Historical Novels Review, August 2021

It is 1946. Katharina is single and living her dream life as an interpreter for the United Nations in New York City by day, and partying with her friends by night. Her life is fulfilling, but society expects her to marry. Tom is a pediatric surgeon from a very wealthy family, and to all appearances, Katharina’s ideal life is laid out in front of her once they walk down the aisle. Now the pressure is on to become a proper wife and mother.

The book opens with Katherina in the park with her two young sons. Tanabe’s dialogue is witty and engaging, making New York City of the late 1940s feel alive. This draws the reader into the story immediately. Tom imposes his strict ideals on what a wife and mother should be and won’t allow her outside help. Katherina feels trapped in her role and totally inept at keeping the chaos of two little boys under control. She sits up nights watching the street activity from her seventh-floor apartment window, in exile from her former life.

On a rare outing alone, she is approached by Lee Caldwell, an FBI operative, who has been watching her. He needs Katarina to make contact with a former college friend and lover, Jacob Gornev, who is a known Russian spy. The plan is to become Jacob’s courier and intercept documents leaking out of the Department of Defense. This is just what she needs to again feel valued and competent. Not only is she now spying for the FBI, but she is keeping under the radar of her controlling husband who thinks she is dutifully at home. This is an enjoyable, immersive read with clandestine meetings, covert activities, and a romance – a wonderful escape into 1940s New York City.

This. Was. Excellent. Right in the middle of my historical fiction wheelhouse! It’s the late 1940s and we watch a very youthful and social Katharina transition from a translator at the United Nations to the wife of a shipping heir. As she adjusts to her life as wife and mother in high society NYC, she is feeling less than fulfilled and claustrophobic. Enter the FBI, who asks her to become an informant! Of course she jumps at the chance and is soon infiltrating a group of Communist sympathizers.

I loved reading about Katharina’s struggle with trying to be a good wife and mom, but feeling like there is something more out there for her as she stares out her window late into the night. I think my favorite part of this book was how well written the character of Katharina was. She was so multidimensional and the author was really able to convey her weaknesses and insecurities as well as her strength and power. Katharina really came to life when given her assignment. Makes me want to become an international spy!

Lately, I've been loving novels set during the Cold War, and A Woman of Intelligence is no exception.

The novel does start off slowly, as we see the gilded cage built around Katharina. A former UN translator and party girl, she now feels trapped with two young boys to care for and a husband who refuses to have anyone help her and who is rarely home.

She finds her self-worth again when she is approached by the FBI to to report on a former lover from college who is now a high-level Soviet spy, and from that point on, I found this novel riveting. It's always hard for me to read about someone who's unhappy, but I can understand why the novel needed to start here to show her journey.

Obviously, Katharina is good at more than being a mother, though the men around her often fail to see it. I love how her mother-in-law became an unexpected ally, and how conflicted Katharina is about spying on those around her. All the characters in this novel are complex and well-rounded (although I never did warm to the husband). This time period is also fascinating, and I loved the details from the high society parties to the complicated stroller that makes me very grateful to the simple one I have today.

I loved the ultimate message in this book that women should have the right to determine their own future, whatever that might look like.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this ebook!

I’m really not certain how I feel about this book. The characters were interesting and challenging. But somehow, I felt the plot was contrived not flowing and did not draw me to the climax.

In the late 1940’s to 50’s Katharina was a career woman turned society wife and is then expected to pop out the required babies and stay at home. Her husband Peter, wants her to do everything without help because he was raised by nannies and boarding schools and he wants more for his children. However, what her husband doesn’t realize that having two children so close together and not having help has crushed her spirit. She is in a vulnerable state.
During this time communism is a high priority for the government and she has been pinpointed because of her language skills and her knowledge of of one of the governments targets. They are requesting her help without her husbands knowledge which becomes a difficult and emotional situation.
This book was a slow read for me, but I didn’t dislike it overall but there were so many opportunities that could have made this book just open up and sing for the characters.
I can’t say I would be bragging about the book, but I wouldn’t discourage someone who liked this author. This is my first time reading her books, but I definitely would read another one.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martins Press for the gifted book!

I really had to sit with this book after I finished it and think about how I wanted to rate it. I read it very quickly and was very absorbed in the story, but at the end of the day it was a let down. I just feel like nothing happened. This was marketed as a historical fiction spy thriller. But not one part of this book felt thrilling. It is a 1950s historical fiction novel in which the main character happens to be a low level undercover courier. It is a decently long audio (over 13 hours) and when I finished I was like I need 4 more hours so something big can happen. Katharina is a 1950s housewife to a doctor and the heir to a shipping fortune. She is not enjoying being the mother to two small children and she feels stifled. I had to reflect and see if my annoyance with her character choices were me being annoyed with the 1950s or me being annoyed with her. And I decided she was the problem. She takes no agency in her own life. As a woman who had a great career and personality before marriage and children she allows herself to become a doormat. And when she starts taking agency and regaining her sense of self, she hides her new found confidence from the people closest to her. Which in turn allows her to make some questionable decisions that she justifies because she is getting what she wants.

