Library Journal

The virtues of this biography are many: the sources are allowed to speak for themselves, Taylor's prose is succinct and engaging, she respects her subject, and her account deflates the myriad myths that have grown up around the short, eventful life of the Maid of Orleans (1412?31). Joan emerges as a forceful, self-directed figure: a canny military leader ("Go boldly" was her motto) who succeeded in defending herself with vigor at her trial. Taylor (history, Colby Coll.; Soldiers of Christ: Preaching in Late Medieval and Reformation France) has produced a first-rate biography. Joan, more than anyone, restored the throne of France to its king. Scholars and anyone who enjoys reading history will appreciate this fine study.