From the international bestselling
author of Rebel Queen and Nefertiti comes a captivating novel about the infamous
Mata Hari, exotic dancer, adored courtesan, and, possibly, relentless
spy.
Paris, 1917. The notorious dancer Mata Hari sits in a cold cell
awaiting freedom…or death. Alone and despondent, Mata Hari is as confused as the
rest of the world about the charges she’s been arrested on: treason leading to
the deaths of thousands of French soldiers.
As Mata Hari waits for her fate to be decided, she relays the story of
her life to a reporter who is allowed to visit her in prison. Beginning with her
carefree childhood, Mata Hari recounts her father’s cruel abandonment of her
family as well her calamitous marriage to a military officer. Taken to the
island of Java, Mata Hari refuses to be ruled by her abusive husband and instead
learns to dance, paving the way to her stardom as Europe’s most infamous
dancer.
From exotic Indian temples and glamorous Parisian theatres to stark
German barracks in war-torn Europe, international bestselling author Michelle
Moran who “expertly balances fact and fiction” (Associated Press) brings to
vibrant life the famed world of Mata Hari: dancer, courtesan, and possibly,
spy.
"MATA HARI'S LAST DANCE is everything historical fiction should be: a
transportive tale of a complex figure, brought to life in lush and evocative
language, packed with too-good-to-be-true historical details. Michelle Moran's
storytelling is as sumptuous and seductive as the subject herself. Like Mata
Hari's spellbound audiences, you'll be cheering bravo."—Allison Pataki,
New York Times bestselling author of SISI
"[Mata Hari] is a mysterious character, but Moran manages to formulate a
realistic heroine....Readers of historical fiction will note the author’s
signature attention to detail; however, the flawed Hari makes this engrossing
reading." (Library Journal)
Cleopatra's Daughter: A Novel
Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution
The world knows Madame
Tussaud as a wax artist extraordinaire... but who was this woman who
became one of the most famous sculptresses of all time? In these pages,
her tumultuous and amazing story comes to life as only Michelle Moran
can tell it. The year is 1788, and a revolution is about to begin.
Smart
and ambitious, Marie Tussaud has learned the secrets of wax sculpting
by working alongside her uncle in their celebrated wax museum, the Salon
de Cire. From her popular model of the American ambassador, Thomas
Jefferson, to her tableau of the royal family at dinner, Marie's museum
provides Parisians with the very latest news on fashion, gossip, and
even politics. Her customers hail from every walk of life, yet her
greatest dream is to attract the attention of Marie Antoinette and Louis
XVI; their stamp of approval on her work could catapult her and her
museum to the fame and riches she desires. After months of anticipation,
Marie learns that the royal family is willing to come and see their
likenesses. When they finally arrive, the king's sister is so impressed
that she requests Marie's presence at Versailles as a royal tutor in wax
sculpting. It is a request Marie knows she cannot refuse - even if it
means time away from her beloved Salon and her increasingly dear friend,
Henri Charles.
As Marie gets to know her pupil, Princesse
Élisabeth, she also becomes acquainted with the king and queen, who
introduce her to the glamorous life at court. From lavish parties with
more delicacies than she's ever seen to rooms filled with candles lit
only once before being discarded, Marie steps into a world entirely
different from her home on the Boulevard du Temple, where people are
selling their teeth in order to put food on the table.
Meanwhile,
many resent the vast separation between rich and poor. In salons and
cafés across Paris, people like Camille Desmoulins, Jean-Paul Marat, and
Maximilien Robespierre are lashing out against the monarchy. Soon,
there's whispered talk of revolution... Will Marie be able to hold on to
both the love of her life and her friendship with the royal family as
France approaches civil war? And more important, will she be able to
fulfill the demands of powerful revolutionaries who ask that she make
the death masks of beheaded aristocrats, some of whom she knows?
Spanning
five years, from the budding revolution to the Reign of Terror, Madame
Tussaud brings us into the world of an incredible heroine whose talent
for wax modeling saved her life and preserved the faces of a vanished
kingdom
MICHELLE MORAN
A native of southern California, Michelle attended Pomona College, then earned a Masters Degree from the Claremont Graduate University. During her six years as a public high school teacher, she used her summers to travel around the world, and it was her experiences as a volunteer on archaeological digs that inspired her to write historical fiction.
In 2012 Michelle was married in India, inspiring her seventh book,
Rebel Queen, which is set in the East. Her hobbies include hiking, traveling,
and archaeology. She is also fascinated by archaeogenetics, particularly since
her children's heritages are so mixed. But above all these things, Michelle is
passionate about reading, and can often be found with her nose in a good book. A
frequent traveler, she currently resides with her husband, son, and daughter in
the US.
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