Saint Joan: The Girl Soldier Book Review

Saint Joan: The Girl Soldier was first published in 1957 and written by Louis de Wohl. Louis de Wohl was a fine Catholic novelist who, as all should, underwent a type of conversion in his life. De Wohl was born in Berlin, Germany in 1903 and moved to England in 1935 in order to remove himself from his fatherland in which the Nazi regime had risen to power whose actions de Wohl would not support.

As a man who lived through both of the tragic World Wars, he was all too familiar with news of war, bloodshed, conflict, and strife. So he is an observer who comes from a place and era in which most people were aware of the horrors of the battlefield. As a result, his perspective, though starkly grim as it may have been during the wars, was a great one which aided him in his description of battles throughout this novel.

For, as you probably know, Joan of Arc was a warrior of God, a juvenile, and (more than that) a woman to boot! Hers is an incredible story of daring faith, guts, and determination. De Wohl’s narrative is easy to read and manages to deliver a filling depth of character and achievement. Though as tragic as it truly was, the ending is not the end at all. It does not close in doom and gloom — at least for the heroine of an entire country, even of humanity to a degree.

The youth places an unending amount of trust in her Creator, the will of Whom she is informed by her “voices,” which are those of saints Michael the Archangel, Catherine, and Margaret. With the head of the heavenly armies instructing her, it’s little wonder she was victorious in so many battles against the British. The novel has plenty of lighthearted comedy and irony. The transformation of General La Hire’s character is simply endearing and fills the reader with hope for even the roughest of men.

De Wohl wraps up his fine work by bringing the reader’s attention to some of the saint’s history and cultural association following her death even centuries later. He mentions that the renowned English statesman Winston Churchill wrote applaudingly of her and that the Maid (as Saint Joan has often been referred to) was invoked as a patron by thousands of French troops in World War I.

A great read, intentionally written to engage a young audience, Saint Joan: The Girl Soldier is a great book for all readers, particularly Christians.