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PENNIE’S PICK
I’M NOT AFRAID to gush
about authors I like. For
the author of this issue’s
book pick, Paulo Coelho,
and his new novel, The Spy,
I have nothing but a flood
of compliments.
We all have some vague
idea of who Mata Hari was:
a seductress and spy. But
Coelho imagines her as
someone much more than a
stereotype. He sees her as
a woman whose only crime
was to be independent in an
era when women still had
much to gain.
The Spy is written with
all of the eye- and mind-opening wonder for which
Coelho is known. It’s an ideal
read for his fans and for anyone interested in beautifully
written books.
The Spy (Item #1117507)
and the Paulo Coelho
Complete Box Set (Item
#1109316) are available now
in most Costco warehouses.
For more book picks,
see page 53.
—Pennie Clark Ianniciello,
Costco book buyer
ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT
BY HOPE KATZ GIBBS
October 15, 1917, 5 a.m. She
drew on her black stockings,
which seemed grotesque in such
circumstances, and stepped into
her high-heeled shoes adorned
with silk laces. As she rose from
the bed, she reached for a hook
in the corner of her cell, where a a
floor-length fur coat hung, its
sleeves and collar trimmed with another type of animal fur, possibly fox. She slipped it over the heavy silk
kimono in which she had slept.
Her black hair was disheveled; she brushed it
carefully, securing it at the nape of her neck. On top of
her head she perched a felt hat and tied it with a silk
ribbon, so the wind would not blow it out of place as
she stood in the clearing where she was being led.
Slowly she bent down to take a pair of black gloves.
Then, nonchalantly, she said in a calm voice, “I
am ready.”
SO BEGINS The Spy, a new book by best-selling
Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, which brings to life
the story of Mata Hari, the world-famous Dutch
exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of
being a spy during World War I. Nearly 100 years
ago, she was executed by a French firing squad at
Vincennes, outside Paris, under charges of committing espionage for Germany.
“I believe her only crime was to be an independent woman,” insists Coelho, talking to The Costco
Connection from his home in Switzerland.
This is the first historical novel by the author of
The Alchemist—one of the best-selling books in his-
tory—which set the Guinness World Record for the
most-translated book by a living author. With 210
million copies sold to date in 81 languages, The
Alchemist is an allegorical novel that follows the
journey of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy
who believes a recurring dream to be prophetic. A
Roma fortune teller interprets the dream as a proph-
ecy, which sends the boy on a spiritual quest to find
treasure in the Egyptian pyramids.
“I think [ The Alchemist] is just a great story of
believing in yourself, which is the most wonderful
thing we can do,” notes Coelho, who takes readers
on a different sort of quest in The Spy.
In this fictional memoir, Coelho reconsiders
Mata Hari’s life and character through a series of letters she writes from prison on the eve of her death
as she reflects on the choices she has made, from her
privileged but challenging childhood in a small
Dutch town, to a stint as a teacher during which she
is raped by the headmaster, to unhappy years as the
wife of an alcoholic diplomat in Java.
We learn of her rise to celebrity across Europe
as an exotic dancer, and gain perspective on her role
as a confidante to the most powerful men of the
time. Finally, Coelho gives us insight into her final
days, as she speaks of the only man she truly loved
and who betrayed her, and her acceptance of her
death sentence.
While the tale is the work of Coelho’s imagination, he says it is based on a letter Mata Hari wrote
that was mysteriously lost.
“As I was doing research, I found a reference
about a letter Mata Hari had supposedly written,
which proved to be a wonderful starting point,”
Coelho says, adding that he was inspired to write the
book during a conversation with his attorney on the
topic of injustice. “He mentioned Mata Hari in our
discussion. I knew I had to write about this remark-
able woman who was oppressed by men and soci-
ety—and still, she endured.”
What was Coelho’s takeaway of the world’s most
famous courtesan?
“Mata Hari was a woman with no limits—and
that alone was hard for the people around her at the
time,” Coehlo insists. “Being in the throws of a war
made it an even more difficult time for society to
accept someone who could be shining among so
much blood.”
He continues, “Early on she decided that instead
of being a puppet in the hands of men, she would
make them her puppet. For that, and all she stood
for, she paid with her life. But I think given the
chance, she’d do it again.” C
Hope Katz Gibbs, a freelance journalist living in
Richmond, Virginia, is the author of the website
TrulyAmazingWomen.com.
Paulo Coelho
The message of Mata Hari
Paulo Coelho takes readers on a new vision quest
COSTCO HAS 50 copies of Paulo Coehlo’s The Spy
with signed book plates to give away. To enter, go
to
costcoconnectionbookgiveaway.com.
NO PURCHASE, PAYMENT OR OPT-IN OF ANY KIND IS
NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS SWEEPSTAKES.
Purchase will not improve odds of winning. Sweepstakes is
sponsored by Costco Wholesale, 1045 Lake Dr., Issaquah, WA
98027. Open to legal residents of the U.S. (except Puerto Rico)
who are age 18 or older at the time of entry. One entry per
household. Entries must be received before the January issue
is available online, which will happen around December 26,
2016. Winners will be randomly selected and noti;ed by mail
on or before February 1, 2017. The value of the prize is $22.
Void where prohibited. Winners are responsible for all applicable federal, state and local taxes. Odds of winning depend on
the number of eligible entries received. Employees of Costco
or Penguin Random House and their families are not eligible.
SIGNED BOOK GIVEAWAY
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