A review by caslater83
A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe
4.0
I have an on-again/off-again love affair with spy/intelligence novels. I felt that the book was too dry in the first half and was just starting to build up in the second half. I found it disappointing because I wanted Rina to be more pro-active in covert operations than she actually was. After all, that's what builds up the excitement!
Rina's husband strikes me as an over-ambitious man who is very absorbed in his own work that he fails to see the silent cries for help from his wife. She had two kids in very quick succession and I think she felt overwhelmed. I'm no doctor, but I feel fairly confident that she had post-partum depression or the baby blues. In this particular era, I know that women were expected to be "perfect wives" and "darling mothers." To have depression or "a mental problem" is taboo in this era. You were basically expected to "suck it up, Buttercup." I wonder if this complete disregard for women's health may be one of the major underlying reasons why divorce became more prevalent.
I love her desire to help her country in a time of great pressure. The interaction between Rina and her society friends is wonderful. I could visualize the galas, dinners, and drinking occasions very clearly. The interaction with her fellow covert operatives was also executed well.
Overall, I think the story is good, but I feel that we could have seen more spy action and a little less home drama.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for reaching out to me about this book.
Rina's husband strikes me as an over-ambitious man who is very absorbed in his own work that he fails to see the silent cries for help from his wife. She had two kids in very quick succession and I think she felt overwhelmed. I'm no doctor, but I feel fairly confident that she had post-partum depression or the baby blues. In this particular era, I know that women were expected to be "perfect wives" and "darling mothers." To have depression or "a mental problem" is taboo in this era. You were basically expected to "suck it up, Buttercup." I wonder if this complete disregard for women's health may be one of the major underlying reasons why divorce became more prevalent.
I love her desire to help her country in a time of great pressure. The interaction between Rina and her society friends is wonderful. I could visualize the galas, dinners, and drinking occasions very clearly. The interaction with her fellow covert operatives was also executed well.
Overall, I think the story is good, but I feel that we could have seen more spy action and a little less home drama.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for reaching out to me about this book.