I will preface my review by confessing that I love historical fiction and may be partial to this genre.
Paris, 1917. The notorious dancer Mata Hari sits in a cold cell awaiting freedom…or death. Alone and despondent, Mata Hari is as confused as the rest of the world about the charges she’s been arrested on: treason leading to the deaths of thousands of French soldiers.
As Mata Hari waits for her fate to be decided, she relays the story of her life to a reporter who is allowed to visit her in prison. Beginning with her carefree childhood, Mata Hari recounts her father’s cruel abandonment of her family as well her calamitous marriage to a military officer. Taken to the island of Java, Mata Hari refuses to be ruled by her abusive husband and instead learns to dance, paving the way to her stardom as Europe’s most infamous dancer.
What remains unsaid is whether Mati Hari is guilty or innocent, regardless of the historical outcome. Moran presents a compelling figure of a woman who clearly manipulated her way through World War I, but is it that a crime? She was a dancer, a courtesan, but was she a spy? Like any good historical fiction, I am intrigued enough to delve further into the facts about this controversial woman.
Posted By: Regina C.
No comments:
Post a Comment