Introduction

Fifteen-year-old Felise, an apprentice scribe in medieval France, is in a desperate situation. She yearns to find a way to become a writer and a book shop owner, but in order to achieve her dreams she must first escape from her cruel guardian, who is plotting an arranged marriage for her.

As the Hundred Years’ War rages all around Felise, Joan of Arc blazes into history, claiming God-given powers to set France free from English control. Her courage inspires Felise to run away, but every day of the journey that follows draws the young scribe further into the underbelly of a world she has never known?a world of burning villages and terrified peasants left behind in the path of war. She soon encounters a young man from home who begins to pursue her, and she is drawn to him despite her quest for freedom and distrust of men. But following after the army, she meets Joan face to face, and finds herself torn between her heroine’s single-minded sense of purpose and her own desire for love and personal fulfillment.

A Tale of Two Maidens brings to life the story of an ordinary medieval girl on an extraordinary adventure?one that will require her to dig within herself to claim her own true, independent, and heroic destiny.

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Excerpt

Chapter One: The Chess Game


March 7, 1429
Troyes, France
I could not bear it a moment longer. The headpiece dug into my scalp, forming the same groove that it always did by the end of the day. As soon as we finished washing the supper dishes, I took off the stiff linen coif and unpinned my hair. I shook my head, my unruly curls tumbling across my face and down my back. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

From the author:

1. What did you learn about medieval life from reading the novel?

2. How was Charlotte both a burden and a gift on Felise’s journey?

3. Discuss Felise and Georges’ relationship throughout the novel.

4. How does Felise change over the course of the novel?

5. Jeanne (Joan of Arc) was a fifteenth-century celebrity. Compare being a celebrity then to being one now.

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