About this audiobook
An elderly Louis de Conte recalls the life of Joan of Arc, whom he knew from childhood and served with devotion. His account follows a young woman whose conviction carries her from a rural community into the military and political struggles of France. Private memories become inseparable from events that place extraordinary demands on her courage.
Mark Twain gives this historical novel the form of a fictional companion's recollections. Louis's affection shapes what he notices and how he understands Joan's actions. The narrative places her sense of duty beside the ambitions, doubts and competing interests of people who hold institutional power.
The book explores loyalty, faith and the difficulty of remaining steadfast within a world of political calculation. Its emotional perspective differs from Twain's more familiar comic writing, concentrating on the relationship between an exceptional public role and the human qualities that the narrator believes he remembers.