I will say though that the narration by Jennifer Jill Araya was excellent and I am looking forward to hearing her narrate a book again in the future. She shifted between characters and accents so well.

Content Warning: Murder, Racism

It's the 1950's in New York City and Katharina (Rina), a daughter of immigrants, is an Ivy-league graduate with a fulfilling career, she falls in love with Tom, an amazing, rich, and wonderful doctor. After she gets pregnant, she leaves her job and finds herself raising two young boys and losing her self-identity. Overwhelmed with the isolation and demands of early motherhood, made worse because her husband is hardly ever home, Katharina is very unhappy. And then one day, the FBI approaches her and thinks she's the "perfect" person to help them. Will this help her find herself again? Or will it be her ruin?

There are parts of this book I really enjoyed, I can relate to Katharina's feelings about early motherhood. It's a subject I was happy to see discussed. The book explored how feelings about our family and loved ones can be complex and ebb and flow, However, a lot of the character development just skimmed the surface and I don't feel I ever truly got invested in the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

3.5 stars.

Never underestimate an unfulfilled woman.

Katharina (Rina) Edgeworth, a former translator for the United Nations is drowning in the mundane madness of raising two unruly toddlers in 1950’s New York. She has plenty to be thankful for; her children are healthy, her husband is a successful pediatric surgeon—though often absent—and she hasn’t a care in the world, except…it isn’t enough. She misses her old UN life and the fulfillment that comes with professional challenges. Then after one particularly horrible day of sticky fingers and dirty diaper disasters, she has an unexpected encounter with an FBI agent in need of her linguistic talent. Her country needs her for this job, but more importantly, she needs this job even more.

I appreciated this intimate portrait of a 1950’s housewife who was tired, so very tired of being brushed aside and treated as if she had already accomplished all that she was meant to in life once she became a mother. I loved her beginning days of “misbehaving” and the unraveling of her story. All in all, this was a delightful read.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the gifted book.

A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe was billed as “women’s fiction” during a historical period with the twists of a spy thriller, and it delivered on that promise. I appreciated the undercover aspect, but the plot was more of a character study of a young wife and mother who felt trapped in her limited opportunities in 1950’s New York.

Katharina Edgeworth, our protagonist, had an exciting career with the United Nations as a translator before her marriage to up and coming pediatric surgeon, Dr. Tom Edgeworth. Once she becomes pregnant with her first child, she is expected to quit her job, but three years later, she is unfulfilled by marriage and motherhood. To be clear, Katharina is a mother who loves her children dearly, but she is a woman who needs more than play dates and medical fundraisers to feel complete.

Katharina is intrigued to be approached by the FBI to help spy on a former college boyfriend. She wonders whether this opportunity is for real and whether she can pull it off without her husband’s knowledge. The pace picked up when she began her “spying” gig, and this became my favorite aspect of the book, although the book also makes a great statement about the difficulties of balancing motherhood and outside work that is as relevant today as it was in Katharina’s time period of 1954.

This was the second book I have read by Ms. Tanabe, and I will gladly read more. The characters were developed fully, and the writing was excellent.

I will recommend this book to readers who enjoy women’s fiction, historical fiction and mild spy thrillers.

I thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

While this wasn't quite the book I expected it to be based on the synopsis I'd read, I quite enjoyed it and found it fascinating. A comment from the author I found on Goodreads explains goal in writing this book nicely: "I wanted to write a book where a mother chooses herself. And that’s what this book is. It’s a spy story, and a love story, and a book that I hope captures an era, and a struggle that women still face today, but that is ultimately about a woman choosing herself."
Set in 1954, it's about a young woman who was building a career as a translator at the U.N. post WWII. When she marries a doctor who also happens to be a member of a wealthy and prominent family in New York City, she doesn't realize just how much her life will change - especially when she has two baby boys in rapid succession. Lovely as her life may seem from the outside, she feels trapped. She loves her children and her husband, but at the same time desperately misses her work at the U.N. So when she's approached by the FBI to work as an informant to gain information on a former lover, she ultimately says yes. What follows is indeed a spy story and a love story. It does capture the era, and more importantly, the issues that women faced then and still do today - both the physical hormonal ones, and the societal ones. While I never experienced what Katharina experienced (or Karin Tanabe herself), I can certainly empathize.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

The sign of intelligence is recognizing when you need help. On the surface, Katharina seems to have the perfect life. A successful husband, monetary security, two rambunctious but healthy children and standing in NYC society.

Katharina's independence is now tethered her home and sons. While she loves them, she misses her UN work and sense of self. While struggling to come to terms with her new life, Katharina's past awakens a mystery. Will she embrace her family or cast oft society's expectations to save her country?

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early edition in exchange for an honest review. At times I had troubles staying immersed in the story. That being said, I enjoyed Katharina's fiery spirit. and I'm looking forward to reading another Karin Tanabe book.

