An Army of Angels: A Novel of Joan of Arc

by Pamela Marcantel

The story is the french peasant maid Joan of Arc successfully leads an army against the English and is burned at the stake before she turns twenty. Many have tried to re-create her life, but none have succeeded more brilliantly than Pamela Marcantel in this, her dazzling debut.

Here, in dramatic, richly imagined detail, is the full story of the peasant Jhanette, who, at the age of thirteen, is visited by St. Michel, and told she will be known to history at Jehanne the Maid, the girl who would save France from the English. Marcantel paints a fascinating portrait of medieval Europe--a world in which an illiterate girl, chosen by God, can lead an army and never turn back.

After more than five hundred years, Joan of Arc lives again in this hypnotic blend of history and storytelling.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, France, Religion, 15th Century, Medieval

592 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[GeekChick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might have been the first novelized history/biography I read. I loved it! Marcantel does an excellent job of portraying Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc in the book) as a real person. You do have to buy into the fact that she heard angels, but otherwise the book is grounded in real events. Easy to read, engaging, another I-can't-put-it-down book!

[Chrissie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having read Mark Twain’s well researched book about the life of Joan of Arc, this book, An Army of Angels by Pamela Marcantel, just does not compare. Read Twain’s Joan of Arc instead. The manner in which Marcantel deals with mystical revelations does not work for me, but it may work for others who are very religious and can imagine speaking directly with God.

[Dawn Hamsher · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I liked: Oh, Everything!!!! Wowza! I couldn't put it down. I loved the author's writing, her interpretations of Jehanne the Maid's (aka Joan of Arc) Voices, the characters and description, the research that went into it... She took a true story and wove the fiction so expertly that you feel you know Jehanne intimately and you can't believe she is going to be burned at the stake. I wondered how an illiterate peasant could have persuaded the king to give her an army and this book shares a story that is absolutely believable!

The BEST part of the book is it's proclamation and steadfastness of faith in Jesus. Through the character, Jehanne, we see her faith and courage. We see her grow into the person God calls her to be. I did not expect this to be a book that would strengthen my own faith, but it has! It encourages me to have courage and do what God has called me to do. No matter your station or situation in life, you can do great things through God.

What I didn't like: One thing at the end of the book that the author believes might have happened (can't tell you or it'd be a spoiler)-- it is fiction, therefore the author can write what she likes, but I choose not to believe that that particular part happened.

[Hikari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeanne D'Arc gehört zu den historischen Figuren, die mich schon immer fasziniert haben. Daher bin ich froh, dass es Pamela Marcantel gelungen ist, die wenigen bekannten "Fakten" in einer spannenden und mitreißenden Geschichte umzusetzen, mit Johannes möglichen Eigenarten, Fehlern und Stärken, ihrem Mut und ihrer natürlichen Intelligenz, ihrem Glauben und ihren Zweifeln, ihrer Naivität und ihren Schmerzen. ein wundervoller historischer Roman, in einem guten Stil geschrieben und definitiv fesseln.

[Feisty Harriet · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is 600 pages of TINY text and super narrow margins, if printed like a regular book it easily would have exceeded 1,000 pages (which is probably why they printed it like a dictionary, and should be a tip-off to the Editors In Charge to DO YOUR FREAKING JOB! USE THAT RED PEN, PEOPLE!) I love the story and history of Joan of Arc, but I was less enthused with this retelling. Firstly, WAY too long and repetitive and, dare I say, kind of stale and boring at times. I feel like a tighter, stronger story could have been accomplished in 500 normal-print pages.

Also, the moral of this story is that using God to justify violence and war is always a bad idea, doesn't matter which god and it doesn't matter if in the end you are "right." Neither Joan nor Marcantel ever come to that conclusion, but after hundreds of pages of violence between the Catholic French and the Catholic English both claiming their god and their government had divine right to rule the other I don't know how you could conclude anything else! Violence for god is wrong, killing humans because they don't ascribe to your particular religious theocracy or principles is wrong. Torturing people, starving people, or otherwise subjugating them because their faith is different than yours is wrong. Stop it!

