Spot on narration for this character. But, the story itself was more lackluster. The story dragged in many places and, I didn’t connect to the main character. The plot as described in the blurb was as satisfying as it gets here.

A Woman of Intelligence b Karin Tanabe is definitely a book written about how woman are treated in the 40's and 50's. I loved the story but was really wanted the main character to stand up for herself.

I enjoyed this story but felt like it was two different stories. The beginning started out strong but then it seemed to drag. The writing was good but I just couldn't connect with the story and eventually gave up at about 40%. Will try again and amend review.

This is the story about women who lived when the men in America went overseas during WW2 and the women they left behind, some of which took over men's work, be it as a lawyer, translater, or other jobs that belonged to men at this time in America's history. When the men returned, women were supposed to get married, be their wives, and have their babies. So, what about the women who didn't want this life? What about the women who wanted to work and not be pigeonholed? This is the story about what it might have been like to be one of those women. I feel that the difficulties Katerina faced trying to be true to herself were definitely struggles explored in this novel. It was also well narrated.

We’ll written, mildly intriguing but ultimately depressing story of a woman in her 30’s in 1940’s and 50’s NYC. Katarina has a Master’s from Columbia, speaks 5 languages, worked as a contemporaneous translator at the UN and lived a vibrant, satisfying life. She then meets and marries Tom, a pediatric surgeon from a wealthy (incredibly snobby) old NY family and has 2 small sons and must quit her UN job that she loves. Tom controls Katarina’s life and is an overbearing husband and father. She’s exhausted, unfulfilled and has lost her sense of self. Out of the blue, Katarina is covertly contacted by the FBI and recruited to work as an informant on her former grad school lover. Her experiences change her life in many ways but the end of the story was bittersweet and, for me, unfulfilling.

Karin Watanabe has given us the story of a woman longing to feel alive again after two children and an unhappy marriage in “A Woman of Intelligence.” Set in the bustling metropolis of New York City in the Red Scare, Katharina “Rina” Edgeworth is struggling as the married mother of two small boys. Her husband, a pediatric surgeon from an old money upper class family, is rarely home due to his rigorous schedule. Rina reflects on her life pre-marriage and motherhood, describing her love of working with the United Nations as a translator and the freedom she coveted. Now, fresh off an emotional breakdown Rina is drawn into working with the FBI in order to gain the trust of a man she’d been linked to at Colombia, a man known to have ties with the KGB.

I have to say I absolutely loved so much about this book. Rina is so well written and relatable as a woman who’d never intended on marriage or children. Indeed, she spent much of her time in college and working under the impression that it just wouldn't happen for her. It’s not until Tom Edgelord—Edgeworth—enters the picture that those inclinations shift. By the time he proposes, Rina seems to have made every concession required of her as the soon to be wife of the time—his family and their money dictate every decision she’d have to make. Tom’s career comes before her own, regardless of how much Rina misses her work with the UN.

Tom’s capitalist family could not be more out of touch with the working class if they tried. His mother and sister make disparaging comments about where Rina went to school and her general upbringing. Her father is a professor of art history for god’s sake and Rina herself has a Master’s Degree so all of this is very classist. Everything revolves around Tom’s career, Tom’s achievements, Tom’s success. If he has a breakdown his mother is there to pick up the pieces but the moment Rina is overwhelmed as a mother her struggles are ignored and, on occasion, subject to scathing commentary from Tom himself. The double standards and hypocrisy of it made me so mad. He invalidates her experiences as a mother by one-upping her with his work. Didn't she realize how stressful HIS work is? He operates on children, surely taking care of your own children is a piece of cake.

Shout out to Amelia though for pulling up at the eleventh hour to support Rina. You might be the kind of rich person who’d think a banana costs ten dollars but you’re good people. I still say eat the rich but I know when to give credit where credit is due. (Does this make me a communist?)The rest of that family needs to get off Rina’s back. She’s a wonderful mother. How dare you?

The bittersweet romance between Rina and Turner was excellent. I initially thought the romance was going to be between Rina and Jacob, but I loved how Turner truly saw Rina for who she was. He praised her, appreciated her input, paid attention to her and it was everything for me. I wanted to throw hands with Tom the ENTIRE TIME for his behavior towards her. He ignored, invalidated and quite honestly abused Rina emotionally. He might be a saint for the sick kiddos but he is shit at understanding his grown fucking wife.

