The Spy by Paulo Coehlo
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: November 22, 2016
My Rating: 3/5
This is a historical fiction that takes place during the 1910s right at the brink of WWI. The story begins in the Netherlands but mostly takes place in Paris, France and also in Germany. The story is told through a long letter written by the main character Mata Hari. This is a fiction story that is inspired by true events.
Mata Hari, once known as Margaretha Zelle, arrived to Paris with no money and no where to live and soon became the most popular and celebrated woman in France who was showered with all of her material desires and access to all of the fanciest hotels. She was an exotic dancer who performed for important people. She was sensual, manipulative, and had expensive tastes. Her past made her see love as nothing more than a means to get what she wanted and involved no actual feelings of love.
She often found herself in the bed of rich successful business and government men who were often married. But as the imminent war loomed over Europe, Mata Hari was beginning to be a target of suspicion due to her large circle of important men. In 1917 she was arrested and executed.
The story is told through a letter Mata Hari wrote during her time in jail. She tries to prove her innocence and that her only crime was being a free and independent woman. Mata Hari is really the only main character in this book and you get a good sense of her personality through the letter that she is writing. You learn about the reasons behind her actions and how being an independent woman often left her viewed as a prostitute by society.
It was a great story about Mata Hari written simply and enjoyable. There wasn’t any big twist or turns. It wasn’t thrilling. I wasn’t left wanting to read more but at 208 pages it was just right. The story was short and to the point. Mata Hari was truly an interesting and exotic woman.
This book wasn’t my favorite read. I enjoyed it but for such a short book it took me a long time to finish it. I ended up giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. This was also the first book by Paulo Coehlo that I read and I do plan on picking up The Alchemist in the near future.
"When we don't know where life is taking us, we are never lost."
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