Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Agent Sonya: Moscow's Most Daring Wartime Spy by Ben Macintyre

2 reviews

oceanwriter's review

adventurous challenging informative tense medium-paced

3.0

I somewhat blindly picked this book up after reading Operation Mincemeat by Ben Macintyre. Though it was quite interesting, the subject, Ursula Kaczynski codenamed ‘Sonya’,  covered so much of the WWII-era Europe that I struggled to keep track of it all. 

 

To her neighbors, Ursula seemed like a typical housewife. In actuality, she was an intelligence officer working for the Soviet Union. Though several agencies went after her, ultimately, it was her gentle appearance that kept her from danger. That’s not to say there were never any close calls. Her career as a spy and her life in general are what the book explores in detail. 

 

Listening to the first few chapters, I honestly didn’t know what I was getting myself into given the way the atmosphere was being built. Once Ursula’s story found its footing I was more interested, though I still found the (written) narration chaotic. I didn’t get as much out of it as I’d hoped because of this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, and War

Moderate: Torture and Antisemitism

Minor: Domestic abuse, Child death, Alcoholism, and Abortion

horizonous's review against another edition

adventurous informative tense medium-paced

4.5

At times a bit overwhelming in its details and especially in the beginning slow going, but I can't deny what a well researched and written biography about a fascinating woman this is. Definitely going to read more by Ben Macintyre.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Antisemitism, Confinement, Death, Police brutality, War, and Torture

Minor: Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Child death, Medical content, Rape, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Murder, Sexism, and Suicide

◦ Mental illness = Depression