[Lissa Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite historical novel about Jehanne D'Arc. Meticulously researched and well-written, it has a crisp, clean narrative style that is an excellent examination of Jehanne's life. The saints she spoke to in her visions are treated as characters, each presented in the text using a different font, which makes it easier to distinguish between them. The trial is a perfect example of beautifully rendered historical fiction; while the dialogue is almost verbatim of the transcripts, the author makes Jehanne come alive. The powerful faith of this simple, uneducated girl who was able to somehow navigate the complex trick questions posed to her, and the very human fear she experienced.

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Marcantel does a good job describing life at that time, down to details of food, clothing and historical background to the War. From a 21st century persepective it's difficult to place credence in visionaries who hear voices. I still don't see why Charles was so favored by the divine, nor what great crimes the English committed that the French did not. I understand why she is honored to this day in France. But being non-religious I am puzzled a bit by the notion of sainthood.

[Gabriel Mero · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of Joan of Arc, I must say that this book was truly amazing! The author truly knows her subject and it shows in this brilliantly written piece of literature.

[Autumn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book took me way too long to read. It was slow-paced, very thick, and the main character was really irritating. To say the least, I do not recommend this book.

[Eduardo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved most of this book. I thought it was brilliant! I was going to go on and say that I thought that this book might be the finest novel I'd ever read!

But then as I got towards the end, there's a rape scene. Followed by a gang rape scene.

I'm not saying that there can't be well-written stories that have rape. But fact of the matter is, we have no proof that Saint Jeanne D'Arc was ever raped, so that means Pamela Marcantel had to consciously decide that her retelling of her life had to have a rape scene. And I can't given any sort of endorsement to anyone who sees an already grim story that ends with a woman being gaslit, worn down, and eventually burned at the stake, and says, "Hey, you know what this needs? Rape."

Go find something else to read.

[Stuart Lutzenhiser · Rating 2 out of 5]

A semi-fictional tale of Joan of Arc. Not bad - from telling what happened. But not very good at telling why it happened. It just too the position that the English were wrong and that God had given France to Charles VI and that was that. God decided that Joan should suffer for 2 years before she was killed - but no mention as to why this was ncessary. Just that it was. Disappointing that the author did not choose to take a position, one way or the other.

[Alana Bleness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and uplifting, even if tragic in the end. I wouldn't read it to the kids, though; Marcantel doesn't pull any punches when dealing with the events of the story. There's some very graphic violence, and a lot of foul language, especially from the French soldiers. But as long as you're prepared for that, I highly recommend this book to anyone wondering how faith and heroism can prevail in the midst of unbearable violence and depravity.

[Elaine Cougler · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Army of Angels: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Pamela Marcantel was surprisingly good. I bought it from the bargain shelves and worried it might not be good but it is a wonderful discovery. The story is part fiction but mostly true due to the wonderful trial records in existence today. I also worried the ending would be too terrible to bear--she burns at the stake, as we all know--but the skilled author sidesteps that problem well. A very good read.

[Alfonso Alvarez de Mon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recuerdo esta novela como una apasionante sorpresa. Me pareció muy entretenida y llena de interesantes cuestiones religiosas y morales. Por desconocimiento, no puedo valorar la historicidad de lo relatado, pero resulta verosímil y a la vez asombroso y desconcertante.

[dyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

[Bea · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book didn't capture my interest. I never got pulled in and after 100 pages in 6 months I abandoned it for good to a rummage sale.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible telling of the story of Joan of Arc and one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read.

[Katerina Kostaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful,full of sentiments ,book worth of reading

[Michellehcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched, fascinating read written from the perspective of St. Joan of Arc. This book was thoroughly engrossing, and I would recommend this to anyone wanting to know more about her.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, deeply moving account of Jeanne's life and martyrdom. Really brought her to life.

