Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

A Fifth Avenue address, parties at the Plaza, two healthy sons, and the ideal husband: what looks like a perfect life for Katharina Edgeworth is anything but. It’s 1954, and the post-war American dream has become a nightmare.

A born and bred New Yorker, Katharina is the daughter of immigrants, Ivy-League-educated, and speaks four languages. As a single girl in 1940s Manhattan, she is a translator at the newly formed United Nations, devoting her days to her work and the promise of world peace—and her nights to cocktails and the promise of a good time.

Now the wife of a beloved pediatric surgeon and heir to a shipping fortune, Katharina is trapped in a gilded cage, desperate to escape the constraints of domesticity. So when she is approached by the FBI and asked to join their ranks as an informant, Katharina seizes the opportunity. A man from her past has become a high-level Soviet spy, but no one has been able to infiltrate his circle. Enter Katharina, the perfect woman for the job.

Navigating the demands of the FBI and the secrets of the KGB, she becomes a courier, carrying stolen government documents from D.C. to Manhattan. But as those closest to her lose their covers, and their lives, Katharina’s secret soon threatens to ruin her.

Review:

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.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  July 20th, 2021

Author:  Karin Tanabe

Publisher:  St. Martin's Press

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Page Length:  384 Pages

Source:  Publisher and NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  While I liked this book's depiction of a woman's life in 1950's America, some aspects of the book, such as the spy part, didn't work for me.  I recommend checking this one out from the library.