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Sep 26, 2016TheresaAJ rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Michelle Moran is becoming one of my favorite historical fiction writers. In this outing, she explores the life of Margaretha Zelle, better known to history as Mata Hari. The novel opens as Mata Hari begins her rise to fame in 1904 Paris. As she dances her way into infamy, the world begins to collapse into World War I chaos. During her much-photographed career, Mata Hari comes into contact with powerful men in France and Germany. When war arrives and her entertainment world dissolves, Mata Hari tries to find financial stability with her former conquests. The results are disastrous and end with her death by firing squad in 1917. Although written in the first person, the author uses Edouard Clunet, her lawyer, as a confidante who learns about the dancer's past history, insecurities, and hopes over many years. To him, she is M'greet, the little girl abandoned by her father at age 6, who spends her entire life trying to find that special time and place again.