I believed this was a book about a Park Avenue mother leading an undercover life as a spy. A WOMAN OF INTELLIGENCE is not that book. This tale is a fictionalized version of the FEMININE MYSTIQUE, the groundbreaking work that explained finally why life as a stay-at-home wife/mother, never interacting with other adults, was stultifying for a generation of women. How physicians prescribed mothers’ little helpers, aka tranquilizers, and everyone around these women just told them to buck up, when they described the loneliness and emotional poverty of their lives.

If only the book stuck to that theme without wandering into the spy business it could have been a better book. But it attempts too many plot lines and fails to resolve them well. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Initially I was quickly engaged in the story and enjoyed following our MC, Rina, around New York and her exciting job as a UN translator, she lived a fun, carefree life as a young woman in NYC in the early 50s, a really nostalgic feeling time in history. Soon though, the feel of the story changed and I lost a some interest in both the protagonist and the storyline. I was hoping for more intrigue and excitement but I got a lot of whining and complaining, a romance that felt forced and connections that seemed to form way too quickly so as to make things unbelievable. It wasn't bad overall, just ok, I felt a bit disappointed from where the book started to where it ended.

I read this start to finish, and I disliked it the entire time. I think Karin did an excellent job of describing a woman who was unhappy with her life. But I did not like the allusions to infidelity, her unhappiness, her deceit with her husband. I am usually a big Tanabe fan, and I will read what she writes next, but this one I will not be recommending to others (I will also NOT give it a negative review on public platforms).

A Woman’s Place…Is Wherever She Says It Is
History is sprinkled with women who demanded more for themselves than the expected roles of loving wife and capable mother. Through their grit, sacrifices, and determination, these dreamers formed the cornerstone for what would eventually become the modern women’s movement; whether through the fight for suffrage, equal legal rights, or employment protections, all had an important role to play. Rina, the main character in A Woman of Intelligence, is a woman after my own heart: although she hasSee the source image everything she is supposed to want, she can’t help dreaming of contributing to society in more tangible ways than by raising the next generation. She wants to use her intelligence to better the world, as she had during her work with the UN following WWII. Instead, she finds herself stifled by the confines of high society life, revolving around old money and medical fundraisers for her husband’s hospital. In fact, the title of the book is a brilliant play on words, eluding to Rina’s intellect, and her eventual work with the U.S. intelligence services.

Rina’s feelings about her place in the world will be familiar to any woman who has ever wondered how on earth she ended up settling for less than she dreamed. She will be familiar to every woman who has See the source imagemuch to be thankful for, yet still feels conventional and unfulfilled. And while her actions regarding her marriage and her children are a little cringey at times, even those can be excused if one views her as a person struggling not to drown in the vast depths of depression. Rina’s quest for something more lends itself to a book that unfolds quickly, with varying degrees of suspense, heartache, and eventually hope. It also teases out the finer points of the fight against communism during the Cold War, by raising the question of whether or not all communists are inherently evil, or just sucked into a cause they didn’t fully understand the intricacies of. Each time Rina feels she is closer to resolving her feelings about the communists she is working against, another murder, suspicious death, or hair-raising meeting will throw her back off balance; leaving her feeling that she has lost a friend, rather than an enemy. As Red hysteria grips the nation during the McCarthy trials, she finds she must step carefully to avoid a clash between her existence as a housewife, and her existence as an FBI asset. And yet, despite the precariousness of her situation, she feels happy, and happiness is sometimes worth paying a high price.

I love 1950's settings and also WW2 books so this book sounded intriguing to me right away. The theme of the little housewife finding her way in the world can not be told enough times!

Katherina is a post-war bride and new mother trying to not lose herself in her husband's life. In the 1940's she had been a translator at the UN as she spoke 4 languages and was well educated. When the FBI approaches her to work forthem to infiltrate a spy ring she jumps at the chance.

Karin Tanabe crafts a well-written spy novel with the twist of a 50's housewife. It is done in a believable fashion and the character of Katherine is one to be remembered. The book is fast paced and exciting and very entertaining.

A Woman of Intelligence would be scary for the young women of today to read. Give up a career because you are pregnant! And honestly, Katharina’s life before becoming a spy sounded horrible. I very much enjoyed the storyline but sometimes got lost in the details of communism and how people were connected. This was an interesting look at how intelligence was gathered and forwarded to people who could do something with that information. But the real story is Katharina finding her voice and the strength to become the woman she knew she was inside.

