Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc

by David Elliott Narrated by Luis Moreno, Saskia Maarleveld, Celeste Ciulla

Overview

Bestselling author David Elliott explores how Joan of Arc changed the course of history and remains a figure of fascination centuries after her extraordinary life and death. Joan of Arc gets the Hamilton treatment in this evocative novel. Told through medieval poetic forms and in the voices of the people and objects in Joan of Arc's life, (including her family and even the trees, clothes, cows, and candles of her childhood), Voices offers an unforgettable perspective on an extraordinary young woman. Along the way it explores timely issues such as gender, misogyny, and the peril of speaking truth to power. Before Joan of Arc became a saint, she was a girl inspired. It is that girl we come to know in Voices.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

★ 01/21/2019

This collection of poems, each told from the perspective of Joan of Arc and the people and objects central to her life, creates a remarkable portrait of a person whose legend continues to fascinate. The narrative begins from Joan’s perspective as she stands bound to the pyre, awaiting her death: “And I will burn. But I have always/ been afire. With youth. With faith. With/ truth. And with desire.” Employing poetic forms prevalent during Joan’s era—ballades, rondels, sestinas, and villanelles among them—Elliott (Bull) builds the story of her visions and mission “to lift the siege at Orléans,” reactions to her wearing men’s clothing (“I was, they said, an/ aberration”), and sentencing. Concrete poems voiced by inanimate objects—candle, needle, sword, tunic, fire—reflect their speakers’ physical shapes. Also included are the voices of Joan’s accusers and defenders in direct quotes from the transcripts of her two trials: the first, in 1431, which found her guilty of heresy, and the second, which revoked that verdict more than two decades after her death. With stunning lyricism, these poems fashion an enlivened, gripping narrative that addresses themes of gender identity, class and vocation, and innocence and culpability, bringing fresh nuance to an oft-told story. Ages 14–up. (Mar.)

From the Publisher

Praise for Voices:  "With stunning lyricism, these poems fashion an enlivened, gripping narrative that addresses themes of gender identity, class and vocation, and innocence and culpability, bringing fresh nuance to an oft-told story." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Ethereal, wondering, and poignant. An innovative, entrancing account of a popular figure that will appeal to fans of verse, history, and biography.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Elliot delivers another hit. [Voices] showcases a gorgeous storytelling style that flows in an effortless fashion. . . . A glorious tribute to a woman who dared, defied, and defended her truth. A must-have."    — School Library Journal (starred review)

 "Joan’s thoughts are almost conversational, in simple left-justified verse with rhyme skillfully embedded within lines. . . . [A] creative historical account of a young woman who answered a norm-shattering higher call."  — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

 "An elegant, spirited introduction to classical poetry and to a woman fighting not just for a cause but for a place in a world that undervalued her voice." — Booklist

"Stunning . . . . elegant . . . . arresting . . . . supple and harrowing.”  — Wall Street Journal

School Library Journal

★ Winter 2018

Gr 8 Up—A prominent figure of the Hundred Years' War, Joan of Arc dually stands out in history as a leader of the French army and a woman scorned for her "unseemly" deeds. From receiving visions of Saints at 13, to leading the Dauphin's army at 16, to death by burning at 19, Joan's story is swift yet deftly packed with captivating moments of 15th-century France. Although her life ends in flames, there is much more to glean from her final hours than ever before imagined. Elliot delivers another hit (following Bull) with a bold and unapologetic heroine whose voice springs to life through her fervor for God and country. Filled with various (medieval and modern) poetic forms, Elliot's novel in verse not only revitalizes the tale of the Maid of Orléans but showcases a gorgeous storytelling style that flows in an effortless fashion. The ingenuity in utilizing people, objects, and concepts affiliated with Joan to aid narration enhances the novel. Snippets of the Trial of Condemnation and Nullification are interspersed throughout, staging events perfectly as Joan recounts her life. Author's notes bookend the work, providing context and enrichment to the medieval setting. VERDICT A glorious tribute to a woman who dared, defied, and defended her truth. A must-have.—Emily Walker, Lisle Library District, IL

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2018-12-12

A multivoiced verse retelling of the last day of Joan of Arc's life.

Interspersed with snippets from the transcripts of the Trial of Condemnation and Trial of Nullification are monologues in verse from the individuals surrounding Joan, in actuality or in memory, on the last day of her life. The expected characters are there—Charles VII, her mother, the saints who guided her—but also other, unexpected, choices—the fire, the arrowhead that pierced her shoulder, her hair, her virginity. The title cleverly alludes to both the voices that guided Joan and the cacophony of voices in the book, all of whom take various forms that heighten their individual personality. There is concrete poetry as well as poetic forms popular during and after Joan's time: the villanelle, the sestina, the rondeau, and the ballade. Joan herself is ethereal, wondering, and poignant. The conceit works; the variety of voices and compelling verse bring the story to life and heighten the pathos of Joan's death. Among her last words: "…the penetrating / pain will be my ecstasy in / knowing I was true; there is nothing / I have done that I would alter / or undo." Compelling for pleasure reading, this will also be a valuable addition to language arts lessons.

An innovative, entrancing account of a popular figure that will appeal to fans of verse, history, and biography. (preface, map, author's note, list of poetic forms) (Historical verse novel. 13-adult)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171200664
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	03/26/2019
Series:	Annals of the Western Shore Series
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

Read an Excerpt

The Candle

I
recall
it as if it were
yesterday. She was
so lovely and young. In
her hand I darted and flick-
ered away, an ardent lover’s ad-
venturing tongue. I had never known
such yearning, exciting and risky and
cruel. As we walked to the church, I was
burning; she was my darling, my future,
my fuel. I wanted to set her afire right then.
But she was so pure, so chaste; her innocence
only increased my desire. Still, I know the
dangers of haste. So I watched and I studied
and waited, and I saw that her young blood
ran hot. She had no idea we were fated. I
could name what she craved; she could
not. Then in her eye, I caught my
reflection. In her eye, I saw my-
self shine, and I saw the heat
rise on her virgin’s com-
plexion. That’s when
I knew: She was
mine.

Joan

I’ve heard it said that when we die
the soul discards its useless shell,
and our life will flash before our
eyes. Is this a gift from Heaven?
Or a jinx from deepest Hell? Only
the dying know, but what the dying
know the dying do not tell. What
more the dying know it seems I
am about to learn. For when the
sun is at its highest, a lusting torch
will touch the pyre. The flames will rise.
And I will burn. But I have always
been afire. With youth. With faith. With
truth. And with desire. My name is
Joan, but I am called the Maid. My
hands are bound behind me. The fire
beneath me laid.

Fire

I yearn I yearn I yearn my darling
I yearn I yearn I yearn

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