A Woman of Intelligence is my first read by Karin Tanabe. I love the cover – the contents were a little more difficult to love. The main character Katharina was a hard person to like. The title of the book is a bit deceiving. Katharina spoke four language fluently and had worked as an interpreter for the United Nations before they had moved to Manhattan. She is definitely ‘book smart’.

Fast forward to when she is married and has children she falls apart like a cheap card trick. She had no discipline over her children and when the eldest child spat in her face because he couldn’t do something he wanted to do, and she did nothing I was ready to close the book!

I realize that the book takes place in the 1950’s where some felt that women should stay home and be a housewife and mother but this book portrays the main character as an idiot with absolutely no backbone. I was raised by a woman who was single with a terrific career, who got married and had children in the 1950’s. She was intelligent. She was able to juggle a career, kids and a husband and she wasn’t living on Fifth Avenue with a doctor for a husband.

Try as I might, I was unable to get involved in the story. I walked away feeling absolutely nothing but distaste for the characters. It portrays the main character in very unflattering terms which I found offensive. There was absolutely nothing redeeming about any of the characters. I was so eager to read this book because the description sounded great. Unfortunately it was a disappointment.

I would like to thank the author, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Cold War/Post WWII is not really my strongest area of history, but I think that only added to my enjoyment! Rina reminded me of Midge from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel- feeling stifled by her traditional 1950s life, in the cream of the crop of Manhattan society. However, instead of comedy, Rina is recruited to be an FBI informant. I didn’t expect to be so invested in this book, but I had to keep reading for both plots- Rina’s personal life, and the Communist sub-plot.

Rina’s husband Tom deserved to be slapped, several times over- if there was a weak point to the book, I would say it was Tom. (He has literally zero redeeming qualities, and even for the 1950s, seemed borderline abusive.) Still, it keeps you reading, which I think speaks to Tanabe’s talents as a writer.

Rina is a mother of two young children who isn’t finding motherhood to be as easy as she thought it would be. She begins to have a emotional breakdown. She feels trapped in her life. She starts thinking more and more about her life before marriage and before motherhood time. She was once a translator with the United Nations. Because of her former job, she gets approached by the FBI for help
Overall, a nice enough read though slow going at times. Also, a bit hard to believe at times.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

An excellent historical fiction that shows the choices that women make....and some that don't quite make the full decision to have only one sort of life. A highly educated woman, who is recruited by the FBI - who is also a mother. Is the risk worth the reward?

Karin Tanabe has a really nice touch with showing the full story of someone's thoughts and wants. I can't wait to see what's next.

This was a really good read. I loved Katharina's character and the honesty that she portrayed about how hard it is to be a mother and how easily you can lose yourself. That really resonated with me and the fact that she was able to do something of such significance was nothing short of amazing. The book also took place during a very interesting and difficult time in our country and it was fascinating to read how the FBI used civilians to help with their cause. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I could not put A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe down! I love historical novels, so this was right up my alley. I was super excited to get this ARC, and I was excited to finish it. The main character was fantastic, I loved the prose, and I felt this went by so quickly. This explains, tells, and illustrates so much, and I loved reading it.

Katharina works as a translator for the United Nations. She gives it all up to become a wife and a mother. However, she is just not happy. She loves her family but her life is missing something. Because of her life before, she is on the FBI’s radar. She is approached to become an informant on the movement of communists in the area. She jumps at the chance.

Katharina is a unique character for this time period. Not many women worked in the 1950s. I love strong women characters but Katharina fell a bit short. And for the life of me I can’t figure out why. She is a bit whiny…aren’t we all at some time. And for her to be so strong…she sure did not have much of a backbone with her husband. I wanted to pinch his ear off.

All of that being said, I did enjoy this novel. I loved the intrigue and the spy game. And when Katharina finally found her voice…stand back!

Jennifer Jill Araya does a fabulous job as narrator. She has the perfect inflection and emotion. I will definitely be on the look out for her in the future!

Need an all around good book! THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Be prepared to change your mindset and remember this is the 1950s. Women had taken a step backward after WWII and were immersed into the role of mother and homemaker. How many survived on Valium and analysis. This story centers around Katerina Edgeworth, a highly educated and unconventional woman who gives up her career at the UN to marry a successful surgeon. It doesn’t take long for Rina to become depressed and dissatisfied with her life and act out in scandalous ways.
Enter the FBI who offer her a chance to go undercover and spy on a former lover who happens to be a Communist. This is where the story somewhat goes over the top. The obligatory romance, a murder/suicide?, and becoming a courier and going to Washington from New York with a babysitter at home. Katerina’s very busy husband never even noticed when she left the apartment in the middle of the night. Eventually everything implodes but Rina now has options and decisions to make. This book kept my interest and I was never sure where it was going next. Thanks to Net Galley and St Martins Press for this release.

Generally I liked this story. I wasn't expecting it to be as much about the internal struggles of motherhood as compared to the external conflict of working for the FBI. I would have loved for certain characters to be filled out more or for the to be more of a denouement, but it was good.