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colorfulleo92's review
4.0
Mata Hari is someone who I've thought was fascinating for sometime now, but I didn't know much about her life. This book was good mixture of an interesting fiction but sprinkled with real life facts, making her feel more real and very much a human. This peaked my interest to learn more about her and even pick up a fiction book I've read earlier about her.
blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
Moran is a great writer, and for that reason I did wish that the book had been longer. As it stood now it did not even reach 300 pages. Which is sad cos she does brings life into her rl characters. I always wonder who she will write about next.
I can't say I knew a lot about Mata Hari except how she died and that she created this persona . In this book we follows her from her start in Paris and to her end. The book is heavy on her beginning and honestly how did people buy all those lies? Silly people. She sure knew how to tell a story. A fascinating person. I liked how Moran showed the human behind her. She was weak, but strong. She loved to spend and not think of her future. She adored a man in a uniform and did not care what people though of her. She loved her daughter dearly even if she had not seen her for years. She was a great liar, but could not save herself in the end.
As for the whole spying thing, I do wonder, if so she must have been bad at it. But then the way she is described here the whole thing does make sense. She could be a fool, who did not think forward.
It's a rather simple book, I read it fast. It was light and short. It was a quick insight into an enigmatic woman. But she did achieve what she wanted, she is still famous.
Now I wonder again what Moran will write about next, I better go check ;)
I can't say I knew a lot about Mata Hari except how she died and that she created this persona . In this book we follows her from her start in Paris and to her end. The book is heavy on her beginning and honestly how did people buy all those lies? Silly people. She sure knew how to tell a story. A fascinating person. I liked how Moran showed the human behind her. She was weak, but strong. She loved to spend and not think of her future. She adored a man in a uniform and did not care what people though of her. She loved her daughter dearly even if she had not seen her for years. She was a great liar, but could not save herself in the end.
As for the whole spying thing, I do wonder, if so she must have been bad at it. But then the way she is described here the whole thing does make sense. She could be a fool, who did not think forward.
It's a rather simple book, I read it fast. It was light and short. It was a quick insight into an enigmatic woman. But she did achieve what she wanted, she is still famous.
Now I wonder again what Moran will write about next, I better go check ;)
lish90's review
2.0
I have read every book Michelle Moran has published and I have given them all 4 and 5 Star ratings, she is one of my favourite authors so I was so excited to read Mata Hari's Last Dance but it was just so underwhelming.
The plot and characters lacked depth, I felt no connection to Mata Hari or any other characters. There was no relationship building or developments, just one or two pages of brief description another lover or friend and then they were gone from the story never to be heard of again and I just didn't care about them or when something happened because I barely knew these Characters or Mata Hari herself.
From reading the Authors Note at the end of the book I understand that Mata Hari did re invent herself and it is hard to know what was true about her life and what fake so there's not a lot to work with, but I almost wished Michelle Moran had spent the time writing another book on Ancient Egypt then writing this one.
Nevertheless, I look forward to reading whatever she writes next.
The plot and characters lacked depth, I felt no connection to Mata Hari or any other characters. There was no relationship building or developments, just one or two pages of brief description another lover or friend and then they were gone from the story never to be heard of again and I just didn't care about them or when something happened because I barely knew these Characters or Mata Hari herself.
From reading the Authors Note at the end of the book I understand that Mata Hari did re invent herself and it is hard to know what was true about her life and what fake so there's not a lot to work with, but I almost wished Michelle Moran had spent the time writing another book on Ancient Egypt then writing this one.
Nevertheless, I look forward to reading whatever she writes next.
winterreader40's review
4.0
An extremely good story about a very frivolous but passionate woman who was just another casualty of war.
crystalvaughan0603's review
5.0
I didn't know much about Mata Hari before I read this book. Just the basics really- she was a spy (turns out not very good and not really enthusiastic about it), she was tried by France as a German spy. All of the details about who she was and what she did were things I didn't know. This book was an emotional read for me. In fact, by the end, seeing all of the lies piled up against her and seeing her helplessness caused me to shed a copious amount of tears. I sobbed. She got the 'Anne Boleyn' treatment.
Michelle Moran made Mata Hari real. She imbued this character with the humanity that made Mata Hari a real, empathetic person. After reading this, I feel as though I knew Mata Hari.
