodden story ... Cutter breathes life and meaning into the character. A heartbreaking story * Daily Mail *
Unputdownable * Independent *
Author Bio
Kimberly Cutter received her MFA from the University of Virginia. She was the West Coast Editor for W Magazine for four years, and has written for W, Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair and Marie Claire, where she is currently a Contributing Editor. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.