Customer Reviews

Signed, Mata Hari: A Novel

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's only a short time before her execution and we are in her prison cell. We are in Paris and the year is 1917. We are with Margaretha Zelle, aka, Mata Hari.

In this richly woven tale, Yannik Murphy mixes the facts of Mata Hari's life with nuggets of fiction to share a richly woven tale alternating between Mata Hari in prison, telling stories to her captors to buy back her life within the story of her life. Growing up mostly alone and abandoned and then finding herself in a loveless marriage, she shows that she is a survivor. Margaretha finds her comfort during her time in Java, but also suffers her greatest loss. She then reinvents herself and becomes the dancer, Mata Hari, dressing in veils and being admired by the elite of Europe.

Was Mata Hari a spy or was she simply a delusional woman longing for attention?

I devoured Signed, Mata Hari. I was left wanting to know even more...wondering where the facts ended and the fiction began. The writing was authentic and it seemed as if I were reading an autobiography. It's a book that will stay on my bookshelf to share with friends, and for the occasional re-read.

Signed, Mata Hari is available November 14, 2007

Deb Smouse - Editor in Chief - AllThingsGirl.Com

I really enjoyed this imagined life of the famous spy Mata Hari; her life in Java is beautifully realized, and even the bleakness of her imprisonment and execution are well rendered.

EyeWitnesstoHistory has a chilling report of her execution, written by an eyewitness, Henry Wales. A few lines from his dispatch:

"Never once had the iron will of the beautiful woman failed her. Father Arbaux, accompanied by two sisters of charity, Captain Bouchardon, and Maitre Clunet, her lawyer, entered her cell, where she was still sleeping - a calm, untroubled sleep, it was remarked by the turnkeys and trusties.

The sisters gently shook her. She arose and was told that her hour had come.

'May I write two letters?' was all she asked.

Consent was given immediately by Captain Bouchardon, and pen, ink, paper, and envelopes were given to her.

She seated herself at the edge of the bed and wrote the letters with feverish haste. She handed them over to the custody of her lawyer.

Then she drew on her stockings, black, silken, filmy things, grotesque in the circumstances. She placed her high-heeled slippers on her feet and tied the silken ribbons over her insteps.

She arose and took the long black velvet cloak, edged around the bottom with fur and with a huge square fur collar hanging down the back, from a hook over the head of her bed. She placed this cloak over the heavy silk kimono which she had been wearing over her nightdress.

Her wealth of black hair was still coiled about her head in braids. She put on a large, flapping black felt hat with a black silk ribbon and bow. Slowly and indifferently, it seemed, she pulled on a pair of black kid gloves. Then she said calmly:

'I am ready.'"

*****

As Father Arbaux spoke with the condemned woman, a French officer approached, carrying a white cloth.

'The blindfold,' he whispered to the nuns who stood there and handed it to them.

'Must I wear that?' asked Mata Hari, turning to her lawyer, as her eyes glimpsed the blindfold.

Maitre Clunet turned interrogatively to the French officer.

'If Madame prefers not, it makes no difference,' replied the officer, hurriedly turning away.

Mata Hari was not bound and she was not blindfolded. She stood gazing steadfastly at her executioners, when the priest, the nuns, and her lawyer stepped away from her.

***

Robert C. Ross 2007 2008

This is a beautifully rendered portrait of the life of the woman who called herself Mata Hari, undoubtedly one of the most famous but one of the least known about women in modern history. Her name appears in songs and movie titles. She was even the subject of a failed Broadway musical yet we really know very little about her. In elegant, graceful prose, Ms. Murphy tells us the ambiguous story of this complicated, illusive woman with compassion and radiant intelligence. The approach is kalaidoscopic. The author moves effortlessly from being the first person voice of her cental character to a third person observer, perhaps the author herself. From Mata Hari's tragic marriage right up to the final moment in front of a firing squad, there is never a false note or a misplaced moment. The result is a moving, delicate and ultimately very personal work and one that I very much admired.

Reviewed by Ginger McBride

Margaretha learned the skill of disconnecting at an early age; a skill that would serve her well in her short, difficult life. After her fourteenth birthday, her father left her and her mother. Not long after, her mother died. Margaretha was sent to live with her godfather, an arrangement that didn't last long because he could not support her. He quickly sent her to live and teach at a school. There Margaretha learned little about teaching and children, but much pleasing about men. At seventeen, she was sent to live with her uncle, ending the first of her many love affairs. Through a newspaper advertisement, Margaretha found what she hoped would be the answer to her dreary life. Captain Rudolph MacLeod, an Indies Army captain, was seeking a wife.

Soon Margaretha discovered that MacLeod was not the perfect husband. He often came home after heavily drinking and sleeping with other women, only to force himself on his wife. And despite his continued adulterous behavior, was a jealous and controlling when others showed interest in her. Soon after her son was born, Captain MacLeod was sent back to Indonesia, where he continued with his philandering ways. Margaretha changes her name to Mata Hari, Javaneyse for "sunrise."

Since her husband continues to have many women, when both of their children are poisoned, killing one, Margaretha blames him. They move to a new area, but the situation does not improve. After years of unhappiness, infidelity and fighting, Mata Hari, her husband and child move in with his sister. Things continue to go down hill and eventually, Captain MacLeod leaves his sister's house with his daughter and Mata Hari is left to fend for herself. This begins her decent into dating numerous men and eventually leads to her arrest.

Written from different perspectives and time frames, Signed Mata Hari, is a book of intrigue, deception and mystery that will keep you guessing and captivated. I found it sort of hard to follow sometimes and was slightly clueless about some of the terms used.

Armchair Interview says: A young woman's struggles of survival.

I am enjoying the book, Signed Mata Hari. I find the character descriptions to be so in-depth and fascinating, that its hard to put the book down. Always an enjoyable read, Yannick Murphy shares a different side to her characters, whether they be fiction or nonfiction. The reader joins the writer on an adventure back and forth through time and has a new journey in each chapter.

I always check Amazon reviews before suggesting a book for my book groups. This book received 4.5 stars. I was expecting a wonderful tale about a fascinating woman and have to say that I was truly disappointed. For me, this book fell flat and I would give this novel only 1 star.

I did not like the author's writing style and found most of the prose rather simple. The story goes back and forth between Mata Hari's final days in jail to her earlier years as a daughter, wife, mother, prostitute and "spy". The author presented a picture of a tragic woman. Yet, I did not find that I liked or empathized with the character.

It will be interesting to see what my friends think of this book at our discussion this evening. I have already heard one positive and one negative review. I know how I will vote!

Don't miss out on this book. Wonderful. I will now devour everything I can from this author. Brilliant.