Michelle Moran made Mata Hari real. She imbued this character with the humanity that made Mata Hari a real, empathetic person. After reading this, I feel as though I knew Mata Hari.
mandimsadler's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this fictional interpretation of Mata Hari's life. I read a more lengthy biography of hers previously, and this historical fiction seemed to hold true to the spirit of Mata Hari's unbelievable story. Moran did a great job of bringing this woman to life, in a way that highlighted her foolishness but also made her really relatable to me personally. This was an easy and quick read. I would suggest it to people who want to learn more about this amazing woman.
ashkitty93's review
4.0
Heartbreaking. Beautifully written. And again, I learned about a historical figure I knew very little about.
tmleblanc's review
2.0
It’s fitting that this book is titled Mata Hari’s Last Dance as I believe it is the last book I’ll read by Michelle Moran. You see, I fell in love with Moran’s writing after reading Nefertiti back in 2008. I’ve read nearly every book of her since, but have slowly become less and less enamoured with the stories and the points in history that Moran has selected to set her books in.
I was excited when I found that Mata Hari’s Last Dance had been released and I immediately put it on hold at the library. And then it sat on my dining room table until about a week before it was due. Perhaps that was the first sign that I wasn’t that interested in this latest release. I know very little about Mata Hari and most of it comes from movies and television shows and those veiled references were never used in a positive light.
I will say this, Mata Hari’s Last Dance was a fairly quick read. But there’s a reason for that. You see, it turns out that not much is known about Mata Hari and even the accusations made against her were suspect. Since her story takes place at the outbreak of World War I there isn’t a lot of going on as the war is just gearing up and the sides are still being chosen. As result, the story moves quickly and just skims the surface of getting to know Mata Hari. I felt like a rock being skipped across a lake and then suddenly sinking to the bottom. That right, this story does not have a happy ending.
Why will Mata Hari’s Last Dance be my last dance with Michelle Moran? The time periods she has chosen to write in, as of late, are of little interest to me or completely unknown. I love ancient Egypt where her first 3 books were set. French is history is an unknown to me and I find it confusing. And her last two books, while I did finish them, were quick reads and set in time periods that I am not familiar with and the characters were not as strong. As a result, I race through the book and am left feeling empty with no connection to story.
Does this mean I’ll never read another Michelle Moran novel? No, but I might be more selective about which ones I pick up in the future. Would I recommend Mata Hari’s Last Dance? That depends on the reader. If you are looking for a deep dive into Mata Hari’s discover her motivations and the source of the accusations about her spying, this book will not satisfy you. If you are looking for something quick to read to give you a “taste” of what Mata Hari’s life might have been like, this might be a book that will satisfy that curiousity.
Read other books I've reviewed at Second Run Reviews.com
I was excited when I found that Mata Hari’s Last Dance had been released and I immediately put it on hold at the library. And then it sat on my dining room table until about a week before it was due. Perhaps that was the first sign that I wasn’t that interested in this latest release. I know very little about Mata Hari and most of it comes from movies and television shows and those veiled references were never used in a positive light.
I will say this, Mata Hari’s Last Dance was a fairly quick read. But there’s a reason for that. You see, it turns out that not much is known about Mata Hari and even the accusations made against her were suspect. Since her story takes place at the outbreak of World War I there isn’t a lot of going on as the war is just gearing up and the sides are still being chosen. As result, the story moves quickly and just skims the surface of getting to know Mata Hari. I felt like a rock being skipped across a lake and then suddenly sinking to the bottom. That right, this story does not have a happy ending.
Why will Mata Hari’s Last Dance be my last dance with Michelle Moran? The time periods she has chosen to write in, as of late, are of little interest to me or completely unknown. I love ancient Egypt where her first 3 books were set. French is history is an unknown to me and I find it confusing. And her last two books, while I did finish them, were quick reads and set in time periods that I am not familiar with and the characters were not as strong. As a result, I race through the book and am left feeling empty with no connection to story.
Does this mean I’ll never read another Michelle Moran novel? No, but I might be more selective about which ones I pick up in the future. Would I recommend Mata Hari’s Last Dance? That depends on the reader. If you are looking for a deep dive into Mata Hari’s discover her motivations and the source of the accusations about her spying, this book will not satisfy you. If you are looking for something quick to read to give you a “taste” of what Mata Hari’s life might have been like, this might be a book that will satisfy that curiousity.
Read other books I've reviewed at Second Run Reviews.com
ladyoflochness's review
2.0
Who wrote this? I own every single one of Michelle Moran's books - she's one of my favorite authors. Did she hire a ghostwriter to meet a deadline? The writing in this is way below her standards.