Honestly, “A Woman of Intelligence” reassured me that not wanting children is valid for so many reasons. If a woman wants to work or travel or just straight up not want to have children, that is her own prerogative. Unfortunately, Rina is judged from all sides—from her friend at the UN dropping her for getting married and having children to her in-laws for her lacking the proper skills as a mother. She is constantly pulled one way only to be jerked back in another direction and it’s like she doesn’t have any agency of her own. I loved watching Rina gain that agency.

I very much enjoyed this book and loved our main character, Katarina. Katarina, or Rina, seemingly has it all - a perfect doctor husband, two beautiful sons, money, and a gorgeous Manhattan apartment. Rina starts to feel a loss of self and doesn't have an identity outside of being a mother and the doctor's wife. She craves excitement and resents the fact that she had to leave her job at the United Nations to care for her children.

Katarina is approached by the FBI to help with some undercover work involving an old flame. Katarina finally feels alive again, but it's ruining her marriage and home life. Is a sense of self and adventure worth jeopardizing your family and financial well-being?

I think I adore Rina so much because I don't want kids for the exact reason she is suffering. I refuse to lose myself and am far too selfish to give my life to someone else. I am career-driven and want to experience life for me. I really felt for Katarina when she was struggling but everyone expected perfection from her. Some of the situations were extremely unbelievable, like the deal with the FBI in general, but I did enjoy this and didn't want my time with Katarina to end!

Thanks for the review copy. I had never read this author before and have put her on my list for back list reads. I enjoy historical fiction and this one had a feminist lens that made it even more fun to read. I listened to this novel as audiobook, and it was hours before I took my first break. (Usually, I tire or lose my focus after about an hour, but I didn’t switch this one off until about hour four.)
As a working mother myself, I could totally relate to Rina and her story reminds me of how far we have come in women’s rights in the workplace. Her story is fascinating – all the languages she speaks and her experience at the UN. I particularly enjoyed reading about history through how the UN was involved. Rina’s misery as a stay-at-home mom is very clear and it’s fun to read how she starts to get involved in spying for the FBI with communism and civil rights quite alive post World War 11. I did find her inner life kind of tedious, and it seemed like we spend a lot of time listening to the same sob story of her wishing to be freed from the boredom of mommyhood.
I love books set in NYC and this one is most definitely with a lot of action happening in Central Park.
The love story was sweet and quite believable. The fact that it wasn’t sexual in nature was a nice break and it was a great way for Rina to consider her marriage and her options. Fay’s advice about divorce was spot on and in line with the times.
The other characters in the book are well developed and are all multidimensional. Much as we want to hate her husband, we can’t; he is a product of his culture and upbringing and is overall a very good human. His mother is my favorite – she seems just like someone I know, and I enjoyed how she took Rina’s side. The descriptions of the kids are often quite funny but, as a mom, I know they’re all possible with young boys.
The book started a bit slowly, but I kept with it because of that connection and reminder of being a new mother. I’m not sure a reader who has not experienced what Rina is going through would have the same level of patience and I’d recommend a text copy so some skimming would be possible. A tighter edit would have left me less exasperated when Rina moans on about her lot in life.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed this book and plan to read more from the author. Thanks MacMillan Audio and NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 Stars

Katharina Edgeworth is feeling trapped, bored and overwhelmed in her current life. At the end of WWII she has completed her Ivy League education and was working as translator at the United Nations, speaking four languages and at the forefront of major change. She would run around New York in the evening with her fellow translators drinking and cavorting until the wee hours of the morning. That all changed when she met and married the wealthy and illustrious, Dr. Tom Edgeworth, an up and coming pediatric surgeon. Now her days are spent shuffling around Manhattan, battling tantrums and spittle from her two young sons. When it all becomes too much and on the verge of a nervous breakdown she runs, literally. In the fee moments she is finally truly alone she is approached by a man who will turn her world upside down. The FBI has been following a former college friend of hers because he is working as a Soviet spy, they must stop him and she may just be the right woman for this dangerous mission. If she decides to help them she would be helping save her country but could lose her whole world in the process.

Katarina is an interesting character and I loved the concept of a UN Translator post WWII. She had been living such an exciting life that now her small world is just too much for her to take. This story is a mash up of historical fiction centered around women's issues in the 1950s and a little spy story. Her husband is domineering and she has no voice to stand up for herself even though she is highly educated and willing to go out on a limb for her friends and the FBI. Looking back at the time she wouldn't have had many options and would have been expected to listen to her husbands demands which makes her personal struggles even more intense. The spy portion of the novel is not as flushed out and a little contrived but is a good outlet for her need to escape. Overall this was an enjoyable story and I would be interested in more of Tanabe's works.

