Reviews - Our Woman in Moscow

508 reviews for:

Our Woman in Moscow

Beatriz Williams

3.96 AVERAGE

kansas_b's review against another edition

4.0

emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

emilyacv's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book has many things that I like: historical fiction, spies, and interesting, well-developed women narrators. I borrowed this from the library because it came up on a list of “books that are similar to Kristin Hanna” and I would definitely say it didn’t disappoint in that regard. Told from the alternating perspective of two sisters, with a few chapters from the perspective of a KGB officer, and inspired by a true story - this book is an example of how women took advantage of their ‘invisible-ness’ to make big moves - such as smuggle top secret Soviet intel to the Americans. It’s definitely giving a little Cold War propaganda (not to sympathize with the soviets but I don’t need reminders of how great America is/have Americans occupy the moral high ground all the time). I like the characters and their dynamic, but it didn’t quite hit the high bar Kristin Hanna has set (her leading women live in my head rent free, I think I will forget about these ones by the time I start my next book).

nlindskog's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous informative mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

alyssone's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

kelly_inthe419's review against another edition

5.0

This was my first Beatriz Williams book and I absolutely loved it. The story is told primarily through Ruth’s perspective in 1952 and Iris’ in 1948. The sisters have been estranged since 1940 when their lives took decidedly different turns. Now, four years after Iris and her family have presumably defected to the Soviet Union, Ruth must decide if she’ll help her sister escape the Communist regime to return home.

Sisters Iris and Ruth couldn’t be more different and I adored them both. The plot was gripping and kept me turning the pages way too late at night.

I was fascinated by Moscow, the Russian spy angle and the early Cold War days.

numbat's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Based on the Cambridge 5 this book instead follows the family of a defector to the Soviet Union from the US. It felt more like a romance novel than a spy thriller but that's not such a bad thing.