A Fifth Avenue address, parties at the Plaza, two healthy sons, and the ideal husband: what looks like a perfect life for Katharina Edgeworth is anything but. It’s 1954, and the post-war American dream has become a nightmare.
This was a historical novel that takes place in New York City in the early 1950's. Rina Edgeworth is married to her rich husband Tom who is also married to his job as a pediatric surgeon. He comes from old money and he thinks his wife should be doing a better job as a mother of two young children, Gerrit and Peter. Before her marriage she was a translator at the United Nations but now she is just a mom and she doesn't feel like she's good at being a mom. When a stranger approaches her with a proposal to help the FBI find out information about a former lover that is a Soviet spy Katharina says yes,
The writing is exceptional for women's fiction. I truly enjoyed this book!

Oh, to be intelligent and well educated can be such a blessing, yet often a curse. Such is the realization of the lead character in author Karin Tanabe's, "A Woman of Intelligence".

The year is 1952; the place - New York City. 
Katherina West Edgeworth ("Rina" to her friends) - Vassar grad with a Columbia masters, speaks four languages and had been a translator at the fledgling United Nations. That is until her unavoidable change to "motherhood". Her pediatric surgeon husband was well enough off that he felt that she should stay home to raise their children. Rina acquiesced with the caveat that she may go back to work when the children are old enough. For many women, this would be a wonderful situation in which to find oneself. For someone whose educated mind is no longer rigorously challenged and who longs for adult dialogue, this could be the death knell of the person they once were. We observe Rina's struggles, hope and determination and ache alongside her as she finds her way. 

Tanabe's writing style is highly descriptive and quite humorous at times. She has captured the New York City "edge" exceedingly well. There's a lot to chew on in this story - subjugation of one's intellect in order to raise children, fear of rising communism in America and family dynamics across the socio-economic spectrum. For the most part, Tanabe handles this well with only the occasional dragging of plot. Her extensive historical research is apparent and solid in the writing. However, it was exceedingly difficult to relate to the main character as frankly, her behavior is not as one would have expected from someone of her academic background. (The perceived boredom seems out of character for someone with Rina's knowledge and previous interests. Loneliness - yes; boredom - no.) That lack of connection and empathy with the main character made it difficult to stick with the story. Yet by the story's end, the characters evolved for the better and satisfying closure is achieved. 

I am grateful to Ms. Tanabe and St. Martin's Press for having provided a complimentary uncorrected digital galley of this book. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Many thanks to NetGalley and for the advance review copy of this book!

First of all, who could walk past that cover without picking up this book? STU. NING.

There were a lot of strong theme choices in A Woman of Intelligence that I expected to clash (motherhood, life in D.C., life before/after the War, Communism, wealth & class, female friendship), but surprisingly didn't. What started out ostensibly as a spy thriller quickly morphed into what I imagine is a pretty terrifyingly realistic depiction of early motherhood and the prison of domesticity. Which, oddly enough, completely worked when married to the undercover FBI agent narrative vehicle. Rina was such a compelling character; I loved her fairly racy backstory and intellect. 

There were some cheesy lines that annoyed me a little ("no matter what language one spoke, laughter sounded the same the world over"), but all in all it was unreserved, at times cleverly caustic, writing. However, one detail did truly bother me about this book, and I can find no other way to describe it than the scene with the sh** stained dress. The idea is that Rina is having a horrific, chaotic morning, right? A lot of things go wrong, but the pièce de résistance is that her baby has an explosive bowel movement on her dress, which she describes as extremely visible. Shortly after this, some important things happen, but to avoid spoilers, I'll just say that Rina goes to the park and sits for a while and watches a nice family, and then later has an entire meal with an important character in a restaurant/café. Unless I missed something, she has not returned home. Is she...still wearing the dress??? The sh** stained dress?? Would people not be staring and trying to move away from her? I was very distracted by this detail. 

That's all I have to say on the matter. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

I recieved this book through NetGalley, but this is an  unbiased review. 

