Mata Hari's Last Dance, by Michelle Moran

Another excellent book by Michelle Moran.  I have read them all and I've loved every single one.  She writes so very well.  It's obvious as you read her work that she does her research.  She writes historical fiction and certainly has great talent. 

I've seen a documentary of sorts on Mata Hari - I knew she was a dancer for "social events" and that she was thought to be a spy.  She wasn't just a dancer... she was an exotic dancer.  Yeah, she danced in the nude.  Quite a shock and sensation for the time period.  "She earned her title on her back" is a line from this book, speaking of another character, but I think the same could be said for Mata Hari.  She was never at a loss for lovers.  Sugar daddies, really.  haha  They paid for her places of residence, clothing, jewelry, etc.  Her love was for one man, though.  Well, three... She was a spy, but for whom? Her side of the story says France.  She was executed (shot in the chest by 12 men) because she was tried and convicted as a spy for Germany, which she was not.  This isn't proved until after her death, of course.  She had children with an abusive man, lost her parents at a young age, and had a rough go of it, at first.  She made a lot of money through her shows and lovers.  She died with as much dignity as she could muster.  She was a teller of tales so the author notes knowing her real story might never be possible. 

Very entertaining - I read it in one day.  I would definitely recommend it, as I do all of this author's books. 

Half Broke Horses, by Jeannette Walls

Another excellent story told by this woman. 

It says "a true life novel" on the cover because it's the stories of her grandmother, her mother's mother, as she remembers them and her own memories of her, told in first person point of view.  She said she wanted to do it this way so grandmother's personality could really be felt.  And it was. 

After reading this, I can see where her (the author) mother gets her "unique" way of looking at and living life.  The Glass Castle had me wanting to slap her (the author's mother).  Seeing how she was as a child and teenager kind of puts things into perspective.  This book starts with her grandmother as a little girl and continues up through her own (the author's) birth.  Her grandmother was a sensible woman with a strong personality, her mother was kind of a flake, in my opinion, but not wholly because of her upbringing.  I think she was just one of those apples that fell a little far from the tree.  The author brings sensibility back to the family because of her upbringing (in spite of, really), and I think she definitely has a lot of her grandmother in her.  They're both smart, strong women who had it in them to survive what life handed to them.

If you're going to read this or The Glass Castle, read this one, first.  It's not necessary, but the chronology would fit nicely.  And you might have more kindness in your heart towards the author's mother instead of the utter disbelief and pretty much disgust that I had for her. 

Definitely a book I would recommend.  It's a good one.  I love the way this author writes - I hope she puts out more stories as I've now read them all.