Signed, Mata Hari: A Novel
by Yannick Murphy
published
November 14th 2007
by Little, Brown and Company
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binding
Hardcover, 272 pages
isbn
031611264X
(isbn13: 9780316112642)
description
In the cold October of 1917 Margaretha Zelle, better known as Mata Hari, sits in a prison cell in Paris awaiting trial on charges of espionage. The p...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 199)
See, even though I'm a communist-leaning hippie, I, like any good little consumer, have a bit of a newness fetish. I wear the new (thrift-stored) skirt as soon as I have a sufficiently nice opportunity, I start using the new (freecycled) hair gel before I have quite finished the old one, the new (salvaged) bowl seems so much nicer than the other ones in the cupboard. And so it is with my books as well. Even though I have a little library filled with hundreds and hundreds of pretty paperba...more
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Read in March, 2008
Beautifully written, prose, at times this book read like a dream.
Mata Hari was one of the most well-known exotic dancers of all times, yet her true fame came after the accusations that she was spying for Germans during the First World War. A fascinating person in real life, she takes on added dimensions in the beautifully written novel "Signed, Mata Hari" by Yannick Murphy. This exquisite novel portrays Mata Hari as a daughter, a lover, a wife, a friend, a mother and more, but first ...more
Mata Hari was one of the most well-known exotic dancers of all times, yet her true fame came after the accusations that she was spying for Germans during the First World War. A fascinating person in real life, she takes on added dimensions in the beautifully written novel "Signed, Mata Hari" by Yannick Murphy. This exquisite novel portrays Mata Hari as a daughter, a lover, a wife, a friend, a mother and more, but first ...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
Exotic dancers on tight schedules
Signed, Mata Hari is fictional account of the life and times of Mata Hari, the exotic dancer whose death by firing squad during WWI catapulted her into the public imagination as a femme fatale. Murphy explores how a Dutch girl who went with her husband to Java when it was part of the Dutch East Indies become one of the notorious women of the 20th century. Sort of.
Although Murphy's subject is fascinating, her approach feels over-determined. The narrative is chopped up into extremely short cha...more
Although Murphy's subject is fascinating, her approach feels over-determined. The narrative is chopped up into extremely short cha...more
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Read in October, 2007
I wouldn't have read this if I wasn't reviewing it. I have very mixed feelings about it - the writing was gorgeous - erotic, lyrical, and when Murphy was imagining the life of Marguerite Zelle, things took off. But overall the book wasn't very good - any historical information is uncomfortably tacked on and try as she might, Murphy does not create a sympathetic character.
The most interesting part of her life - to me - is how an untrained Dutch orphan passed herself off as an exotic temple...more
The most interesting part of her life - to me - is how an untrained Dutch orphan passed herself off as an exotic temple...more
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Read in January, 2008
While not historically accurate, it was a rather poignant and lyrically beautiful story. Yannick's writing is simply wonderful and you find yourself being sucked into this world she's created for you. At times it's rather blunt and a bit graphic, but never vulgar. I finished this much more quickly than I originally thought I would because at times, I just couldn't stop reading.
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Read in February, 2008
I wasn't as taken with this novel as I have been with all of Murphy's past works, but I'm still giving it four stars as it possesses the skill and contemplation that I have come to expect in her novels. I must admit that I previously had no interest in Mata Hari as a person and that I recognize the main character in this novel as a fictional character. I think people who like "historical fiction" that is a genre that contains a bit of information that is accurate might be disappointed ...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommends it for:
Historical Fiction/Literary Fans
An excellent read that sheds light on the life of Mata Hari. I don't know if the novel correctly depicts her life, since this is historical fiction, but it nevertheless gives voice to a woman who, today, has become merely a whisper of the notorious legend's life as a spy. Yet this book is more than just the life and times of a suspected spy during WWI. It's actually a love story between a mother and her daughter--and the lengths that a mother has to go through to keep her daughter in her life. T...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommended to Kelly by:
Elle Magazinerecommends it for: Mature teens/adults
Absolutely phenomenal read. I stayed up half the night to finish it. Beautifully written. I love how graphic the story plays out in this woman's life and the author allow's the reader to ponder at times between the reality and guessing - is Margaretha living the life she thinks she has or is she envisioning all of this for herself? Breathtakingly described through lush seas to the dingiest hotels and brothels where she is asked to do the unimaginable ~ her story is one that could have been a...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommended to Pam by:
Florida - Novel Night Book Club
I enjoyed the story of Mata Hari and how it was written, alternating between her life in prison prior to her execution and her life before her arrest, from a young girl to her fame as an exotic dancer.
