Signed, Mata Hari by Yannick Murphy
Signed, Mata Hari
by Yannick Murphy
ISBN-10: 031611264X
ISBN-13: 978-0316112642
ISBN-13: 978-0316112642
I have always had a fascination with spies, especially women spies of the 20th century. I have always been fascinated by Mata Hari - the Dutch woman Margaretha Zelle, an exotic dancer who was accused of being a double agent in world War I. Perhaps my fascination dates back to watching Greta Garbo in the 1931 movie.
This book is historical fiction. It centers on the prison cell of Margaretha Zelle and the stories she tells her jailers hoping to lenghten her life. In a strangely erotic story, she tells us her life story: the troubled childhood, the cruel husband, the life in India (which was quite fascinating), the lost children, the exotic dancing, and her time in prison.
The book is written with the unique perspective of an imprisioned woman. The imagry is ugly and beautiful - haunting in the details. It is one of the more disturbing books I have read, yet I am glad that I read it.
This book is historical fiction. It centers on the prison cell of Margaretha Zelle and the stories she tells her jailers hoping to lenghten her life. In a strangely erotic story, she tells us her life story: the troubled childhood, the cruel husband, the life in India (which was quite fascinating), the lost children, the exotic dancing, and her time in prison.
The book is written with the unique perspective of an imprisioned woman. The imagry is ugly and beautiful - haunting in the details. It is one of the more disturbing books I have read, yet I am glad that I read it.
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