Jennifer Jill Araya is the narrator for the audio books she is easy to listen to with clear diction and good inflections. I enjoyed her reading.

A Woman of Intelligence? More like A Woman of Privilege.” I think the classification as “Historical Fiction” is slightly misleading and the book would be better placed in “Women’s Fiction.” Other than some brief mentions about events happening in the world, and the repeatedly mentioned discouragement of married women working, there isn’t much history involved.
The story itself is shallow and didn’t keep my interest. I struggled to get through to the end and didn’t find much satisfaction there.
The narrative is a common one - smart woman marries rich man and is expected to give up her life to become a homemaker and mom. The “twist” is that this woman had an “exciting” life before marriage and conveniently knew the right people, so is approached by the FBI to become a spy and infiltrate a local communist group. The whole thing is a little far-fetched and everything happens too conveniently. Katharina whines a lot about being locked in a gilded cage and lamenting her party girl past. It gets old, quickly, and each time I thought there might be an exciting twist or turn… it was a dud, and what could have been a teaser turns out to be literally what is written on the page and nothing more.
All that said, the descriptions of the “trappings” of Katharina’s daily existence make for a vapid, yet romantic peak into “rich people’s lives.”
The book would probably be okay as a mindless beach read, but I like my historical fiction with a bit more substance.
The voice actor was ok… a little overly enthusiastic in her quest for a “new voice” sometimes, and occasionally trying to hard to make Rina sound sophisticated or alluring, but it didn’t really bother me most of the time.

A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe, narrated by Jennifer Jill Araya, was an historical fiction novel that had so much potential but it felt like it never fully got off the ground. I kept waiting for the plot to pick up and the thrill to begin, but it never came. Overall this was a pretty flat domestic drama about a bad marriage in high society and a woman's desire to be more but only just barely getting there due to her "duties" as a mother, confined by society. I was on the "edge of my seat" the whole time I listened to this one because it could have taken an exciting turn at any moment! But sadly, I didn't see it happen.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this book for review!

As I delved into this book, and got to know Katarina, aka Rina, and her elite Doctor husband, you could envy their way of life. Rich, successful and living the dream in a apartment in Manhattan, who could want more? Then add in two boys, a baby and a young toddler, and you know that Rina has her hands full.
Now Rina is full time mother, and Tom Edgeworth is a gifted children’s surgeon, living an exciting awarding life. Rina gave up her job at the UN, when she was expecting her first son.
I don’t identify with Rina, but in a way, she was slowing dying being a mother. Sad, yes, but for me I kept listening, and really couldn’t picture how she got away with what she did!
There are a lot of emotions in play here, and the narrator does a really great job!
Yes, I kept listening right to the end, and her escapades made for an entertaining and at times breath holding adventures, and yes, I would love to have been there to see Ingrid Bergman and her encounter with our Rina!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Macmillan Audio, and was not required to give a positive review.

Readers note the clever title of this book and consider the possible meanings. Then start reading and enjoy an excellent novel.

Katharina is a multi-lingual graduate of Columbia University who finds employment with the nascent United Nations as the novel begins. She enjoys her life; Katharina finds her career to be fulfilling and she enjoys the flirtatious life of a single woman in a world filled with men. Life seems pretty wonderful.

Soon Katharina falls in love with and marries the estimable Tom. He is a pediatric surgeon who takes saving the lives of children most seriously. He is also a New Yorker with impeccable connections to the most upper of the upper classes. Although Tom has told Katharina that he doesn’t want her to change, it soon becomes evident that this is not true.

Katharina becomes mother to a baby and toddler in short order and leaves her job. She is expected to be the perfect mother, housewife, wife and society lady. But…she balks. Readers who have wondered if they want to have children will think carefully after they read the section of the book where Katharina has a very, very, very bad day and takes off running.

From here, the book layers in espionage. Katharina is led back to a Columbia years boyfriend who is a Communist organizer and to those who are looking to rout out Communists and their sympathizers (against a background of the McCarthy hearings).

The suspense ratchets up as Katherina navigates her two worlds and roles; one that wife and one as potential informer. Katharina meets and works with new people including a Black handler to whom she is very attracted.

No spoilers so no more. Suffice it to say that this is an absorbing read.