This book was so well written. Since I began the book I found myself so excited to pick it up again and keep the story going. I love period pieces like this that are able to take you back into a different world and this author did just that, her description of Los Angeles and New York was so lovely. She does an amazing job describing the scenes and really pulling you into each scenario. I love her use of prominent characters during that time, such as celebrities. I loved the character development of Rina, she went from being a party girl, independent, loving life to a mother stuck in a world that she cannot relate to. 

The only thing that missed the mark for me in this book was the ending, I feel like it was way too rushed. It was an Intresting progression into what could have been a more twisted plot line and it really fell short of becoming a great book vs. a good one. I appreciate the time I spent learning about the characters but I would have really wished we went more into Turners background and what Jacob and Ava were really fighting against. It just lost the luster for me in those last few chapters. I hope that maybe this author will bring out a second book to fill out some of those plot holes.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3727462296

I loved this book.  The plot is beautifully written and rich in detail, in an era that is fascinating to me. Katharina definitely went against the norm of what is expected of women during this time.  The story was fast paced and suspenseful.  
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This piece of historical fiction did a nice job of exploring the post world war two times. You really got a sense of the fear of communism at the time and how people reacted to it. You get introduced to New York City and Washington D.C. to a degree. The strongest part of this book was the dichotomy between being a good wife/mother and wanting a career, although the characters don't overpower the story. The book has a good pace and really holds your interest. I liked the ending which tied everything together. Not the strongest Karin Tanabe book but a fun read anyway.

This book starts off strong and initially pulled me in. Then by about 1/4 of the way, I started to find it a bit slow. I enjoyed it as historical fiction and was interested in her work at the U.N.  I struggled a bit to finish the book

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for fair and honest review.

I just couldn't finish this book. It was good, and relatable, but it was also overwhelmingly the experience of postpartum depression. I had been expecting a story that would have spy intrigue in the WW2 period, but instead, all I got was the difficult, difficult experience that is postpartum depression and anxiety, which hit a bit too close to home for me. I put it down about halfway through, and just couldn't motivate myself to pick it back up.

A Woman of Intelligence is the perfect description of Rina, the Park Avenue housewife with a wild girl past and a need to be more than mom to tiny humans and wife to a stifling husband. With her many languages and sharp wit she was capable of so much more than pushing a ridiculous stroller round Central Park. Even she questioned where the feisty, funtime girl had gone.

I couldn't give this 5 stars though. To me it lacked suspense, thrills and a good twist. I never felt that Rina was in any danger and the connection with Turner that the author described never felt real. I was also disappointed by the end. I wanted there to be more action and a better twist to the undercover stuff.

In the end it was just about a housewife and mom breaking free of her chains. And I suppose that's OK. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC, this is my honest review.

Karin Tanabe’s book, A Woman of Intelligence is a well written story of a woman who finds herself a wife, a mother and working for the FBI. The main character sees herself disappearing with the demands of motherhood. She comes alive through her undercover work for the FBI and rediscovers her value to make the world a better place. I would recommend this book.

Very clever, engaging and transporting. We get a gorgeous picture of that era, of money and elegance, plus the pulse-pound of spywork. Lots of logic here, which makes this an enjoyable spy adventure, and Tanabe writes some fabulous dialogue.
Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the review copy. Very generous of you.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel.   I've read other books by this author so was excited about this one but just couldn't find myself enjoying it.  I stopped reading about 1/3 into it as the main character was so unhappy with her life as a mother and then became a spy.   Some of the events didn't seem plausible.   This one wasn't for me.

A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe covers an era not often examined in historical fiction, and I am here for it. It examines the period post-WWII, which is a fascinating time in both American history and in terms of the starting of the feminist movement. 

Katharina Edgeworth has the life many would aspire to with wealth, an ideal husband, and healthy sons, but she wants to do more with her language skills and intellect. When given the chance to use those skills to infiltrate the life of an old beau to see if he's working for the KGB, she knows it is her chance to escape her gilded cage. 

