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!