In the fall of 1948, Ruth’s twin sister Iris disappeared with her husband and two children. Four years later, Ruth receives a postcard in the mail from Iris – the family has been in Russia these past years and as Iris is expecting another child, she has asked Ruth to come to visit. But does Iris have a hidden agenda in asking her sister to visit? Ruth sets off on her way to Moscow with a counterintelligence agent posing as her husband, on a quest to extract her sister and her family from behind the Iron Curtain.
Our Woman in Moscow is a Cold War thriller that is slightly based on true events. We learn that Iris’s husband is a Communist sympathizer and has been spying on everyone and passing information on to the Russians. Although Iris’s husband is fiction, other real-life members of the Cambridge Five spy ring and their exploits are mentioned in the book.
The story is told in two different time periods – the present (1952) when Ruth is on her way to Moscow, and twelve years prior when Iris meets and falls in love with her husband. I thought Ruth’s story that takes place in the current time was a bit more interesting, but I also really liked Ruth’s character. She was appealing and strong with some great snappy dialogue. I pictured her as a Katherine Hepburn type – fast-talking, always wearing pants, and getting the job done.
I wish the author had been more blatant about a couple of plot points. There were a few times that I found myself wondering if something meant what I thought it meant, only to find out after reading some discussion and reviews that it did. I wish the author had just said the thing rather than hinted at it.
That being said, I thought this book was engaging and I read it in a couple of days.
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It’s sounds like a good story, a satisfying blend of genres, for you. I haven’t read a lot of spy thrillers. I read my first John LeCarre (sp) book, last year. Are you still going to your book club? I really want to start one, pretty soon. It would’ve felt a lot better to try and do it before cold/flu/Covid variant season, so I dunno…..it probably is better to wait until the days get longer again, spring approaches.
hope you have enough Halloween candy to last yourself until T-day and Christmas 🙂
I love a good spy novel. I actually haven’t read any of le Carre’s books before – I should put them on my list. Funnily enough, I have a book club meeting tomorrow! I didn’t read the book, but I’m still going to see and chat with everyone. I think winter would be a great time to start a book club because people want to stay indoors anyway so why not stay inside and talk about books?! I feel like during the summer everyone is off doing their own thing so no one ever wants to meet up.