THE MAID AND THE QUEEN The Secret History of Joan of Arc

On the 600th anniversary of the birth of Joan of Arc comes a complex biography of this influential woman and her interactions with Yolande of Aragon, queen of Sicily. As war rages across France and the English battle the French for the throne, Sandra Burr narrates at a measured pace with careful attention to facts and events. Burr modulates her tone as she shifts from male chronicler to female courtier and from queen to maid. The narrative, told in a soft, lilting voice, is clearly differentiated from dialogue, letters, and accounts from the inquisition of Joan of Arc, which fill the last two-thirds of this dual biography. Burr’s performance will entice listeners to follow the lives of these two powerful medieval women. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2012]