I am a huge fan of Michelle Moran's. I love reading about women throughout history that I was never really taught about in formal education. Particularly wonderful for me is that she usually writes in first person, making it easy to feel motivations and choices about these women whose lives are so removed from mine. My favorite is MADAME TUSSAUD, about the famous wax worker, but really more about the French Revolution. In the same vein, MATA HARI'S LAST DANCE is as much about the woman herself as it is about the time in which it takes place.

Mata Hari, for those unfamiliar, was the world's most famous dancer/courtesan until she was assassinated in Paris in 1917 on the accusation of being a spy for the Germans. Moran tells the story from her perspective, letting the readers get insight into Mata Hari's simultaneous savvy and naivete at the changing world around her. She was a woman taught from an early age that a fantastic body could hide a fantastic mind from lesser men, and uses this to her advantage, until she becomes an Icarus and flies far too close to the sun.

This is a gentle read; Moran rarely goes into details about Mata Hari's choices and instead leaves readers to make lots of inferences. Our hands are not held, but instead we are trusted to understand the world better than Mata Hari does and we know her downfall far before she does.

I'd absolutely recommend MATA HARI'S LAST DANCE to anyone interested in learning about an enigmatic woman and a piece of history often overlooked.