Agent Sonya Audiobook By Ben Macintyre cover art

Agent Sonya

Moscow's Most Daring Wartime Spy

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Agent Sonya

By: Ben Macintyre
Narrated by: Ben Macintyre
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About this listen

New York Times Best Seller

The “master storyteller” (San Francisco Chronicle) behind the New York Times best seller The Spy and the Traitor uncovers the true story behind one of the Cold War’s most intrepid spies.

“[An] immensely exciting, fast-moving account.” (The Washington Post)

Named One of the Best Books of the Year by Foreign Affairs Kirkus Reviews Library Journal

In 1942, in a quiet village in the leafy English Cotswolds, a thin, elegant woman lived in a small cottage with her three children and her husband, who worked as a machinist nearby. Ursula Burton was friendly but reserved, and spoke English with a slight foreign accent. By all accounts, she seemed to be living a simple, unassuming life. Her neighbors in the village knew little about her.

They didn’t know that she was a high-ranking Soviet intelligence officer. They didn’t know that her husband was also a spy, or that she was running powerful agents across Europe. Behind the façade of her picturesque life, Burton was a dedicated Communist, a Soviet colonel, and a veteran agent, gathering the scientific secrets that would enable the Soviet Union to build the bomb.

This true-life spy story is a masterpiece about the woman code-named “Sonya”. Over the course of her career, she was hunted by the Chinese, the Japanese, the Nazis, MI5, MI6, and the FBI - and she evaded them all. Her story reflects the great ideological clash of the 20th century - between Communism, Fascism, and Western democracy - and casts new light on the spy battles and shifting allegiances of our own times.

With unparalleled access to Sonya’s diaries and correspondence and never-before-seen information on her clandestine activities, Ben Macintyre has conjured a pause-resisting history of a legendary secret agent, a woman who influenced the course of the Cold War and helped plunge the world into a decades-long standoff between nuclear superpowers.

©2020 Ben Macintyre (P)2020 Random House Audio
20th Century Communism & Socialism Espionage Ideologies & Doctrines Military Modern Politics & Government True Crime United States Imperialism Exciting War
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Critic reviews

“[Ben] Macintyre at once exalts and subverts the myths of spy craft.” (The New Yorker)

“Macintyre is fastidious about tradecraft details. ... [He] has become the preeminent popular chronicler of British intelligence history because he understands the essence of the business.” (David Ignatius, The Washington Post)

“Macintyre writes with the diligence and insight of a journalist, and the panache of a born storyteller.” (John Banville, The Guardian [UK])

Fascinating History • Compelling Narrative • Incredible Research • Thrilling Espionage • Pleasant Voice • Easy Following
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This is not what I would call action packed. But it is worth a read a a solid look at what an ordinary spy did at the time of WWII and the early cold war.

Interesting spy story

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Great story, rousing narrative, fascinating tidbits of 1930s-50s history. Macintyre has done it again. Highly recommend this to any and all interested in spies, WWII, and other such things.

Another masterpiece

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Reads like fiction, but is all true. McIntyre also has an amazing voice, making the audio book even more enjoyable.

Masterfully done

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The Spy and the Traitor was one of the best books I’ve ever read. I was hoping this would be similar. It was good, but it was so extensive and covered so many years that inevitably there were an incredible amount of contacts/code names/double and triple agents. It was hard to follow at some points. I still enjoyed it but there was more rewinding to re-listen than I usually do.

Wanted to love it

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This book, like all of MacIntyre's books is a celebration of the complexity of the interactions between humans, governments, militaries, and cultures. It's fast paced for the level of depth. I was not prepared to like this book as much as I did even though MacIntyre's work is some of my favorite.

Wonderfully Human

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This is the second book of Ben MacIntyre’s that I have read. And I fully plan to go back and read all the others. I don’t believe another author exists who could describe the life of a spy with such warmth, delicacy, detail, and acuity. This is a study of nuances, and portrays an ideologue who betrays many for her understanding of the greater good. Anyone who has secretly felt that they live a double life can probably identify with many facets of Ursula’s life. Highly recommended!

A spectacular study of a superb spy

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I found this after reading about Richard Sorge. Ursula Kuczynski code named Sonya was one of his recruits in China. She went on to spy against the Imperial Japanese, Nazi Germany, and the British and U.S. nuclear program. In the last she acted as the contact for Klaus Fuchs who nearly single handedly gave the USSR its nuclear program. Sonya ended up being one of the USSR’s most successful spies. She worked from a half a dozen countries and recruited entire networks all while raising three children. She survived the Stalin purges, the Gestapo, later the suspicion of MI5 specifically that agencies rare female spy hunter, Milicent Bagot.

This book is well researched and and keeps the listener interested. The pacing is good and easy to follow. It is sometimes hard to believe this is non fiction.

The best spy you’ve never heard of

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I love this book about an important female spy who greatly touched history. The colorful characters and suspenseful adventures made this a must read. Well researched and professional narration.

Amazing story, Remarkably told

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Ursula Kuczynski has a fascinating and exciting story. The author is a great narrator.

I love this book!

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Superb writing and storytelling. Best spy story since Stalin's Englishman.Great behind the scene explanation of Russian spying.

Best ever

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