Name: The Book of Joan
ISBN: 9781786892423

Lidia Yuknavitch

THE RESISTANCE STARTS NOWA group of rebels have united to save a world ravaged by war; violence and greed. Joan is their leader. Jean de Men is their foe. The future of humanity is being rewritten . . .Lidia Yuknavitch's mesmerising novel sees Joan of Arc's story reborn for the near future. It is a genre-defying masterpiece that may well rewire your brain.

The Book of Joan

A New York Times Notable Book of 2017 The 25 Most Anticipated Books by Women for 2017, Elle Magazine The 32 Most Exciting Books Coming Out in 2017, BuzzFeed 50 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2017, Nylon Magazine 33 New Books to Read in 2017, The Huffington Post Most Anticipated, The Great 2017 Book Preview, The Millions New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice National Bestseller “Brilliant and incendiary. . . . Radically new, full of maniacal invention and page-turning momentum. . . .Yuknavitch has exhibited a rare gift for writing that concedes little in its quest to be authentic, meaningful and relevant. By adding speculative elements to The Book of Joan, she reaches new heights with even higher stakes: the death or life of our planet.” — Jeff VanderMeer, New York Times Book Review (cover review) “Stunning. . . . Yuknavitch understands that our collective narrative can either destroy or redeem us, and the outcome depends not just on who’s telling it, but also on who’s listening.” — O, The Oprah Magazine “[A] searing fusion of literary fiction and reimagined history and science-fiction thriller and eco-fantasy. . . Yuknavitch is a bold and ecstatic writer.” — NPR Books “[The Book of Joan] offers a wealth of pathos, with plenty of resonant excruciations and some disturbing meditations on humanity’s place in creation . . . [It] concludes in a bold and satisfying apotheosis like some legend out of The Golden Bough and reaffirms that even amid utter devastation and ruin, hope can still blossom.” — Washington Post The bestselling author of The Small Backs of Children offers a vision of our near-extinction and a heroine—a reimagined Joan of Arc—poised to save a world ravaged by war, violence, and greed, and forever change history, in this provocative new novel. In the near future, world wars have transformed the earth into a battleground. Fleeing the unending violence and the planet’s now-radioactive surface, humans have regrouped to a mysterious platform known as CIEL, hovering over their erstwhile home. The changed world has turned evolution on its head: the surviving humans have become sexless, hairless, pale-white creatures floating in isolation, inscribing stories upon their skin. Out of the ranks of the endless wars rises Jean de Men, a charismatic and bloodthirsty cult leader who turns CIEL into a quasi-corporate police state. A group of rebels unite to dismantle his iron rule—galvanized by the heroic song of Joan, a child-warrior who possesses a mysterious force that lives within her and communes with the earth. When de Men and his armies turn Joan into a martyr, the consequences are astonishing. And no one—not the rebels, Jean de Men, or even Joan herself—can foresee the way her story and unique gift will forge the destiny of an entire world for generations. A riveting tale of destruction and love found in the direst of places—even at the extreme end of post-human experience—Lidia Yuknavitch’s The Book of Joan raises questions about what it means to be human, the fluidity of sex and gender, and the role of art as a means for survival.

A Novel

jiaqi kang

I gave up halfway through - i cant bear to finish this book. The lack of subtlety is so off putting. I mean they literally live in a place that is explicitly named the Panopticon for gods sake

Kerry Gibbons

Meh. It was an interesting, though somewhat underdeveloped idea I think. The change in narrator was not fully clear to me until probably 75% of the way through... or maybe that’s the first time the narrator actually changed? It’s unclear. 

It was a VERY interesting idea but just... too in its own head to be a really good book.

Brook

Yea, I just don’t know...
This was a very strange, disjointed tale of a post-apocalyptic redemption narrative. I can’t say that I know a lot about Joan of Arc, but I trust that Yuknavitch drew from her history to write this. I can’t decide quite how I feel about this, but I will say that I found the author’s obsession with genitals and gender rather much. Does the author dislike trans people? Was she attempting to suggest that they are leading us to a dark, genderless place? This was unclear. There was a blurb that claimed this author is at the forefront of writing about gender fluidity, and I would say instead, she is mired deep in the past.

Lindy

Kyle Curry

Dennis Jacob Rosenfeld

shelby mosel

Emily Bult

Laura

Arun Kale

Imie Kent-Muller

THE RESISTANCE STARTS NOW A group of rebels have united to save a world ravaged by war, violence and greed. Joan is their leader. Jean de Men is their foe. The future of humanity is being rewritten . . . Lidia Yuknavitch's mesmerising novel sees Joan of Arc's story reborn for the near future. It is a genre-defying masterpiece that may very well rewire your brain.100 Notable Books of 2017, New York Times25 Most Anticipated Books by Women for 2017, ELLE32 Most Exciting Books Coming Out in 2017, BuzzFeed15 Best Books of 2017, Esquire33 New Books to Read in 2017, Huffington PostNew York Times Book Review Editor's Choice

The Book of Joan

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