As to the narration, I found it to be excellent. There are different voices for the different characters. It was a delight to listen as the story unspooled.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

1950's post war America is full of life and fun and excitement and thankfulness that the war is behind everyone. Katarina works at the United Nations, spends time with her friends, enjoys life, and loves Manhattan. She falls in love, gets married, and then she and her husband Tom have two children. Suddenly, instead of interpreting French, she is trying to understand baby talk and make it through another day without an adult to talk to. A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe is a testament to the power of women and their ability to be more than mothers. When someone with the FBI wants Katarina to help them by infiltrating a communist ring, she feels like she is finally doing something exciting again. She wants to help, but she also wants to be a good mother and wife. It is a struggle as she balances her life and what is expected and what she wants. I really enjoyed the book. There was some great moments. I laughed and smiled and felt Katarina's frustration and anger. Tanabe did a good job of fleshing out her characters and making them come to life! Thanks to #NetGalley and the publishers for the chance to listen to this audiobook. All opinions are my own. #Bookstagram #all_the_pages

Thank you to NetGalley for an audio-ARC of A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe.
Karin Tanabe presents a woman who gave up an exciting career for motherhood and feels depressed and stifled by the physical and emotional demands. Being approached to work with the US government to aid in the fight against communism, Katherina struggles to balance both parts of her life without giving up her secret new job. At times this story dragged along and got too caught up in Rina's self-reflection. However, the novel presents a realistic view of motherhood for many successful women.
Jennifer Jill Araya's narration for the audio is well done. As an accomplished narrator of over 100 audiobooks, her voice has become recognizable to me. My only complaint is that at times it was difficult to tell what the character was saying aloud and what were thoughts in her mind.

I loved this book! When I wasn't listening, I was thinking about Katarina and her world. The narration for the audiobook of A Woman of Intelligence was fantastic. The story was unpredictable and unique.

3 stars

Katharina feels trapped & overwhelmed in her role as a mother, & instead of being honest about her feelings & asking for help she lies to everyone to pursue the thrills of being an FBI informant. Decent writing, an interesting if slow plot, & good setting & historical details made this book an okay read. I don’t like the MC though, which made it hard to actually like this book.

[What I liked:]

•I enjoyed learning about the CRC, & while the book tends towards anti-communist sentiment as a matter of fact of American patriotism, there is a small amount of nuance given in the overlap of the US Civil Rights movement in the 1950’s with the CPUSA. In other words, the book’s message is: communism = very bad, but some good though misguided people joined the party for noble idealistic reasons so we shouldn’t hate them.

•I liked Ava’s character a lot. She’s a paradox, which makes her compelling. Turner was interesting too, his motivations & ideals also complex & conflicting at times. With Jacob we didn’t get as much insight into his character, but he’s still a colorful person.

•I’m glad a certain person didn’t leave his family. I would have lost respect for him if he did.

•I actually appreciated the ending. I liked it much better than most of the book. Rina finally (to an extent) is honest with her family & asks for help & stands up for herself & takes steps towards building the life she wants. Yay. Finally she starts acting like the smart, wise, strong, independent person she has constantly been declaring herself to be.

•I do appreciate that the book’s message, & Katharina herself, don’t totally dump on motherhood as a good choice for some women. Not that most feminists do or most feminist literature does, but I still appreciate when it’s clearly articulated that there’s nothing wrong with choosing a “traditional” path, that the real issue is whether or not women have the choice. Carrie likes being a full time mother (although Rina disdains her for it). Marianne likes being a single career woman (although she’s not portrayed as the nicest person either). Rina wants to be a mother and have a job outside the house, & all of those are valid choices. Not every woman has to want or like the same lifestyle, & not everyone thrives in the same environment, & that’s okay.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•The novel takes a long time to set up the main action. It’s almost 40% over before the MC starts working as an informant.

•I have a hard time liking the MC. I get why she felt trapped & ignored & overwhelmed, but I don’t find her solutions to be admirable. Does she ask for help, or tell anyone how she’s feeling? No, she even lies that she’s happy & fine when people ask her if she’s okay, then resents them for believing her. So maybe asking for help & being honest wouldn’t result in help, but she didn’t even try! She decided to solve her problems with alcohol abuse & by putting her family in danger & lying to everyone some more, all the while secretly priding herself on how much better she is than other women for not finding motherhood %100 fulfilling. I absolutely don’t think it was wrong she decided to be an informant or wanted a life outside childcare, but I don’t like how self pitying she is, & how she thinks doing this job will absolve her of having to be honest with her husband & getting mental health help 🤷‍♀️

•Oh, & the other reason I don’t like Rina? Her teenage niece is under extreme pressure from both parents to perform at a ridiculously elite level of athletics, & so because Rina “likes her” she writes a letter to her pressuring her to do better 🤷‍♀️ You’d think Rina, who is suffering under the overwhelming burden of unrealistic expectations, would have compassion.

