I'm honestly only giving feedback because I think it's a little silly that I was given access to this e-galley almost two years after its pub day had already passed. I still appreciate being offered the opportunity to read this book, but at this point I will probably check the audio out from my library instead.

Tells the story of the religious icon Joan of Arc from her young childhood to her death.

First of all, I know a bit about Joan, but I've never read anything this extensive about Joan. It was a really interesting viewpoint to see so much of her inner thoughts, life as a child, etc.

At some points, I felt that taking the story to different viewpoints was not needed.

Overall, this was interesting, but had some slow moments.

Thank you for the ARC.

I tried. I really, really tried, but I couldn’t finish. This secular re-telling of Joan’s life was depressing, unrealistic, and disappointing. Two-thirds of the way through the book and still no battle? Joan is one of the most famous, fascinating women in history and this book held absolutely no fascination for me. The writing was good, but the story wasn’t. That is a fairly impressive juxtaposition!

1 star. DNF

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This review is quite difficult for me, as I found it hard to pick up this book after any time apart. It took me extra long to read, and I felt like this could have been at least 100 pages shorter. That being said, I was captivated by Chen’s version of Joan and never gave up reading it because I deeply wanted to see how it would end (despite my limited knowledge of the actual Joan).

I found this book difficult to follow and didn't even finish it. I would not recommend it however our library did purchase it. It had a very slow start and after reading about 25% I put it down.

Let me first begin by stating that this is a SECULAR historical FICTION novel. This book does not purport to be a true account of Joan of ARC. Therefore, because it is not a factual story, I struggled with the negative reviews inferring it was heretical. I found the story unique and engaging. I enjoyed the imaginative twist and appreciated the author's excellent writing. Not once did it make me waiver in my faith or reconsider the accurate details of Joan of Arc's life, because I understand the difference between fact and fiction.

So, although this may be an unpopular opinion, I truly enjoyed this book, as much as I have enjoyed other fictional novels.

Many thanks to partners, @NetGalley and @randomhouse for this #gifted e-copy.

The fluid prose swept me away: while it's somewhat excessively verbose now and again, the story has a nearly hypnotic quality which fits the authentic universe of knights and fights. Chen writes with real affection for her heroine, and she vividly imagines Joan's childhood. However, as Chen explains in her afterword, this Joan is extremely personal, and I found myself unable to relate. Losing her sense of religion not only fundamentally alters her story, but also the cultural psyches of her time (and I always find it a bit reductive when a "strong" female character is portrayed as a tough warrior, regardless of how sarcastic she may be).

I couldn't help but feel that something important was lost in the modernization of Joan's character. I struggled to reconcile this historical contradiction because this Joan is out of place in the medieval world.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Katherine Chen's Joan chronicles the life of Joan of Arc from childhood until her enemy capture by the Burgundians, Focusing on the human elements of Joan's story, Chen zeros in on her harsh childhood to her ascension to the King's loyal companion, until her fall from grace when her fame rivaled the Dauphin's too much. Tracing elements of a unique strong woman against superstitious religious beliefs of the time, Joan is a powerful retelling of how hope can change the human experience and power can be someone's ultimate downfall.

I loved this - I wasn't super aware of Joan of Arc's backstory other than what is available in pop culture. Chen's writing is beautiful to begin with, but set against a medieval backdrop, she's able to balance historical with the humane for a spectacular finish. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys historical fiction - she is not to be missed!

Thanks to Net Galley, Random House Publishing Group - Random House, and Katherine Chen for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Read if you like:

+ Historical Fiction
+ Strong Female Leads
+ Medieval Lore & Religious Fiction

I don’t know that I’ve ever read anything much about Joan of Arc, fiction or nonfiction, before - so I was eager to pick this one up.

Katherine Chen’s take on the life of Joan, who is now widely known for leading France’s army to various victories against the English, is sweeping, beginning when she was just a young child in the village of Donrèmy. It explores her young life and the difficulties she faced with an abusive father, eventually leaving home and finding herself gaining attention due to her strength and size.

This imagining of her life largely leaves out any religious apparitions she claimed to receive, focusing instead on Joan’s desire to defeat her enemies based on revenge for what had happened to her sister at the hands of the English during a raid. And while I can understand why the author chose that route, it still feels as though a large part of the story (and myth?) about Joan was left out, since she herself was documented to have claimed to have had visions, whether through her own genuine belief of them or as a result of pressure when she was interrogated.

Overall, this was a fascinating piece of historical fiction, and after I finished it, I found myself wanting to pick up some nonfiction about her as well.

