![]() ![]() “She was sixteen now, shapely and graceful, and of a beauty so extraordinary that I might allow myself any extravagance of language in describing it and yet have no fear of going beyond the truth.There was in her face a sweetness and serenity and purity that justly reflected her spiritual nature.” It’s hard to imagine Twain loving any of his characters more than he loved Joan of Arc. But what makes this book his favorite is his love for its subject. ![]() The reasons are obvious: the maturity and detail born of more than a decade’s research show the expert hand of a master of his craft. It was the last novel published in his lifetime and he considered it his best. While reading this book more than a century later, it’s hard not to share his enthusiasm. When Mark Twain wrote Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc in 1896 he was 61 years old and madly in love with his teenage heroine. ![]()
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