[Joan Huehnerhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this historical novel.

[Emma Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel somewhat conflicted regarding my rating of the book. While I'm not Catholic, I was aware of Joan of Arc and her story. When I saw this book, I figured reading more into her story would be interesting and enlightening (for I know her to be an inspiring figure). This book revealed a lot of things to me: her strength and testament in her faith, her ability to recognise when she was wrong and turn to God for help, but most of all, recognising that she was a human and a servant to God.

I believe the book, which is written in first person from the point of view of Joan, displays well the struggles and triumphs she endured throughout her life. However, I also feel that certain elements were dragged on unnecessarily. Towards the end where she is captured and put on trial, the reoccurring questions and accusations became very tiring to read. I imagine the author wanted us to get a sense of the frustration that Joan felt during this time. Regardless, I felt there were similar moments that could've been shortened, cutting the book by about 100 pages.

I would also add that it was difficult to remember all the characters and their role in the story. There were names that were very similar to another and I often had trouble remembering who was whom and who did what. Had the author added a character list preceding the book, it would've assisted. I don't know if there is an audiobook version, but if there is, I would encourage reading the book via audiobook rather than in text as it took a while for me to get through it and was often discouraged by how much was left.

[Peter O · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books all time. I think Ms Marcantel does a terrific job of portraying the 'conversations' (or encounters) with the angels and saints Joan communicates with. Even though the book is 500+ pages, I did not find it to be slow or dull in any places. A truly good read!

[Water Viper · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be honest, I didn't read this book because the print was to small.

[ML Schatz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s fine if you’re into historical religious fiction. I’m not really into religion so it was hard to get through. 3 stars, the bare minimum for a DNF that just didn’t sit right.

[Jowy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book not really knowing much about Joan of Arc. Since I'm not Catholic and not a medieval history buff, all I really knew were the broad strokes of her story from films and stories (young girl, heard voices from God, burned at the stake), but not much else.

I found this book fascinating and very informative. I find that historic fiction is one of the more fun ways of learning history, and hope that this is as accurate as could be, though I honestly have no way of knowing.

It is very well written, but it can be rather dull at times. I found my mind wandering quite a bit through passages. I'm not exactly sure what could be done to make it better, but I feel some of the passages were a bit wordy and could have been simplified quite a bit.

I also enjoyed that there was an epilogue that detailed what had happened to all those around Jehanne (Joan). Obviously most adaptations to her story would not focus on those around her, only her fate. I also liked that this book took away the legend status of Joan and focused on the real girl who did all this.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited to find this book because I've been interested in Joan of Arc for a long time. But this one is so long and so extensive (and I love big books), and sometimes crude (but historically accurate), that I just couldn't bring myself to finish it. Maybe part of it is knowing it's going to end up tragically and the feeling of oppressiveness leading up to that, I don't know. But I've finally decided I don't have to waste my time finishing a book that I've completely lost interest in. So I'll offer it on paperbackswap and hope someone else will enjoy it.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the book dragged, but the court scenes toward the end were good. The constant talk of God's army and what God wants put my teeth on edge, but I recognize that it was accurate for the time and circumstances. I have a hard time with Joan in any book because she always seems so aloof, but again I can't fault the author for that. The author also did a good job depicting Joan's frustration with the Dauphin and with her visions.

[Alfonso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extensa novela sobre la vida y martirio de Santa Juana de Arco que, sin embargo, no llega a la intensidad de la escrita por Mark Twain. Narra la conmovedora historia de la Doncella de Orleáns, una joven analfabeta y campesina sin conocimientos militares que consiguió, siguiendo la voluntad de Dios, acabar con las injusticias que salpicaban su tierra en el contexto de la Guerra de los Cien Años.

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thoroughly researched look into the life of Joan of Arc. It was interesting to read, but since one knew how it was going to end, I wasn't in any real hurry to face her trial period. But I was surprised to learn that there were some on her side who tried to help her. Her imprisonment was even worse than I imagined.