Booklist Reviews
As in Bull (2017), Elliott employs numerous poetic forms and a full cast to bring to life an old story. This time Joan of Arc commands the narrative. As she awaits her execution, Joan recounts her story in candid, musical verse, remembering the life she abandoned when she heard God calling her to lead an army into war for a country that eventually turned on her. Joan's words are woven through with a quick internal rhyme that underscores her strength and cleverness. Interspersed are testimonies not only from people but also objects (her sword, her armor), the saints themselves, and even concepts (victory, virginity). In an ending note, Elliott explains the poetic forms he used, many of which were popular during Joan's time. The object poems are given concrete form on the page: the fire that takes Joan's life builds and consumes itself throughout the book. An elegant, spirited introduction to classical poetry and to a woman fighting not just for a cause but for a place in a world that undervalued her voice. Grades 7-10. Copyright 2018 Booklist Reviews.
Horn Book Guide Reviews
In this impressionistic verse novel, "voices" refers to Joan of Arc's messages from the saints; people testifying for and against her; Joan herself; and objects made sentient (dress, sword, fire, etc.). Elliott adheres to medieval poetic forms while highlighting contemporary themes such as gender identity, cross-dressing, and sexuality. Strong rhythm, rhyme scheme, and repetition make for a reading experience that resonates with the rigid social structures of Joan's time and her own compulsions. Copyright 2019 Horn Book Guide Reviews.
Horn Book Magazine Reviews
In this verse novel, "voices" refers to Joan of Arc's messages from the saints; to the various people who testified for and against her; to Joan herself; and to the objects made sentient in Elliott's telling (dress, sword, fire, and more). "Voices" also resound in quotations from Joan's two trials (1431 and 1455), medieval voices that dovetail nicely with the author's choice to adhere to medieval poetic forms such as ballade, rondeau, sestina, etc. Within the poetic formality, however, Elliott highlights themes arising from our own contemporary thinking, particularly with respect to gender identity, cross-dressing, and sexuality (Joan's dress forces her "to defer to strange, conflicting feelings that could never be expressed"; her sword declares itself "an instrument of men! A blade! Attack! Defend! Impale! Invade! Penetrate! Both tongue and phallus…"). Elliott offers no introductory account of Joan's story; instead the vivid utterances of multiple voices and verses evoke an impressionistic narrative, one in which reader and "Maid" alike are assaulted by a cacophony of claims, demands, and enticements. The rhythms, rhyme schemes, and repetitions of the strict poetic forms muscle in on us, compelling a reading experience that resonates with the rigid social structures of Joan's time, and especially with the compulsions she experiences. deirdre f. baker March/April 2019 p 79 Copyright 2019 Horn Book Magazine Reviews.
Kirkus Reviews
A multivoiced verse retelling of the last day of Joan of Arc's life. Interspersed with snippets from the transcripts of the Trial of Condemnation and Trial of Nullification are monologues in verse from the individuals surrounding Joan, in actuality or in memory, on the last day of her life. The expected characters are there—Charles VII, her mother, the saints who guided her—but also other, unexpected, choices—the fire, the arrowhead that pierced her shoulder, her hair, her virginity. The title cleverly alludes to both the voices that guided Joan and the cacophony of voices in the book, all of whom take various forms that heighten their individual personality. There is concrete poetry as well as poetic forms popular during and after Joan's time: the villanelle, the sestina, the rondeau, and the ballade. Joan herself is ethereal, wondering, and poignant. The conceit works; the variety of voices and compelling verse bring the story to life and heighten the path os of Joan's death. Among her last words: "…the penetrating / pain will be my ecstasy in / knowing I was true; there is nothing / I have done that I would alter / or undo." Compelling for pleasure reading, this will also be a valuable addition to language arts lessons. An innovative, entrancing account of a popular figure that will appeal to fans of verse, history, and biography. (preface, map, author's note, list of poetic forms) (Historical verse novel. 13-adult) Copyright Kirkus 2019 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
This collection of poems, each told from the perspective of Joan of Arc and the people and objects central to her life, creates a remarkable portrait of a person whose legend continues to fascinate. The narrative begins from Joan's perspective as she stands bound to the pyre, awaiting her death: "And I will burn. But I have always/ been afire. With youth. With faith. With/ truth. And with desire." Employing poetic forms prevalent during Joan's era—ballades, rondels, sestinas, and villanelles among them—Elliott (
School Library Journal Reviews
Voice of Youth Advocates Reviews
Joan knows from a young age that she cannot live the simple, domestic life regulated to most girls of her time, but when she begins to hear divine voices, she realizes her calling is much greater. Inspired by heavenly visions, Joan sets out to lead armies and defend the French leader she believes the rightful king. Her extraordinary yet tragic story serves to inspire both those of her time and contemporary readers. Built around direct historical quotes from Joan's Trail of Condemnation and the Trial of Nullification held twenty-four years after her death, Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc alternates between first-person poems from Joan's perspective and poems giving voice to other people, ideas, and objects. Personification thus plays a meaningful role in the narrative, which utilizes a variety of verse forms and often uses concrete poems to bring nonhuman objects to life, even giving voice to concepts such as virginity and lust. Fire also takes center stage in the story, consistently drawing the reader back to Joan's impending death. This array of poetic techniques and clever use of perspective create a unique representation of a remarkable young woman. Readers looking for a creative approach to verse narrative, a distinctive study in poetic form, or an initial foray into the rich story of Joan of Arc will find this text a great delight.—Meghann Meeusen. 3Q 3P M J S Copyright 2019 Voya Reviews.