I enjoyed many of the discriptive passages from the book...for example, Mata Hari digging up the tulip bulbs, or how she discribed the smells of Java.
The book also told of the struggles of poor children or women who did not have a decent man too support them. They seemed to have no righ...more
I enjoyed many of the discriptive passages from the book...for example, Mata Hari digging up the tulip bulbs, or how she discribed the smells of Java.
The book also told of the struggles of poor children or women who did not have a decent man too support them. They seemed to have no righ...more
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Read in January, 2008
This novel is based on Mata Hari. I have never really read anything about her before so I don't know how much of the story is true. I did look it up on Wikipedia, and from there it seems that this is a story based on some known facts. This is labeled fiction, so it's really not a problem that the story is not exactly true. What I disliked about the book was that Mata Hari was so passive about her life. The character seemed to drift from one event to the next with most of it making little impress...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommended to Melissa by:
NY Times Best Sellerrecommends it for: Those who like Historical Fiction and aren't upset by sexual scenes in books.
I just finished reading this book. It is such a fast read. The chapters are short and you don't realize how much you've read until it's over.
It gives a different perspective to the life of Mata Hari. So much about her is a mystery. Though a work of fiction you can see how it could be. I wish that there had been at the back of the book an appendix of what were true facts.
The book is a bit graphic in areas, but it is the life of a woman who slept with countless men.
The last page left me wit...more
It gives a different perspective to the life of Mata Hari. So much about her is a mystery. Though a work of fiction you can see how it could be. I wish that there had been at the back of the book an appendix of what were true facts.
The book is a bit graphic in areas, but it is the life of a woman who slept with countless men.
The last page left me wit...more
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Read in November, 2007
If I could give this a half star, my rating would probably be 3.5. The book is beautifully written and is a very quick read. The only factor that kept me from rating the book a 4 or higher is the abundance of sex scenes that were, in my opinion, a bit cheesy. Yes, I know Mata Hari was a prostitute, but the depiction of her (numerous) sexual escapades was just a bit too Danielle Steele-esque for my taste.
Overall, though, a pretty entertaining read.
Overall, though, a pretty entertaining read.
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Read in January, 2008
In the end, not as good as I thought it would be. After all, a book about such a notorious subject has no excuse but to be utterly compelling. It was a page turner, but more in the sense that I had to keep reading to see when it would get to the good part. It had a few shining moments, but was largely fixated on Mata Hari's sexual exploits rather than her espionage or anything else of substance.
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Read in September, 2008
I was interested to know more about Mata Hari, but I should have read something non-fiction. It was hard to tell what was real and what was the writers invention. I also did not like how detailed the intimate scenes were. I know she was an exotic dancer, but some scenes were unnecessary. I am going to try another book on this topic and see if I can get more information.
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Read in March, 2008
I am not a huge fan of books in which you only find out the the juicy backstory of the heroine/hero via veiled references and hints and only occasional directness. So while reading this, I got the impression that I was knowing Mata Hari through a fog. That she was an unwilling participant in her entire life. Perhaps this was the author's goal, but I was left unsatisfied.
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Read in February, 2008
More like poetry than prose - very focused on mood and feeling, with a minimal plot to serve as frame for some very meditative writing. I would have liked more of the "true story" (or as much as can be known) of Mata Hari, but it does succeed at creating an insular emotional world of a woman buffetted by circumstance and a series of tragic choices.
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I enjoyed the book. Yannick really showed the evolution of the main character. From a bit of a complacent mother to a self assured and confident woman wanting her daughter.
Wish I got to know her maid better as well, perhaps how they met and their relationship. Loved how the maid, in the end, got their horse back.
Wish I got to know her maid better as well, perhaps how they met and their relationship. Loved how the maid, in the end, got their horse back.
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a fictional account using all the historical information at hand concerning the life of the chanteuse mata hari, especially vivid is her life in indonesia, the birth and death of her children, and her marriage to a dutch asshole while living there. then on to her life as a dancer, and her execution as a convicted spy.
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Read in March, 2008
One of the things that I liked about this book is that it had smallish chapters. I think the writer did very well in engaging me in the story, my feelings got caught up in Mata Hari's and I really felt for her.......and the one thing she craved for I guess she never got.
Enjoyed this read.
Enjoyed this read.
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