A Woman of Intelligence

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Description

An exhilarating tale of one remarkable womans journey to find her purpose, and herself, in post-war America. Hailed aswhip smart by Australian Womens Weekly.

New York, 1954. 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.

As a single girl in 1940s Manhattan, Katharina was 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 enthralled by her secret mission. But as those closest to her lose their covers, and their lives, Katharinas secret soon threatens to ruin her.

Reviews

This is an intelligent, elegant piece of writing Whip smart. * Australian Womens Weekly *
A layered and engrossing Cold War historical This would be perfect for a film or TV series. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *
Taut and thoughtful, A Woman of Intelligence vividly portrays a particular moment in American history while capturing a woman's timeless struggle to create her own life. * Shelf Awareness *
The kind of historical fiction you can get lost in. * PopSugar *
Tanabe crafts the historical setting convincingly [and] the novel moves at a brisk pace ... Perhaps the most subversive thing about the twinned stories is this: how well the masks and performances Rina puts on as wife and mother prepare her for the world of espionage. * Kirkus *
'What setsA Woman of Intelligenceapart from other novels in this genre is Tanabes protagonist, Katharina ...Through her poignant portrayal of Katharinas struggles with motherhood, postpartum depression, and a loss of identity, Tanabe sheds light on the issues women faced during this period and, to a certain extent, still face today.' * Better Reading *
What a delicious skein of secrets Karin Tanabe has spooledinA Woman of Intelligence, somehow entwining the lies it takes to sustain the fiction of happy motherhood with the lies it takes to work as a covert operative for the FBI in 1954 at the height of the McCarthy hearings. Katharina Edgeworths awakening into the gray area of patriotic action isprescient, relevantand, above all, deeply satisfying. I loved diving into this world. -- Sarah Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Guest Book
Tanabe has long delighted readers of historical fiction with her beautiful writing, compelling plotsand sumptuous historic details. InA Woman of Intelligence, she gives fansa heroine to root forin the strong, complexand spirited Katharina Edgeworth. This is the story of a woman who dares to dream beyond the gilded cage and stifling social mores into which life has boxed her, andwho proves the indelible power of women to change the worldin the process. -- Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of The Queen's Fortune
Karin Tanabe delivers her most complex heroine yet inA Woman of Intelligence. Katharina Edgeworth, a former UN translator, unfulfilled in her role as wife and mother, finds herself leading a double life as an FBI informant during the McCarthy era.Filled with intrigue and wit, Tanabe takes readers on a meticulously researched journey through post WWII New York. This is a novel for fans of thrillers and historical fiction alike. -- Renee Rosen, author of Park Avenue Summer
A smart thriller with heart ... and some simmering sexual tension, too. * Book Riot *

Author Bio

Karin Tanabe is the author of A Woman of Intelligence, The Gilded Years, The Price of Inheritance, A Hundred Suns, The Diplomats Daughter, and The List. A former Politico reporter, her writing has also appeared in the Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, Newsday, and The Washington Post. She has made frequent appearances as a celebrity and politics expert on Entertainment Tonight, CNN, and The CBS Early Show. A graduate of Vassar College, Karin lives in Washington, DC. To learn more visit KarinTanabe.com.