•Thoughts on the audiobook narration: the narrator did a decent job overall, but at times she seemed over enthusiastic. It felt like 90% of the sentences she spoke were in a gushy, over excited voice which got annoying.

•This may be a nit-picky criticism, but Tom seemed a bit extreme in his characterization. He’s verbally abusive, over protective, extremely demanding of others, & very controlling. There were flashbacks to Rina’s happy memories of him when he treated her well & as his equal, & it is possible that he was really like that once upon a time & that career stress & sleep deprivation simply turned him into a controlling, raging, entitled, sexist jailer. But at times it felt like those flashbacks were inserted as an excuse for Rina to justify her staying in the marriage. But, I’ve never been married, or in a LTR as long as Tom & Rina’s marriage, so maybe this is a very realistic portrayal.

CW: infidelity, self harm, alcohol abuse, sexism, racism, murder, suicide, verbal abuse

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

Katharina Edgeworth is a very complicated character but I'm not sure it's on purpose. The story takes place in the 50s and focuses on the life of a woman who during the war was running around with her fellow 20-year-old girlfriends sleeping with loads of men while she worked at the UN (it's mentioned numerous times that she speaks at least 4 languages) and now is married to a super-successful blue blood doctor and the mother to two children she doesn't like but still loves very much. I don't blame her on that last part, kids are terrible and hers sound just awful.

The problem with A Woman of Intelligence is that for being an intelligent woman, Katharina has almost no agency and is continually making incredibly stupid decisions, erring on the side of deception rather than communication, and all of her fun new (and dangerous and ultimately fluffy to the story) adventures are just opportunities handed to her by men. She doesn't ever actually make any decisions for herself, and she is incredibly irresponsible.

I want to clarify that the irresponsibility doesn't bother me as far as a character trait is concerned; it's the fact that Katharina suffers from Admired-by-Every-Man-She-Meets syndrome and she feels incredibly shallow; it was a missed opportunity and she is weakly written.

I did appreciate the exploration of alcoholism although it is a really glancing look at why and how it happened with such great frequency to women of the time. There is a lot to be said about women during the war facing less restriction (because all the men were gone and capitalism needs labour), finding fulfilling jobs (often contributing to the war effort), and experiencing freedom, only to have all of that stripped away when the soldiers return because priority number one was the men, their "need" for wives and children, and their places in the world. I can't even imagine having opportunities and a job I loved then being shunted to the side and expected to be a happy, doting mother to two hellraisers, while my interests are belittled and dismissed by my husband. NO WONDER they drank.

The narrator for the audiobook is Jennifer Jill Araya and as usual, the narrator is not the problem. That said, the male characters felt like caricature and I found myself thinking about how what was being said would have more gravitas if it hadn't been delivered by a cartoon.

This is a fine, distracting read but really had very little substance.

I received a copy of this audiobook for free from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

Katharina is feeling trapped by motherhood, or at least her husband's expectations of her role as mother. His idea of a good mother is one who is ALWAYS with her children. Understandably she has lost any other part of herself except for "mother".

After a rough day where she struggled to meet this mothering expectations she's unexpectedly approached by an undercover agent who wants her help as an informant.

It's like a door has been flung open for her and a whoosh of fresh air has rushed in. She fully embraces the role and excitement of it all. Suddenly she's being seen again. Not as a mom, but as an intelligent, interesting woman.

Will she be able to balance this secret life as a spy with her husband's expectations of mothering? Will she be caught? Will her marriage survive? Can Katharina find herself again?

It's wild how timely a book set in the 50s can be in 2021. Women often still continue to struggle to maintain their ownness in light of motherhood. It's easy to drown in the role.

It seems that there are a proliferation of books lately about Russian spies and the infiltration by average American citizens to combat the leaking of those secrets. This latest is certain to be a welcomed addition to the genre.
Katarina Edgeworth, the main character, lives in New York City and has the making of a perfect life. She had previously worked at the United Nations and is now married to a doctor living the wealthy life with all its trappings. However, life is not always what it's suppose to be. So, the timing is just right when she is approached by the FBI to help in their spying endeavors.
If you are familiar with New York City and its various addresses, you will love its descriptions and will be able to follow the story from one part of it to the next. That was done so deftly by the author.
I was carried along with Katarina's mission, routing for her the entire time. The narrator deserves credit for grasping the author's words so well that the reader is swept along for the adventure. The ending was just what I hoped for making it a totally satisfying read!