Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1 by Mark Twain

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Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1 by Mark Twain

(8 User reviews) 1931

By Angela Green Posted on Jan 17, 2026

In Category - Sea Exploration

Authors: Twain, Mark, 1835-1910 Published By : Twain, Mark, 1835-1910

Book Language: English

Hey, have you ever read a book that felt like a secret? That's how I feel about this one. Everyone knows Mark Twain for Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, but here he is, writing with this deep, almost reverent passion about Joan of Arc. He spent twelve years researching her life, and he called this his best work. In this first volume, we meet Joan as a kid in her village. It's told through the eyes of her fictional page and secretary, Sieur Louis de Conte, which makes it feel personal and real. The main thing that grabbed me wasn't just the battles (those come later), but the quiet, intense conflict. Here's this teenage girl from nowhere telling powerful men she's been chosen by God to save France. No one believes her. They think she's crazy, or a liar, or just a simpleton. The mystery isn't *what* she'll do—we know the history—but *how* on earth she convinced anyone to listen. Twain makes you feel the weight of every doubting glance, every scoff from a knight or a priest. It's a story about the sheer, stubborn power of belief against a world that refuses to see it. If you think you know Twain, or if you think Joan's story is just dry history, this book will surprise you.

File: Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc — Volume 1 by Mark Twain

Mark Twain, the guy who gave us river rafts and fence-painting scams, takes a sharp turn into 15th-century France. This isn't a dry history lesson. It's a vivid, personal portrait, narrated by a fictional character Twain invented: Sieur Louis de Conte, Joan's lifelong friend and secretary. Through his eyes, we see the legend from the ground up.

The Story

We start in the quiet village of Domrémy, where Joan is just a bright, devout farm girl known as Jeannette. Louis is her childhood playmate. The book slowly builds the world around them—the rumors of war with England, the divided French kingdom. Then, Joan starts hearing "Voices." Saints Michael, Catherine, and Margaret speak to her, giving her an impossible mission: drive the English out of France and see the Dauphin crowned king. The heart of this volume is her struggle to be taken seriously. We follow her from her village to the local governor, and finally to the court of the future king, Charles VII. It's a journey of pure persuasion, as a teenage girl with no rank, no army, and no formal education tries to convince cynical soldiers and politicians to trust a message from God.

Why You Should Read It

You can feel Twain's admiration on every page. He strips away centuries of stiff, saintly imagery and gives us a Joan who is human—clever, witty, stubborn, and sometimes impatient. Her faith isn't portrayed as blind piety, but as a clear, unshakable certainty that becomes her greatest strength. The characters around her, from the skeptical knights to the wavering Dauphin, feel real and flawed. Twain's humor is still here, but it's softer, woven into the character moments rather than driving the plot. What stuck with me was the tension. Even though we know she succeeds, you're on the edge of your seat wondering how she'll win over the next doubter. It makes her eventual triumphs feel earned and miraculous all over again.

Final Verdict

This is for anyone who loves a great underdog story. It's perfect for historical fiction fans who want character depth alongside the big events, and for Twain completists ready to see a different side of his genius. If you only know Joan of Arc as a name in a textbook or a statue on a horse, this book will make you understand her. It's a powerful, surprisingly moving start to her epic story, told with a novelist's heart and a historian's care. Just be warned: you'll likely want to dive straight into Volume 2.