I’ll start off saying I find star ratings system unfair. If I were to give this book stars exclusively on writing alone it would at least get 3 stars. Unfortunately, stars have to be given on content too and this just wasn’t a winner for me. Sometimes I doubt the wisdom of reading other’s reviews. They unduly influence and are the interpretation of someone who may or may not hold the same views as other readers. I think I fell victim to this and unfortunately the story too. Were there some parts that I disagreed with and didn’t like? Of course. Did the characters anger me with their choices and words? Sometimes, but it gave me a different perspective which was neither wrong nor right. That being said, I want to go out on a limb here and say that Rina, the protagonist, was not happy with the way her life was going. She didn’t seem to be handling aging well and I felt as if she wanted to stay wild and free for eternity. Her husband, Tom, could be what some would say is inconsiderate but what husband hasn’t been? I may not have liked the inconsideration, but Tom wasn’t a bad husband nor Rina a bad wife. The era this story takes place in dictates the roles of husband and wife and Rina’s a woman ahead of her time. I also feel Rina wasn’t being completely honest with Tom or herself in what she really wanted. Minds change and definitely feelings. Its terrible but I don’t necessarily read for historical accuracy so some of the things that weren’t exact didn’t upset me or factor in. I just want to be entertained. And so at 18% I gave up and decided this just wasn’t the book for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

On paper Katharina, Rina, Edgeworth has a wonderful life: doting, mega-rich surgeon husband, a massive apartment overlooking Central Park, and two gorgeous little children with whom she gets to spend all her time. But she misses her old days of working at the UN and running around the city, feeling needed, wanted, and desired. It’s the 1950’s and the Red Scare is in full swing, McCarthy is rounding up his troops, and the FBI appear to have their work cut out for them trying to root out Communists who are apparently hiding all over the place. One day Rina is approached by an FBI agent, asking her to meet up with an old lover and find out some information for them… And Rina jumps at the chance of some excitement in her life again.

I related to Rina a lot. Having multiple children close together is hard, especially when you are with them 24/7. Your life changes overnight and sometimes it’s hard to find yourself again, pull all of those pieces of yourself back together into one full person who feels like you. I got her. I once ran around the streets of NYC working and playing hard, and then one day “settled down” and had several children a little more than a year apart. And that was in the early 2010’s, I can’t even imagine how it would have been for me in the 1950’s!

This is fiction and sort of romance so don’t expect a real deep dive into the politics of the 1950’s, especially not into the really awful things that happened to a lot of people. While the author tries to appear like she’s neutral there is still a bit of “Commies bad, America great!” within the narrative which I think she could have dived a bit deeper into. I think the author did a great job with the character developments though, I thoroughly appreciated Turner and Ava, even Tom, who for all his shortcomings and demands was not a bad husband. Just too focused on what he thought they needed, which is really what he wanted. I would have been quite happy to read 100 more pages with a little more meat on the history area (which could have also helped develop the backstories of those who were thought to be Communist traitors). But as long as you don’t expect a perfect rendition of what the 1950’s we’re really like politically and mentally for many people, you will enjoy this. I did, even though I felt like there were some holes here and there. It’s a great summer read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of Katharina, a woman who spoke 4 languages and worked for the UN when she met and married a doctor. Now she has 2 sons and lives the high life, but is not happy being just a wife and mother. She wants more.

Katharina had a fulfilling life with her family, learning four languages, going to college and working at the United Nations. The 1940s was a combination of the WWII and then the chance to celebrate, drink and spend many late nights with friends. Rina, as she is called by most, had no interest in marriage or children and was thrilled to be working as an interpreter and had so many plans.

Plans change when she meets Tom Edgeworth, a physician and from a wealthy family. They clearly fell in love and even though they married, Rina had to obtain permission to continue working. When she finally was pregnant with her first child, her career had to come to an end and become a mother full-time. She felt that she had lost herself and I could empathize with her. It was difficult to like her husband although his thoughts on wives and motherhood were common. He was too busy at the hospital to help with the children and so oblivious that she needed help and something to use her ‘little language’ skills as her husband called them.

The 1950s wasn’t the best time for woman as they pretty much had to do what their husbands chose and only allowed certain freedoms and Tom wanted his children to have a mother with them at all times. For anyone that’s been a parent, you could just understand and empathize with her aggravation and being overwhelmed during some of the scenes with her children.

When Rina gets the chance to help the FBI as an informer, it brightens her life. There are several events and scenes where she has to hide what she’s doing from her husband, getting into cars with strangers, and making new friends with those she’s working against. It seemed difficult to believe how often she could leave her home and children although it did help that Tom was at the hospital almost around the clock at times. Some of the scenes made me a little tense but the overall story seemed tedious and I found myself skimming in places. The ending left me to wonder if Rina would be able to work again as she hoped and how her life would proceed.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I consider Karin Tanabe one of the best historical fiction writers of today. Needless to say, I was very excited to read her new book, A Woman of Intelligence, and I was in no way disappointed! With her ability to write beautiful, sophisicated and transformative prose, I was simply captivated by the story of Katharina Edgeworth!

In Post-War 1954 America in New York City, the world seems to have lost it's mind and Katherina, a young wife and mother, feels just as anxious and confused by it all. A native of New York, Ivy-League-educated, who speaks four languages, she is the epitomy of a brilliant, talented and wordly young woman. Previously a translator for the new entitiy called the Untited Nations as a single girl in the 1940s, Katerina is now a wife, mother, and busy socialite. However,she feels hemmed in and bucks at the constraints of domesticity and her routine, repetitive days. When the FBI approaches Katherina, with her command of the German and Russian , to infiltrate the circle of a high-level Soviet spy, she jumps at the chance!