I am a fan of Joan of Arc and hoped to learn more about her life but unfortunately this book was not engaging for me.

I appreciate the ARC from the author as well as NetGalley.com, unfortunately, I just couldn't get into the book. I even borrowed the audio version from the library. Sorry.

There are many interpretations of Joan of Arc, this is just one of many. The author's opinion.
The book has many historical facts which makes it interesting. The book is slow and does drag a bit in places.
Would recommend it.


I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Great historical fiction novel about one of my favorite saints, Joan of Arc.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. My thoughts are my own.

Here’s a historical fiction gem that I’ve not seen at all on Bookstagram. As a homeschool mom, one of my favorite things to do is find books related to the historical time periods we are learning about and this came across my netgalley queue serendipitously.

Joan by Katherine J. Chen is a brilliantly written secular reimagining of the epic life of Joan of Arc. It’s the early fifteenth century and France is on the losing side of a war with England. People are starving and the king is in hiding. One teenage girl emerges to help turn the tides of the war. Joan, the novel, is a sweeping narrative from her birth in a small rural village, her childhood rocked with periods of abuse & peace, her rise to the top of the French army, and to her unfortunate & untimely death.

In this well-researched portrayal of this remarkable young woman, Katherine J. Chen fully encapsulates Joan’s life mixed with the politics of the royal court, and France’s fight for freedom from England’s oppression. I absolutely loved diving deep into this epic & learning about this particular time in history. I highlighted so many passionately written passages that made me feel all of the things.

If you love wonderfully written historical fiction that’ll knock your hosen off, I highly recommend adding Joan to your TBR. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was delighted to recommend this on What Should I Read Next episode 364: Great books you may have missed in 2022, featuring wonderful books that were released in 2022 and flew beneath the radar.

An insightful look at an unlikely heroine - Joan of Arc. Although I learned a great deal (and appreciate the author's notes as to what was fact and what was fictionalized), the flow of the book left me dragging to finish.

As someone who has read many books on Joan of Arc, this was my least favorite. Joan was a massive disappointment. When I heard that Katherine Chen’s novel on Joan was coming out, I was excited to read it because Joan of Arc is one of my favorite medieval historical figures. She was a very strong woman. In this novel, I found nothing that she resembles Joan of Arc. Joan if Arc is very faith-driven. Yet, this novel shows that she was purely motivated by revenge. The author also ignored many historical facts in order to fit her own view of Joan of Arc. Thus, Joan is very inaccurate and was not a good portrayal of the real Joan of Arc. Thus, there are better versions of Joan out there, and this book is merely forgettable.

Wow! This book is so well researched and presented! You have to be careful with books about history that they don’t come off as textbooks and I thought she did a great job. I learned a lot that I didn’t know and will be turning to this author again.

Hardly would this be a reflection in a dazzling stained-glass church window........

Katherine J. Chen had a far different portrayal in mind.

St. Joan of Arc conjures up images of a beautiful young maiden suited out in bright armor and seated upon a mighty steed. She was a soldier in a spiritual army hearing voices within herself. It was to a Will far greater than her own that Joan responded without question.

Chen's Joan is (in her own words) ugly, dark-eyed, and large. We visit her early on in 1422 as a young child. Joan takes to the countryside looking for adventure and challenge. She finds it in a village boy by the name of Guillaume. Joan will become known as "the rock thrower" for her deed that day. The thrust of that rock left one boy unable to return home.

Joan's relationship with her father is displayed through vicious beatings that she received from him. Her physical presence was a continuous source of anger for the man. He would take out life's disappointments on this second daughter to the point of even banishing her from his house. Her waywardness was implanted at an early age.

Chen supplies us with a multitude of characters along the way in which we get a feel for France in a constant losing battle with England. There is an almost neverending fight for the throne as well with characters reflecting both rivals and allies for Joan.

Joan by Katherine J. Chen is a fierce read. Joan becomes an imposing figure led by her own internal battles from childhood. There is nothing "saintly" here in the mix. Chen took liberties in her telling in this one. Her research of the time period and historical significance are remarkable. But Joan is molded by Chen's imagination into a force of pure womanhood and grit. And that, folks, is a thing to behold. Bravo, Chen, bravo.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an homest review. My thanks to Random House and to the talented Katherine J. Chen for the opportunity.

Joan is an absolutely beautiful novel, but it is incredibly slow moving and introspective. I really enjoyed the way Chen played with history in this fictionalized account, and would agree with the comparisons to Wolf Hall. That being said, this book will not be for everyone. I'm an avid historical fiction reader, but it took me a long time to get through this one.