A review by sleepybookgoblin
The Spy by Paulo Coelho

4.0

This book was a complete cover buy. And I'll admit, I've yet to read any of Coelho's other books - this was my first. I'm impressed. The Spy is a novel about Mata Hari, written in the format of her final letter to her lawyer before execution. Her voice is quite unique, with a tendency to brag and gloss over details. So much so, that I was left wondering what part of her narrative was actual truth. The novel ends with a letter to her from her lawyer, which unveils some of her lies and glossed over details. It almost made her sound delusional. It was a nice touch for an ending, although the sudden change in tone threw me a little.

So was Mata Hari a feminist before her time, punished for living freely? It's definitely a question I want to explore a bit more, as I know quite little about her. And now I'm definitely interested in reading some more of Coelho's work.