This book struck me as "The Scarecrow and Mrs. King" meets The Feminine Mystique. Set in the mid-1950's in New York City, this is the story of a young, wealthy, highly-educated woman who is struggling with the expectations of both society and family as she finds motherhood more limiting and less fulfilling than her previous job at the United Nations. When she is approached by the FBI to act as an informant, life becomes a lot more complicated and a lot more interesting. A well-paced, propulsive read that provides insight into a woman's struggles in the era of McCarthyism, with a lot of NYC scenery thrown in.

With WWII over, Katharina was working as a translator for the new United Nations. A graduate of Columbia, she spoke four languages and was happy living an independent lifestyle until she met Tom Edgeworth, a pediatric surgeon. She continued working after her marriage to Tom until shortly before her first son was born. Now as a wife and mother of two she spends all of her time tending to her family’s needs. Her husband spends long hours at the hospital and their only social engagements are fund raising events. It is no longer a life that offers fulfillment. There is little outside adult interaction and she feels demeaned by her husband’s references to her ability with her little languages. He questions her stability when she expresses her dissatisfaction and she too frequently reaches for a drink.

She suffers a meltdown in the park that is witnessed by her husband. Taking off on her own, she is followed by a man who may have an answer to her problems. Lee Coldwell is with the FBI. At Columbia she was in a relationship with Jacob Gornev, who is now an operative for the Soviet Union. As an agent he has been sending stolen intelligence back to Russia. Coldwell would like Katharina to once again meet Gornev and arrange to act as a courier for him, enabling her to identify the people involved with the espionage. Working for Coldwell once again gives her a sense of purpose, but it is a balancing act to work for the FBI and keep her actions a secret from her family.

Karin Tanabe takes the reader back to the early days of the Cold War and Hoover’s hunt for communists in America. It reflects a time when women who had worked during the war discovered a new independence and were finding that the return of the troops left few opportunities for women. Tanabe’s writing shows Katharina’s desperation to find fulfillment outside of the home. From her opening fights to control her young boys with no help to her final confrontation with Tom over changes that needed to be made I felt a connection with her character and could not put this book down. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin Press for providing this book for my review.

Every now and then I pick up a spy type novel and I always enjoy the strong women and the rolls they take on. I wanted this book to be that, but I could have used more of the spy aspect and less of the housewife portion. It got a bit redundant at times. ⭐⭐⭐ I recommend if you liked The Secrets We Kept.

On the surface, Katharina Edgeworth’s life seems perfect. After years of struggling with infertility, she has two young sons, a wealthy husband, and a beautiful apartment with Manhattan’s most exclusive address. Below the surface, she’s going a little crazy. She gave up a career she loved at the UN, her pediatrician husband has very strong opinions about child rearing but is never there to help her implement them, and her family is in Europe while her controlling in-laws are just a taxi ride away.

When she is approached by the FBI to do some undercover work, she jumps at the chance. She is immediately drawn into an exciting world with a very attractive contact. However, her sneaking around leads to accusations of infidelity and threatens her marriage and family.

I cannot gush enough about this book. The 1950s Manhattan setting is perfectly drawn. Rina, as she is nicknamed, is mostly relatable, if occasionally frustrating. Anyone who has raised young children will empathize with how you can love someone with all your heart even as they make you lose your mind, if not your whole self. I love mid century historicals, even if they make me feel old. I cannot recommend this book enough. #AWomanofIntelligence #NetGalley

With thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy in return for an honest review.

I was drawn to the premise of the book and the cover is gorgeous. However, I struggled to stay engaged with the story and following the plot and characters.

As a person who loves historical fiction, I found this book frustrating. On the one hand, I really appreciated A Woman of Intelligence, by Karin Tanabe, for its depiction of how women were stifled in mid-twentieth century America. I could really understand Katharina's sadness at leaving an exciting career to becoming someone burdened with unrealistically high expectations on how she should be a mother. I found this exploration of motherhood and marriage really interesting.

However, I found the spy aspect of the story to be over the top. That, along with a developing attraction between Katharina and another man that didn't really go anywhere, made my interest wane when it should have pulled me in. I was also troubled by Katharina informing on fellow Americans for being Communists. Considering she was quite intelligent, I was surprised that Katharina would get caught up in the "Red" fever of McCarthyism.

What I Liked:

Historical Details:

The novel shines with all the details of how women were treated, and expected to behave, in the 1950's. Katharina is multi-lingual and has a worldly view on life. But even at her exciting job with the United Nations, she is forced to quit when she marries and becomes pregnant. All the small indignities that women endured were shown, such as how doctors wanted to put her on valium to "calm" her down (i.e. make her less opinionated). And her husband controlled every aspect of her life, from how she dressed, if she breastfed (and for how long), and how much free time she had (very little). She was expected to find fulfillment solely by being a doting mother.

Characters:

Katharina was an unusual character for a women of the 1950's. She had a strong education, getting a masters in languages, and had a career at the United Nations. It was almost surprising that she would ever want to get married, given how much she enjoyed the single life. She partied hard, was often drunk, and enjoyed one-night stands, often as a single person.

But Katharina was also rather tragic. She really wasn't cut out for being a stay at home mom. Part of this was due to her husband, Tom's, insisting that she should not need any help with childcare. With two young children, this left her often short on sleep, and patience. So she felt very lonely and overwhelmed.

I loved Katharina's mother-in-law, Amelia. According to Katharina's husband, his mother was never there for him, and left him with nannies all the time. This is why he insisted that Katharina do everything herself. But as we get to know Amelia, we see that she did most of the childrearing, but insisted on having a social life, outside her role as a mother. Part of this was to offset the sting of her husband's numerous affairs. But it was also a way for her to take control of her life. I really admired that about her.

What I Didn't Like:

Informing on Communists:

The whole spy aspect of the novel is that Katharina (unbeknownst to her) dated a Communist in college, and has been asked to spy on him. I wondered how Katharina could consent to informing on her fellow Americans. With her background at the United Nations, it seemed to me that she became an informant to escape her dreary life as a mother, rather than because of a sense of patriotism. And since the FBI did make Jacob out to be a dangerous KGB spy, she put her children at risk, which I found unforgivable.

Romance:

As Katharina becomes more and more involved with the FBI, she starts to develop feelings for an African-American man who is also undercover in the Communist Party. I did not object to the interracial component, but rather that their relationship didn't really go anywhere. She freely admitted that she her feelings were based on lust, not necessarily on the personality of the man, himself. Again, I sensed that she was disappointed in her marriage, and so sought attention elsewhere. This was so selfish and made me less sympathetic for her husband.

Rina is the wife of a wealthy surgeon, the mother of two boys, and from the outside seems to have it all, but on the inside she’s crumbling, desperately missing her job as an interpreter at the U.N. This desperation is what makes her the perfect get for the FBI--yes, it’s helpful that she speaks five languages, but what really makes her indispensable is her willingness to risk just about anything to feel like she’s alive again. That’s why she agrees to meet up with a former lover from her grad school days, a known Communist organizer. Rina is perfect for the job, but her lifestyle is not, and sneaking out to do her spy work gets more and more difficult as her husband insists that she be the perfect model 1950s housewife. This is a book that really captures the exhausting boredom of parenting young children, and the smothering feeling that can come from having to do it all on your own.

With regards to St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy. On sale July 20, 2021!

WOW. Just wow. This book had everything for me. A main character that is strong, utterly relatable and grappling with real life problems from the past that still resonate today. I couldn't get enough of Katharina Edgeworth's story. Set during the late 1940s and early 50s postwar New York City, Katharina (Reena) was an independent woman, working as a translator with the UN when she meets and falls in love with what seems like the perfect man. Fast forward a few years and she is now a stay at home society wife with two small sons under the age of three and feels like she has lost all purpose and joy. When she gets approached to work as an intelligence agent for the FBI Katharina leaps at the chance to finally do something worthwhile again even if it means risking everything. This is a compelling love letter to New York City and one woman's struggles with motherhood and self. HIGHLY recommend this one for fans of Our woman in Moscow, Lions of Fifth Avenue or When I ran away. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy

3.75 rounded up to 4 stars
A Woman of Intelligence, by Karen Tanabe, is an interesting historical fiction novel featuring the emergence of the fledgling United Nations, the fear of communism, and FBI activities in early 1950’s America.
Told in the first person by Katharina, a highly educated woman who speaks four languages, the issue of women’s evolving independent roles in mid-20th century America is woven throughout the book.
The writing is excellent and the historical research evident. But the main character’s obsession with being bored and trapped as a housewife in a gilded cage was repetitive and distracted me from the more serious issues of women’s roles and family dynamics in that era.
The author is to be commended for her extensive research and presentation of mid-century New York City and the UN. The research and her beautiful descriptive prose are the strengths of this novel, and I am glad I had the opportunity to read it.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Set in post World War II in New York City we meet Katharina Edgeworth. She is a Columbia graduate, who worked for the United Nations during the war and now is married to a doctor with two young sons.

Katharina is struggling as a wife and mother and she is looking for something to complete her life. When a series of events causes a major rift between her and her husband, she takes on a task that she must hide from everyone she knows.

Using a former relationship she had in college, the FBI asks her to pose as a communist and infiltrate the KGB in New York City. With many risks she takes this on with much gusto.

This is at heart a historical fiction, but yet this story is so much more. This is a feminist story, with Katharina who wants to break the mold for the typical woman of this time. This was a story, that takes on topic that I found is not normally written about. Tanabe writes a strong heroine, and tells a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was attracted to A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe by its absolutely stunning cover. I think the cover easily wins the best cover of the year award. Secondly, I was attracted to this book because of the time period. The first ten years of my life were spent in the 1950s. I thought the author nailed much of life for a fifties woman at the beginning of the book,. The main character Katharine spoke four languages, worked for the newly established United Nations. She intended to be a career girl until she met Dr. Tom Edgeworth, a successful pediatric surgeon. Katarina, Rina to those who know her, is in her early thirties. When she finally gets pregnant, she needs to leave her job. I thought the author did an outstanding job showing what it was like for a married woman during this time period. Going from the work world to an isolated world of stay-at-home mom with two children so close together and a husband who is never home made me feel very sorry for her. She struggled. Then on the worse “mom” day in the park, she finds herself being approached by an FBI agent who asks her to go undercover and do some work infiltrating the communist party.

At this point, the plot seems to go every which way. It was hard to follow at times and to me unbelievable. I found myself having to reread sections a couple of times because there was too much description and in some of the storyline with Ava Newman I had difficulty knowing who was speaking.
The best line of the book for me was “Ava Newman and I at the same meeting was about as fateful as Caesar falling on Brutus’s knife.” My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

Having read Tanabe’s most recent release last year I had high expectations for this book. Overall it is a reasonable story, but definitely not one I’m in love with. It took me triple the expected time to read this book because it never fully engaged me; which makes me sad.

Katharina Edgeworth seems to have it all, a beautiful apartment in Manhattan, a wealthy, successful husband, and 2 healthy sons. Yet she feels unfulfilled. As a college educated woman fluent in 4 languages, she misses her job as a translator for the United Nations. When she is approached by the FBI to help them look into someone from Katharina’s past, she finds a new purpose. As she secretly begins her life of espionage, she risks losing everything.

I enjoyed this story. The plot pulled me right in and the story moved along at a good pace. Anyone who has ever stayed at home with young children can identify with the way Katharine feels.

Thank you Karin Tanabe, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

Not exactly what I was expecting. It starts off slow, but reminded me why I am glad I live during this time instead of the 1950's. Women back then we're told to marry, have children and be happy. Doesn't matter if they had a job before or not.

Rina had a great job before marriage. She worked at the UN as an interpreter and translator. But now, she has 2 babies very close in age, a husband that's never home, and a life she has become to hate. Tom, her husband, on the other hand, has s chief surgeon of pediatrics and never home.

A chance meeting one day, starts her life becoming more exciting. As I said, this was a slow read. Only in patches did it pick up speed. Entwined in it was a little love story, that to me, just prolonged the book.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for the Kindle Version of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received this an ARC through Netgalley. Besides being an excellent cold war spy book, I felt Karin Tanabe accurately described how some of us feel when we become mothers. Rina struggles with finding her old self with her new responsibilities of being a mother to two young boys under 2. Going from being an interrupter at that United Nations to feeling like she is being locked up in an Ivory tower cage was not an easy transition. When a proposition to use her language skills is presented to her, Rina jumps all in. A Woman of Intelligence wonderfully weaves a story of espionage in with the unspoken truths of motherhood.

Katharina West-Edgeworth - 1950’s housewife of a pediatric surgeon. With two boys under the age of three, she finds herself longing for the life she had before - working as a translator for the UN, single in NYC post-war and her freedom.

Then one day, she is called upon by a stranger. She is asked to help the fBI with an investigation against a former flame who happens to be part of the KGB.

I absolutely fell in love with this book and can totally relate to the modern woman that is Katharina West. Like her, Also, after reading so many WWII historical fiction novels, I have been looking to read more from the Cold War era. I am so glad this book found me!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this digital advanced reader’s copy in return for an honest review.

This had me engaged immediately. I thought Katharina (Rina) was so relatable, and it was so easy to connect with her. I liked how they showed her backstory, and how she met and fell in love with her husband Tom, so that he didn't come off as completely evil when he relayed his expectations about her child-rearing responsibilities--just a product of his time.

I did expect more from the whole FBI/espionage storyline. That felt more like a side story than the main plot. It had some exciting moments, but it was not nearly as suspenseful as I'd expected. Its description made me expect a spy thriller, but it was much closer to chick lit, as the primary story was Rina's attempts to find herself within her marriage and motherhood.

I still very much enjoyed it, the writing is excellent and I loved Rina and many of the female side characters!

Katharina is chafing at her life. It's the 1950s and while she was once a translator at the UN, now she's the wife of a pediatric surgeon and home with two kids under two. Until the FBI approaches her and asks for her assistance with an old lover- someone she hasn't seen since graduate school- who is a KGB agent. This takes her down an unusual path and into the swirling world of communist cells in New York. This is a tough one in some ways. There's a lot of shouting- Katharina at her kids, her husband at her, and so on, and a lot (too much I think) drama in the family life portion of this. At the same time, there are some plot holes in the complex operational activity which is meant to be the point of the novel. I liked this best, oddly, when she's interacting with her in-laws (her mother in law is a hoot). The counterespionage sections which should have engaged me left me, sadly, a tad bored. That's not to say, btw, that others won't find this glimpse into history more interesting than I did. Thanks to net galley for the ARC.

This book was not for me. It’s well written, but its emphasis is just not to my taste. My fault; I am a near-obsessive reader of espionage novels, especially those set in the Cold War. I thought that would be the emphasis of this book, once we got the scene-setting out of the way, but I was wrong.

While the espionage story is certainly in the book, there is way too much for my taste about Rina’s miserably limited life with two young children and an overbearing doctor husband. Yeah, I know it was the 50s, but I just didn’t buy the narrative that a highly educated professional woman would allow herself to be trapped in a “gilded cage,” as the book describes it, ordered by her largely absentee husband not to use a nanny or babysitters.

This was just way too slow to develop into an espionage story for me.

Like her previous book, this feels vapid and shallow, without depth or any sympathetic characters. I liked the historical details of the postwar, but it’s still a far cry from the two excellent books I’ve read from her in the past.