(Images of Mata Hari, on stage and off)
Here is a coupling of mini-reviews from two books I finished over the holidays.
Femme Fatale: Love, Lies, and the Unknown Life of Mata Hari
Pat Shipman, 2008, ISBN: 0060817313
I didn't know much about Mati Hari before this book besides that she was accused of being a spy, so this book may not be good for those who already know a lot about her. The author does claim that he is covering ground never reviewed before in the dancer's life, but I have to take his word on it since this is the only book on Mata Hari that I have read. Shipman pays a lot of attention to her life in the Dutch Colonies of the West Indies prior to becoming the Mata Hari, which I think added great dimension to the story and her biography. It gave some meat to why she chose the life she did and how she got there. This section of the book also seemed to be the most interesting and what Shipman put the majority of his energy into. The author himself states in the introduction that West Indies life is his normal area of expertise, and in looking at his bibliography, writing about the Mata Hari seems quite out of place from his normal area of research. Regardless, Shipman does a good job at writing Mata's life story. The narrative is less in-depth toward the middle of her life, during the time she was thought to be an active spy. The story does pick back up toward the end of her life (especially regarding the trial), but the strongest area of the book is definitely when he describes her pre-Mata years. This is the only book I've read on the Mata Hari and I feel it fulfilled any curiosities I had toward her. It was a good, quick read and I recommend it to anyone interested in this time period, independent women or espionage. FYI: I watched the Garbo movie Mata Hari shortly after reading this book and will be posting about it next week.
Cheap Amusements: Working Women and Leisure in Turn-of-the-Century New York
Kathy Peiss, 1986, ISBN: 0877225001
This book was a bit of a slow read - if you are not used to academic writing, this book may be a little dull for you. Regardless of the tone, this book spans a wide array of topics without losing focus and was really informative. The notes section is detailed and offers a plethora of titles to view for further reading. My favorite chapter discussed Nickelodeons and early vaudeville and how they transformed the leisure time of working women. I've added some early American cinema books to my reading list due to this section. Peiss writes with a feminist tone, but it is not overwhelming and acts to contribute to her argument. If you are interested in early entertainment, women's reform or urban leisure activities during the late 1800s/early 1900s, I would suggest this book.
Comments