While some may deem this book a bit slow, I enjoyed the society and spy elements of the book. 

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I was excited to read this book but just could not get into the characters or the plot.  The main character is a NY Upper East side stay at home mom who is married to a prominent doctor.  She is deeply disappointed that she had to leave her job at the UN and be a mother.  She complains ALOT about her kids and that just bothered me.  I get that she wanted a career and felt oppressed in there marriage.....but.....it was just too much for me.  

When she get recruited into the "spy world", she begins sneaking out at 2:00 am to make secretive phone calls (among other outings).  I found this highly unbelievable.  There are other things that happen that also seem very far fetched.  

Just wasn't for me.

#NetGalley *#Awomanofintelligence

2.5 stars

Katherina Edgeworth speaks multiple languages and has worked at City Hall and for the UN.  Now that she is married to an entitled, rich doctor and spending all her time taking care of her two young boys, she finds herself missing the stimulating life she once had.  When she is almost to her breaking point, she is approached by an FBI agent and asked to spy and report on the key leaders of the Communist party.  This develops into babysitters and undercover work kept from her husband, travel, new relationships being built, and even deaths.

A Woman of Intelligence is a well-written depiction of what was and was not expected of women in the early 1950’s.  I enjoyed this book immensely.  However, I was truly expecting more thrills and surprises along the way after reading the book’s description.  The book began with impressive details that made me feel like I was on the streets of NYC with Katharina, but I felt like something was missing and tying up the loose ends of the story was rushed.  Overall, I enjoyed this book and would definitely read more of Karin Tanabe’s work.

#Netgalley
#AWomanofIntelligence

Set in post-war New York City, A Woman of Intelligence follows the life of Katharina Edgeworth. Katharina is having a difficult time finding fulfillment as a mother and housewife. On the verge of a nervous breakdown, Katharine is recruited as an informant for the FBI and her life is changed for the better. 

Great historical fiction read! I haven't read many books from this period of history and I really enjoyed learning about it. It sent me down a rabbit hole of research.

I found Katharina very relatable in the sense that I think we can all at times feel lost in our role in life and other people's expectations of us. Katharina enjoys her children, but she doesn't think she feels the way she is supposed to feel about them. She longs for more but her husband holds her back, wanting her to fit into that perfect full time mother and housewife role. I loved the character development. By the end of the book, I felt confident that Katharine will continue to make her own way in life.

I could not get into this book.  The story did not move fast enough for me and I gave it several tries before putting the book down for good.

It is so refreshing to have characters that are neither completely enthralled with motherhood nor pretending that motherhood is the end-all of the dreams and goals that make their life complete. 

"It’s this motherhood thing that is making you look so cadaverous,” she said, giving me another once-over. I shrugged. “Small children are terrible, Katharina. Everyone knows it, but nobody says it out loud. It makes us look weak and cowardly. Unfeminine.”

It is truly frustrating that society still expects motherhood to make us fulfilled and to never complain about our children, or how exhausting it is mentally and emotionally. 

I related with Katharina so much; post-partum depression, missing my career, not having "a village" to raise children on the hard days, a husband always working, and completely clueless on what it takes to survive daily. I'd take this woman for cocktails immediately. 

Buy this novel. Seriously. Pour a martini and lock yourself in the bathroom. Make the spouse deal with the kids while you read this.

Katharina Edgeworth seeks to find fulfillment as a wife and mother in A Woman of Intelligence. Set in post-war New York City, Katharina feels trapped by the relational and familial roles she has adopted. The complexities of Katharina’s longing for more unfold so beautifully within an exciting spy plot. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline in this book. I highly recommend for fans of historical fiction, especially those with female leads.

A first-rate spy thriller! A dodgy ex-boyfriend leads Rina to being an informant to the FBI. Rina had been feeling that she could be more than just a wife and mother and this is her chance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.