Review: Mata Hari's Last Dance

Title: Mata Hari's Last Dance

Author: Michelle Moran

Publisher: 19 July 2016 by Touchstone

Pages: 288 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction

My Rating: 3.5 crowns

Synopsis:

From the international bestselling author of Rebel Queen and Nefertiti comes a captivating novel about the infamous Mata Hari, exotic dancer, adored courtesan, and, possibly, relentless spy.

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.

From exotic Indian temples and glamorous Parisian theatres to stark German barracks in war-torn Europe, international bestselling author Michelle Moran who “expertly balances fact and fiction” (Associated Press) brings to vibrant life the famed world of Mata Hari: dancer, courtesan, and possibly, spy.

My Thoughts

"Tell me where you learned to dance?"

Thus begins the tale of Mata Hari. I am a huge Michelle Moran fan and her take on strong historical women. I did not know much about Mata Hari - an exotic dancer who reportedly worked as a double agent during the war. This book, as many have commented, was most definitely on the light side coming in at under 300 pages. Sadly that may be a key factor in why this tale seemed to lack depth and what we came to learn about Mata Hari seemed superficial. She came across (as some have described her) as naive and easily duped (American historians Norman Polmer and Thomas Allen) and only cared about enjoying life, not fully appreciating the impact of war.

If Moran could have provided more historical detail - both on her thoughts and of her sad past/upbringing/marriage - it may have provided a greater appreciation of what made Mata Hari into the woman described. From this respect it was certainly disappointing as all Moran's previous novels were rich and detailed. I mean, Mata Hari is a great figure from history to choose to write about and it was interesting to learn about some of her life story and the struggles she overcame. However, when compared to Moran's other books, this one just lacked depth and did not delve enough above the simple course of events. Even then, I found the timeline unclear at times and months at a time would somehow disappear. 

"You have a living daughter?"

For without that detail I failed to develop a sympathetic connection with Mata Hari and often viewed her thoughts and actions as selfish and silly, immature really. Instead of giving us more of her past, we were presented with a list of her liaisons and conquests, when all I really wished was to understand more of what made her into this exotic woman that the world remembers. I also felt more time needed to be dedicated to the political dramas unfolding at the time, from all viewpoints French and German. However, much detail is given of the cities and places that Mata Hari performed at - from France to Spain to Germany. 

 Moran's still remains one of my favourite authors. Who knows, maybe she wanted to leave it up to the reader as to whether Mata Hari was selfish and sinful or really that smart double agent? All of this said, I did enjoy the book, not one of my preferred Moran tales, but nevertheless, a worthwhile introduction into the woman the world came to know as, Mata Hari. 

"I think of all the people in my life who know the truth, but all of them are gone."

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release

Review: Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran

Title:  Rebel Queen

Author: Michelle Moran

Publisher: 3^rd March 2015 by Touchstone

Pages: 320 pages

How I Read It: ARC ebook

Genre: historical fiction, cultural-India, fiction-adult

My Rating:  four cups

Synopsis:

From the internationally bestselling author of Nefertiti and Cleopatra’s Daughter comes the breathtaking story of Queen Lakshmi—India’s Joan of Arc—who against all odds defied the mighty British invasion to defend her beloved kingdom.

When the British Empire sets its sights on India in the mid-nineteenth century, it expects a quick and easy conquest. India is fractured and divided into kingdoms, each independent and wary of one another, seemingly no match for the might of the English. But when they arrive in the Kingdom of Jhansi, the British army is met with a surprising challenge.

Instead of surrendering, Queen Lakshmi raises two armies—one male and one female—and rides into battle, determined to protect her country and her people. Although her soldiers may not appear at first to be formidable against superior British weaponry and training, Lakshmi refuses to back down from the empire determined to take away the land she loves.

Told from the unexpected perspective of Sita—Queen Lakshmi’s most favored companion and most trusted soldier in the all-female army—Rebel Queen shines a light on a time and place rarely explored in historical fiction. In the tradition of her bestselling novel, Nefertiti, and through her strong, independent heroines fighting to make their way in a male dominated world, Michelle Moran brings nineteenth-century India to rich, vibrant life.

My thoughts:

I eagerly anticipated reading Michelle Moran’s latest book. Having read her previous novels, I was filled with anticipation and can safely say, she did not fail to deliver. Moran is a very talented writer of historical fiction involving strong female characters. You are very quickly swept away to 19^th century India and all the turmoils that would befall it.

‘Rebel Queen’ details the final years of the Indian kingdom of Jhansi before Britain's conquest. It is recalled through the voice of ‘Sita', one of the Queen’s guards, and although some may beg to differ,  I feel this was a clever move on Moran’s part. To have the lead character be the ‘Rebel Queen’ would not have given her license to sway from fact and her critics would have been lining up. Instead, through the eyes of Sita, we are introduced to so much more about Indian life and culture at this time than would ever have been possible through the straight royal status of Queen Rani. That being said, the plight of the ‘Rebel Queen’ is somewhat secondary to the main character of Sita – and that is okay, for it is a grand story, told by a master storyteller.  Sita’s story, as I alighted to above, is one so moving that you see Moran seamlessly blend fact and fiction. It is a perfect balance. The reader grows with Sita from her early years at home, to training for the guards, to her place in the royal court. You will come to admire this lead character not only for her bravery and courage, but also for her inner strength and wisdom.

“I would survive this. I’d survived worse things. After all, I was bamboo, and bamboo bends. It doesn’t break”.

What Moran does so brilliantly is bring, in this case, 19th century India to life - everything from court life, diet, festivals and more. You feel as if you are sitting right along side them as they smell the spices or touch the silk saris. India is not a country I have read that much about so it was a revelation to feel so at one with such a rich time in history. All Moran books are rich in detail, this one maybe even more so due to the great cultural differences from Western society. I believe Moran does this in fine fashion conveying a strong connection between fact and fiction, between educating us on an unfamiliar culture and a mesmerising story – they compliment each other rather than run parallel tales. This world comes to life and the author leads you to understand the feelings and fears of women who are hidden from society and viewed as such a burden to their family. It was so interesting to read about India from their perspective at the time of the British occupation. The rich detail deepens your appreciation and understanding, something all history lovers will embrace. Some critics find it borders on information overload, but I beg to differ. Nothing is taken away from the narrative and in fact the explanations are needed to truly appreciate why certain actions might be deemed offensive.

“What gave these foreigners the right to destroy our kingdom? Our people lived here for five thousand years”.

Tie all this together and you have a very unique tale from an Indian woman’s perspective – how remarkable! Michelle Moran takes you on a journey through time and you come away from the reading experience having had a glimpse at a life and time so far removed from your own that you couldn’t help but be impressed.

Michelle Moran, I salute you:

“For nonreaders, life is simply what they touch and see, not what they feel when they open the pages of a play and are transported …. Where the world is full of a thousand colors for those who love books, I suspect it is simply black and gray to everyone else. A tree is a tree to them; it is never a magical doorway to another world populated with beings that don’t exist here”.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.