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Wendy
Signed Mata Hari
Signed Mata Hari is an interestingly written as well as an intriguing tale about one of histories most mysterious and scandalous woman. The author has written short vignettes about her life, alternating between first, second and third person points of view depending on the time and situation being described. We meet her as a young girl crossing Ameland in the North Sea during low tide. She prides herself on being able to escape death before high tide comes in and this is a recurring image throughout the book- one that helps remind her that she is a survivor during some of the more difficult times of her life.
…more Later we find her unhappily married and she seems at times to barely be a participant in her own life. Her one weakness is her children. Her drive to dance, to spy and to take lovers stems from her need to earn money to pay the lawyers who claim to be working to get her custody of her daughter Non.
The writing style, as well as the famous subject matter, certainly casts the Mata Hari of history in a different light. While most readers know of her impending doom, many will not see her as a spy but as a victim of men, especially her husband, and as a loving mother who wants only to see her daughter again. The novel is a nice blend of historical information as well as a more human look at the sexy dancer whose image was immortalized on Mata Hari cigarettes and biscuit tins. (less)
Heather
Signed Mata Hari
While reading this book, I was struck by the simple yet lush language. Though the language isn't complex, its direct and confidential tone suggest the intimacy of Mata Hari's confessions. Yannick Murphy does a good job at making the reader see Mata Hari's motivations, and one ends up feeling that this woman could be any of us, struggling against the oppression of her times. I would recommend this book to readers of historical fiction or anyone who would like to get a realistic picture of Mata Hari.
Anne
Signed, Mata Hari by Yannick Murphy
In this creative book the life of Mata Hari comes alive as we've never known it before. Murphy has filled the gaps that exist in the research available on this intriguing character from WWI. In this story Mata Hari comes to life and one finds sympathy for her despite her life choices.
There are some deliciously erotic sex scenes in the book that might make it a questionable choice for some readers and some group discussions. I found it all to be well written and a quick enjoyable reading experience. It made me go to the web to see what I could learn about Mata Hari and to verify some of the author's conclusions
…more as either fact or fiction. (less)There are passages in this book that sound a gong and remind us why we read books in the first place: to encourage us to look at our world and see it in all its grotesque and magical lucidity. Murphy does it. Her language is precise. There's an occasional hiccup in plot, a missed rung on the ladder, though it's easy to forget once the next step's been met. This book is worth the time for those who love a seamless intersection of story and language, history and poetry.
Harriet
Signed Mata Hari
I enjoyed reading this book with it's many descriptive and interesting portrayal's of the main character, Mata Hari. She was an intriguing person with a lot of baggage which formed the person she became. I was surprised at some of the revelations that came out toward the end. I'm not sure I would recommend it to my book club because of the graphic sexual content throughout the book.
Cynthia
A rapid and exotic read
I enjoyed this book. The time-jumping, vignette chapters gave this book a crisp pace. The lush and exotic prose provided a stark contrast to Mata Hari's despair while bringing to life her sensuality and sexuality. Disappointedly, the focus on Mata Hari's despair left little exploration of her success as a dancer throughout Europe. My first literary exposure to Mata Hari and I found myself wanting more. Fans of historical fiction would enjoy this book.
Ashley
Signed, Mata Hari: A Novel
With short chapters and a flowing writing style, Murphy's newest novel is an easy read. I found myself instantly engaged with the life of Mata Hari, the German spy during World War II. It was interesting to read about Mata Hari's life before she became a spy. However, the novel becomes confusing because during the switch of chapters, the author changes the point of view from Mata Hari's first person, to third person and finally to "You," putting the reader into the story. I found this hard to follow at times during the beginning of the novel. Although, the end was a wonderful wrap-up to the story, showing
…more stories from Anna Lintjens, Mata Hari's maid, her daughter, and one of the guards at the prison. Over all, it was definitely worth the read and I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in a fictional biography. (less)I did not like this book because the format was difficult to understand because the author changes time periods from chapter to chapter. This was confusing and by the time I understood it was happening I did not want to finish the book. I would not recommend this book.