This book was a fast-paced page turner for me as I held my breath as this Katerina steps bravely into a world of espionage, intrigue, risk, and danger of Soviet spies. I was captivativated by her courage, commitment, amd belief in a promise of peace and understanding in the everchanging, terrifying world.

A Woman of Intelligence is in many ways a classic spy thriller but deviants from the typical by focusing on an exceptional woman who will do anything for her country.

As the daughter of a Cold War Warrior , I lost myself in this fascinating, compelling. heart pounding, breath-taking thrill of a story!

Thank you to Karin Tanabe, NetGalley, and the publisher for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #AWomanofIntelligence

I really wanted to like this book, but it just wasn’t for me. I thought it was slow in places, and I was disappointed.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to netgalley.com for this ARC.

I really, really enjoyed this book. I learned new things as well liked reading about New York City after WWII. It's not a time period I am very familiar with and it was interesting to learn that the original UN headquarters was right by where I live.

The story of the freedoms that women had combined with the things that also held them back was interesting. I felt that the main character was well developed - maybe not so much some of the other characters - but I admired her spunk.

This story combines family drama, political drama, and feminism and does it well.

An intelligent young woman gives up her career at the UN to become a wife and mother. Due to her past connection to someone in the Communist party she is recruited to help the FBI. I could not form any connection to the characters. The story is told in a rather amateurish way leaving me an unsatisfied reader.

2.5 stars, rounded up
The first chapter of A Woman of Intelligence reminded me why I never wanted my own children. The thought of being a stay at home mother strikes me as one of Dante’s circles of hell, especially if I had given up an exciting job to be one. Or had Tom as a husband. As the book blurb says, Katharina is “trapped in a gilded cage”. As she thinks to herself “ I had forgotten that freedom was the most glamorous thing anyone could possess.” So, needless to say, I initially bonded with her. But it wasn’t enough to keep me engaged.
The book lagged at times. Way too much time was spent on Katharina’s wardrobe, with the author throwing in every designer name imaginable. But this was a time and topic (the Cold War) which I’ve rarely read about and I wanted to learn more. Tanabe didn’t really deliver. I wanted her to delve more into the Communists’ attempt to infiltrate the US. Government. In short, I wanted more facts. I had other problems with this book. Was I expected to believe that this fiery, intelligent, independent woman would become a total door mat upon the birth of her first child? The husband was such a caricature of the 1950s husband it became laughable. And, once again, a historical fiction author thinks she’s obligated to throw in a romance.
So, I felt that Tanabe wasted the opportunity to write a more meaningful novel.
My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Rina worked for the UN before she got married to one of NYC top surgeons and got pregnant in the 1950s. Now she is a stay at home mom with two rambunctious toddlers. As she is having a break down, she is recruited by the FBI to be an informant of a former lover.

Part Historical Fiction, part thriller you will be pulled into NYC societal life in the 1950s. You won't want to put this one down until you find out how it ends. It does leave you hanging for more at the end.

This is a super fun read. I really enjoyed this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Just as many Americans view the 1950s through the insipid black and white domestic comedies (Father Knows Best, The Donna Reed Show, and so many more), so author Tanabe paints for her readers an insipid picture of a highly intelligent woman who, in her early 30s, is cut off from her career as a multilingual interpreter for the United Nations when she becomes pregnant and then allows herself to be controlled by her wealthy, handsome husband, an ambitious pediatric surgeon. Saddled with two children and seemingly without any close friends, Rina's life is bounded by others until she begins to act out. Because of her former close relationship with a person of high position in the American Communist Party, the FBI recruits her to infiltrate a cell. Somehow she finds ways to slip out of her husband's grasp, leave her young children with her mother-in-law's domestic worker or a young college student, and comply with every request the FBI makes of her, in part because of an attraction to an FBI agent with whom she works closely. Although A Woman of Intelligence reads quickly, the story is so full of holes that most people of intelligence (either the spyycraft types and/or those who are intelligent) will have no trouble seeing through them. With the partial exception of Rina, the characters are two-dimensional and the story becomes silly.

As an educated and well-traveled woman, Katharina Edgeworth is living the classic single-girl life in New York City. The daughter of immigrants, Katharina is a translator for the United Nations when she met and married one of New York's well-monied elites. Suddenly her life has taken an unexpected but fairly-tale turn. Fast-forward and readers find Edgeworth lonely and unfulfilled living what should have been the American dream. Wealthy, the mother of two beautiful boys, and the wife of a lauded pediatric surgeon, Edgeworth gave up her professional aspirations to pursue domesticity. Loneliness and disillusionment rule her days until she is approached by the FBI with a job offer. Suddenly she finds herself in the midst of unexpected and terrifying moments as Americans are in the grips of the Cold War. Told with in depth precision and a strong voice, A Woman of Intelligence is an interesting look into a fascinating time in history.

This is my first Karin Tanabe novel and I enjoyed her style of writing. A Woman of Intelligence follows Katharina from her life as a 1950’s housewife to undercover spy for the FBI. Danger and intrigue abound in this lightweight historical fiction novel.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC.