Was unable to listen to this audiobook. Damaged my phone and had to get a new one. When I opened my netgalley app, I was unable to listen.

This was a really fast-paced yet intriguing and unpredictable story! I loved the narration and way she made this more intense. Post war 1954 Katharina seems to live a idyllic life, but not everything is what it seems. When approached by the FBI to become a spy she jumps at the chance. When they want her to infiltrate a man from her past She risks everything to get the truth. But this job may end up costing her life and of those she loves. Will she be able to complete this mission? You'll have to read to find out!

A Woman of Intelligence, written by Karin Tanabe, is an interesting work of historical fiction. This was my first book by Ms. Tanabe, and I would definitely read or listen to more of her books. I listened to the audio version which was ably narrated by Jennifer Jill Araya.

Katharina Edgeworth, as a single young woman living in Manhattan during the 1940's, worked first at City Hall and then as a translator at the newly formed United Nations. She had many friends and lovers, and spent exciting evenings having cocktails and going to parties. Rina loved her exciting life in her beloved New York. Then she met, fell in love with and married handsome and successful pediatric surgeon Tom Edgeworth. However, when Rina became pregnant with the first of their two boys, Tom insisted that she quit her job; surely, being a mother and raising her children should be all that she needed! Guess again. Rina began to feel trapped, spending all day with two rambunctious boys while her husband spent almost all of his time at the hospital. One day she was approached by a member of the FBI, who wished for her to work for them as an informant. A former college lover of hers is now a high level Soviet spy, and the FBI believes she's the perfect person for the job. She then becomes a courier, carrying stolen government documents from D.C. to Manhattan. When members of the Communist party she becomes close to lose their covers or die, things suddenly becomes a lot more complicated!

Though the work Rina does for the FBI makes for interesting listening, it is her relationship with her kids, her husband and his family that is truly the heart of the story. I've never wanted children (please don't judge!) and have trouble relating to them, but Ms. Tanabe really brings Rina's struggles with her children to life. At times I alternated from laughing to being sad for her issues. It was hard for her, especially when she had to deal with her husband, a man who was rarely home and thought her staying with two young children all day was one fun-filled moment after another. Tom was quite likeable and sweet before they had children, but then turned totally clueless. His family was very condescending, on top of everything else Rina had to deal with. When she began working for the FBI, she began to remember the person she used to be. Her confidence began to grow, and she started working with a man who reminded her that she was a woman, just not a mommy. I loved her work and relationships with the Communist sympathizers and FBI agents, but her personal growth story was what really kept me interested. Heck, she even made me care about the kids! I will definitely read more from Ms. Tanabe.

Ms. Araya did a great job with Rina's voice and with other characters with accents. Her accents sounded quite genuine. Her voice didn't have enough range for men's voices - they all sounded very similar. But her work throughout most of the book was wonderful.

I received an ARC of this audiobook courtesy of Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This book is like a soft blanket on a cold day., The story is solid and characters are well developed. Speaks a lot about women and the choices they make in the early 1950's. What does love and being a mother mean when you are also a career woman. What does it mean to be fulfilled?

I thought this book would be a homerun for me! Historical fiction, strong female protagonist, and the glitz and glam of New York City. Sadly, I couldn't get into the book at all. I tried several times in both audio and physical form, but I found Katharina to be wholly flat as a character and the plot dragged for me in several places. I truly wanted to love this!

I love a good spy story. I also appreciate how maddening it can be to be stuck inside every day and losing your mind Because you're used to working and engaging your brain every day (thanks, covid). That being said, I wish there was more attention paid to the spy/informant aspect of the story than the bored housewife aspect. Overall not a bad book, just slow to get going.

Katharina Edgeworth has the life that most women in 1954 would find to be a dream come true: a rich, prominent pediatric surgeon for a husband, a Fifth Avenue address, two healthy boys, and everything material that her heart desires. Rina, however, finds herself missing the life she used to have as a translator for the United Nations. When she is approached by the FBI, who feels that Rina has information that they need, will her need to feel important change everything for the woman?

Katharina lamented her situation at every turn, complaining about her status, her husband, and her children. During the 1950's, women were supposed to be seen and not heard, well situated at the right hand of her husband. An educated woman fluent in four languages would likely have a problem with her lack of status in the family. With all of the good that Rina had, she was not given a voice by her husband. Women in the 1950's were like this, but they also became the outspoken women of the 1960's. The author did a good job of capturing the feeling of life in the years after World War II, especially the time period where paranoia over Communism took hold of many Americans. The book was a little repetitive, especially regarding Katharina's daily struggles to maintain her reputation and status, but still be herself. The narrator of the audio version of this book did an excellent job of bringing the character to life, with all of her worries and troubles. Overall, A Woman of Intelligence was a great representation of life in the 1950's and I would recommend the audiobook to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given the opportunity to listen to A Woman of Intelligence by NetGalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio. The decision to review this Advanced Copy was entirely my own.

There is just not enough time to read all the great books out there, but please make time for this one!
You will be glad you did.
It is a wonderful book and will keep your interest from chapter one until the very last page.
I was sorry to have it end and have put it at the top of my list to read again!
Highly recommend!

While not fully what I was expecting, A Woman of Intelligence was still an enjoyable read. I appreciated seeing the development of Katharina over the course of the story and how she was able to re-find herself after feeling stuck in the routine of being a wife and mother. If you're a fan of historical fiction, books set in New York or seeing women overcoming the many obstacles that come with being a woman, this is the book for you!

A 1950's housewife is drawn into spy work after her former college lover is suspected of being a Russian spy. Katrina Edgeworth is living a life of privilege, a home on 5th Avenue in NYC, two adorable sons and a husband who provides for their every need. But, she's missing herself. Having worked in the United Nations as a translator, she had adult friends, nights out and lovers.

Drawn to the danger, Katrina embeds her family in lies to serve the FBI in their efforts to eradicate communism from the streets. Her double life soon unravels the world she built around herself making her question what she wants out of life.

This book doesn't shy away from throwing light on the expectations of a housewife in the 50's, motherhood and the need to belong to something greater. A Women of Intelligence provides a nice balance between Katrina's personal story and her life working undercover.

Thank you MacMillion Audio for the complimentary copy for an honest review.

It's 1954 and well educated, polyglot Katharina Edgeworth spends her days taking care of her two young children. She misses her independence and work as a translator at the UN, so when the FBI approaches her about becoming an informant against an old acquaintance they believe to be a high-level Soviet Spy, she jumps at the opportunity.

I really enjoyed how this book felt rooted in the time period in which it's set, and modern. Though the premise here (and overall plot) is about Katharina's work as an FBI informant, so much of this narrative is about Katharina grappling with the expectations of women and motherhood at the time. Katharina loves her children, but feels a deep sense of grief related to her independence and career in a way that I found fully relatable, but that some readers may take issue with.

In a lot of ways, this reminded me of a cold era set "A Doll's House."

I loved Jennifer Jill Araya's narration here. I thought she did an excellent job in making Katharina feel modern and timeless, and in conveying the emotion and depth behind the characters.

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

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.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narration by Jennifer Jill Arraya is excellent.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

A Woman of Intelligence was such a captivating read. Set in 1950s New York, Katharina is married to the city’s leading pediatric surgeon and has two young boys. Even though she seemingly has the perfect life, she finds her apartment overlooking Central Park to be a gilded cage.

Katharina was such an interesting character. I do feel like the book spent a little too much time focused on the plight of women in the 1950s and the how hard it is to raise children.

That said, I did ache for Katharina who was forced to spend every spare minute with her children when all she wanted was to work or spend time with other adults.

This was neatly crafted spy novel - though I honestly wished it were a little longer. I felt like the ending came a little abruptly. Hopefully there will be another book following Katharina and her work with the FBI.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy.

First off, I would like to thank NetGalley for a copy of the audiobook. I am honored to have the opportunity to review such intriguing novels. Set in NYC, Caterina West who had an extremely fulfilling career and social life marries Tom Edgeworth, born of the New York elite set and a renowned doctor. She casts her old life aside for love and starts a family. Although she loves her children and husband, she struggles with her new role as mother and housewife. One day she is contacted by the FBI and tasked with gathering intelligence on people in the Communist Party. As she participates, she finds herself useful again and contemplates a life in which she matters. I felt the plot was interesting, but the story lagged in parts. I wish it contained a tad more action, but I felt the main character's plight and her struggle to feel important again. I think all moms can relate to that. The narrator was excellent for the women's voices. I thought the men's voices were a little harsh and monotone. All in all, a good story, just didn't keep my attention as much as I had wished.

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.

Jennifer Jill Araya is an impressive narrator. There are a lot of different accents and characters at play in A Woman of Intelligence, and she handles all of them distinctly and gracefully. I don’t remember the last narrator I listened to who transitioned so seamlessly!

This book seemed to be a little unplausible to me -- just the premise of the main character coming to the FBI after being approached... Shes an unhappy housewife , I just dont see her being a candidate. Maybe I'm wrong? So that made me start off this novel with a bad taste in my mouth. It was just ok for me.
The narration was AMAZING. I loved how pleasing the narrators voice was to listen to which is probably what kept me listening further than I would have had it not been for her voice.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.

My gosh, this book really took me by surprise, and exceeded my expectations. It’s 1954, and Katharina Edgeworth seems to be living the American dream. Her husband is a successful doctor, she lives in a beautiful home, her two young sons are healthy, lively, and require all of her attention. Unfortunately, Katharina feels like she’s drowning in a pool of domesticity, and jumps at the opportunity to act as an informant for the FBI. Naturally, this task becomes a bit difficult with a toddler on one hip, and a needy baby on the other. The author focused a lot on Katharina’s struggle of balancing new motherhood, and her desire to find a career outside of the home. To be honest, this is what appealed to me most about this novel. In that specific time period, it was extremely common for women to stay home, take care of the kids, play the role of a typical 1950s housewife, and like it. Reading a historical fiction novel about a woman testing these gender roles was a very refreshing change. I feel like it’s not very common for this genre. With that said, I think this novel would be perfect for fans of The Alice Network or Lilac Girls. If you’re craving some historical fiction, but looking for something a bit different than what you’re used to, definitely check this one out. It’s available now!

I liked this book and considered giving it 5 stars. However, it was very frustrating at times. I considered stopping several times, but kept going hoping for a liberating moment by Katharina. I was bothered by the subjugation of women and the hints of racism. Granted, it is important to understand the historical context of the novel. However, I feel the author missed an opportunity to explore the topics of women's rights and racism. In the end Katharina kind of liberates herself, but does she? The spy, FBI story could have been further explored, which would have made this book much more interesting. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy for my honest opinion.

Really interesting and enjoyable story! Although not a mother, I felt Rina’s pain as she struggled to hang on to her sense of self and independent work life while being the dutiful wife and mother. I highly recommend!