jaded618's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book, I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. I wanted more from it.
The book follows Rina, a mother of 2 young boys under 5 who take up her whole day every day. Her husband is a doctor and has goals of running the hospital one day, so he is almost never home. Rina, with her background at an Ivy League college, speaking multiple languages, and having worked for the U.N. is struggling with feeling as though she lost herself as a person.
After one incredibly difficult day, Rina is approached by an FBI agent who has a proposition for her that she cannot turn down. This new secret adventure has her feeling like she has to decide between her marriage and family and her own self as a person.
I could relate to bits of this book as a mother, because you do lose yourself in a sense, a find your new self where your child fits into this life and how your life changes to incorporate your family. I am very fortunate to not have had to leave my career and find a good balance between work and my child and husband.
The downfall of this book was the lack of depth in most areas. The story was intriguing, but it was very top layer to me. I wanted to know more about the FBI work, and her work at the U.N and her own history. We got snippets and they were wonderful, but most of the book was extended dialogue about her drinking, sneaking away, time with a man, and flashbacks that were enjoyable but not always relevant.
Overall I enjoyed the book and will most likely read again as well as recommend to others once released.
Thank you Goodreads and Macmillan Publishing for an ARC of this book.
The book follows Rina, a mother of 2 young boys under 5 who take up her whole day every day. Her husband is a doctor and has goals of running the hospital one day, so he is almost never home. Rina, with her background at an Ivy League college, speaking multiple languages, and having worked for the U.N. is struggling with feeling as though she lost herself as a person.
After one incredibly difficult day, Rina is approached by an FBI agent who has a proposition for her that she cannot turn down. This new secret adventure has her feeling like she has to decide between her marriage and family and her own self as a person.
I could relate to bits of this book as a mother, because you do lose yourself in a sense, a find your new self where your child fits into this life and how your life changes to incorporate your family. I am very fortunate to not have had to leave my career and find a good balance between work and my child and husband.
The downfall of this book was the lack of depth in most areas. The story was intriguing, but it was very top layer to me. I wanted to know more about the FBI work, and her work at the U.N and her own history. We got snippets and they were wonderful, but most of the book was extended dialogue about her drinking, sneaking away, time with a man, and flashbacks that were enjoyable but not always relevant.
Overall I enjoyed the book and will most likely read again as well as recommend to others once released.
Thank you Goodreads and Macmillan Publishing for an ARC of this book.
scenesfrommyshelves's review against another edition
4.0
Mid-century spy fiction is one of my favorite niches in historical fiction, and although 'A Woman of Intelligence' doesn't hit every single mark, it kept my interest and kept me curious throughout. A huge part of that is down to the heroine at the center of it all: Katharina, a UN translator feeling stifled by her gilded, circumscribed life as the wife of a fast-rising New York surgeon. At one of her lowest moments, she's approached with a lifeline that's also an enormous risk: the FBI wants her help in learning more about a former acquaintance who's involved with the KGB. Soon, she becomes a courier, handling sensitive documents and getting deeper into the world of Cold War era espionage.
Most of the characters who surround Rina are familiar tropes, though not un-entertaining: the cryptic senior agent handler, the forbidden love interest, the unpleasant husband. It's Rina's story that keeps things interesting, even when the plot follows a fairly expected series of events. Ambitious and messy and imperfect, Rina's the kind of heroine who can hold your interest no matter what, elevating this book.
Most of the characters who surround Rina are familiar tropes, though not un-entertaining: the cryptic senior agent handler, the forbidden love interest, the unpleasant husband. It's Rina's story that keeps things interesting, even when the plot follows a fairly expected series of events. Ambitious and messy and imperfect, Rina's the kind of heroine who can hold your interest no matter what, elevating this book.
sewkarenm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
readingwithhippos's review against another edition
4.0
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!
With regards to St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy. On sale July 20, 2021!
allieowilson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
blimowery's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Not what I expected, and I mean that in the best possible way. I figured this would be another typical (to me) historical fiction piece where I might follow along with what's going on and learn a few things but really the Cold War/KGB spy was a secondary storyline to Katarina and her struggles with marriage and motherhood. Even though the story takes place in the 40s, I empathized with Rina and felt for her. I did listen to this on audiobook and the narrator, Jennifer Jill Araya, was fantastic!
heidirgorecki's review against another edition
4.0
A Woman of Intelligence dealt with so many insightful and complicated but brilliant concepts. The 1950s was very much an odd, and for many women, demoralizing or at least diminishing time period for women. With so many women having the opportunity to work outside of the home during WW2 and be involved in things they loved and were actually educated to do, only to have many of those opportunities yanked back after men returned from the war, for many there was a lost sense of purpose and control. Add in the often crude and male-dominant outlook then that a woman’s fulfillment should be solely as a housewife and mother and she should enjoy every second of it, it was not a healthy environment for many. The author did a great job at conveying all these things and the emotions of it.
While motherhood is a wonderful calling, it is not a simple one, and while for some woman they may desire to stay at home full time with their kids, many do not. But men expected that was required back then, as well as a wife should be obedient to her husband - not an equal, as we see often with Tom and Rina in the story. Certainly infuriating reading about it now. Being a mother is often ridiculously difficult and thankless, as Rina struggles with, let alone without the controlling and subservient way it was often done in the 50’s. Rina’s husband was able to find his fulfillment in his job, but unfortunately had a very simple and idealized view of what his wife should find fulfillment in with absolutely no empathy or involvement. And like happens so often in marriages, but so much more so with that type of lopsided environment, what was once love and care for each other became their own vacuum of experiences and needs, without communicating any of it to each other or finding common ground. Once Rina finds purpose and fulfillment working with the FBI during the communism-focused period of time, she begins to find herself and begins to be honest at the very end with her husband to potentially rebuild their relationship under new rules.
The author did a great job at highlighting much of the common but not always talked about struggle of mothering, how much marriages suffer when either spouse looks after their own ambitions rather than giving and empathizing with each other, and how women need each other and each others’ compassion instead of judgement, while not being afraid to be honest about our struggles.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
While motherhood is a wonderful calling, it is not a simple one, and while for some woman they may desire to stay at home full time with their kids, many do not. But men expected that was required back then, as well as a wife should be obedient to her husband - not an equal, as we see often with Tom and Rina in the story. Certainly infuriating reading about it now. Being a mother is often ridiculously difficult and thankless, as Rina struggles with, let alone without the controlling and subservient way it was often done in the 50’s. Rina’s husband was able to find his fulfillment in his job, but unfortunately had a very simple and idealized view of what his wife should find fulfillment in with absolutely no empathy or involvement. And like happens so often in marriages, but so much more so with that type of lopsided environment, what was once love and care for each other became their own vacuum of experiences and needs, without communicating any of it to each other or finding common ground. Once Rina finds purpose and fulfillment working with the FBI during the communism-focused period of time, she begins to find herself and begins to be honest at the very end with her husband to potentially rebuild their relationship under new rules.
The author did a great job at highlighting much of the common but not always talked about struggle of mothering, how much marriages suffer when either spouse looks after their own ambitions rather than giving and empathizing with each other, and how women need each other and each others’ compassion instead of judgement, while not being afraid to be honest about our struggles.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
mpolkadot_'s review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0