Agente Sonya: Amante, madre, soldado, espía
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- Create Date：2021-04-26 01:18:31
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Ben Macintyre
- ISBN：8491992944
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Summary
La espía que fue decisiva en el curso de la Guerra Fría。
En 1942， en un tranquilo pueblo de los Cotswolds ingleses， una mujer salía a dar su habitual paseo en bicicleta。 Sus vecinos la conocían como Ursula Burton， una esposa atenta y madre de tres hijos que parecía llevar una vida rural sin pretensiones。 No sabían que tras esta fachada se escondía una oficial de alto rango de la inteligencia soviética que pedaleaba hacia la campiña de Oxfordshire para reunirse con un físico nuclear con la misión de desentrañar los secretos que permitirían a la Unión Soviética construir la bomba atómica。
Nacida en el seno de una familia judía alemana en Berlín， Ursula Burton atestiguó el ascenso del nazismo y el antisemitismo y se entregó devotamente a la causa comunista。 Espía veterana y coronel soviética condecorada， recibió el nombre en clave de «Sonya» y dirigió algunas de las operaciones de espionaje más peligrosas del siglo XX mientras era perseguida sin éxito por nazis， chinos， japoneses， el MI5， el MI6 y el FBI。 Su historia refleja el gran choque ideológico que se produjo entre el comunismo， el fascismo y la democracia occidental a la vez que arroja nueva luz sobre las batallas de espías y las cambiantes lealtades de nuestra época。
Ben Macintyre accede a los diarios y la correspondencia privada de Sonya para desvelar la fascinante historia de la única mujer que sobrevivió y prosperó durante dos décadas en el mundo del espionaje dominado por hombres y el enorme esfuerzo emocional que le supuso ser al mismo tiempo esposa， madre， soldado y espía。
En 1942， en un tranquilo pueblo de los Cotswolds ingleses， una mujer salía a dar su habitual paseo en bicicleta。 Sus vecinos la conocían como Ursula Burton， una esposa atenta y madre de tres hijos que parecía llevar una vida rural sin pretensiones。 No sabían que tras esta fachada se escondía una oficial de alto rango de la inteligencia soviética que pedaleaba hacia la campiña de Oxfordshire para reunirse con un físico nuclear con la misión de desentrañar los secretos que permitirían a la Unión Soviética construir la bomba atómica。
Nacida en el seno de una familia judía alemana en Berlín， Ursula Burton atestiguó el ascenso del nazismo y el antisemitismo y se entregó devotamente a la causa comunista。 Espía veterana y coronel soviética condecorada， recibió el nombre en clave de «Sonya» y dirigió algunas de las operaciones de espionaje más peligrosas del siglo XX mientras era perseguida sin éxito por nazis， chinos， japoneses， el MI5， el MI6 y el FBI。 Su historia refleja el gran choque ideológico que se produjo entre el comunismo， el fascismo y la democracia occidental a la vez que arroja nueva luz sobre las batallas de espías y las cambiantes lealtades de nuestra época。
Ben Macintyre accede a los diarios y la correspondencia privada de Sonya para desvelar la fascinante historia de la única mujer que sobrevivió y prosperó durante dos décadas en el mundo del espionaje dominado por hombres y el enorme esfuerzo emocional que le supuso ser al mismo tiempo esposa， madre， soldado y espía。
Reviews
Paul Foley
，
Yet another excellent Ben McIntyre book。
Laurie
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Very interesting and new information about this era
Helen Innes
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Perhaps the scariest thing about life is just fighting for what we believe in。 Ursula （or Sonya rather） stopped at no costs for continuing her work as a spy。 In a world where she could not trust anyone， she still loved fully （to at least four men）， raised three children， lived in numerous countries and likewise learned those languages， but was never caught and never turned in by anyone。 She risked it all for a life of bravery， romance， stealthiness， and ultimately， all out of love: love for her Perhaps the scariest thing about life is just fighting for what we believe in。 Ursula （or Sonya rather） stopped at no costs for continuing her work as a spy。 In a world where she could not trust anyone， she still loved fully （to at least four men）， raised three children， lived in numerous countries and likewise learned those languages， but was never caught and never turned in by anyone。 She risked it all for a life of bravery， romance， stealthiness， and ultimately， all out of love: love for her cause， love for others， and love for a better humanity。 Ursula never let anything alter her path: she knew what she wanted， and she was going to get it。 An exceptional read if wanting to learn about a woman that is bold， unmistaken， and a revolutionary in her own right。 。。。more
kmm1985
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Got bogged down in the details on this one - not as riveting as The Spy and the Traitor。 Nevertheless - not bad！
Wrenn Nicodemo
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Agent Sonya is the exciting and well-researched true story of a female Soviet spy， and I learned quite a bit of history from it。 The story really is amazing。 However， I had some trouble keeping the foreign names straight， （reading the book might have been a different experience） and as is often the case with nonfiction， it wasn't as enjoyable to "read" as a historical novel。 （I'm thinking of The Nightingale）。 Of course， when you're trying to stick to the facts， you're limited to the story those Agent Sonya is the exciting and well-researched true story of a female Soviet spy， and I learned quite a bit of history from it。 The story really is amazing。 However， I had some trouble keeping the foreign names straight， （reading the book might have been a different experience） and as is often the case with nonfiction， it wasn't as enjoyable to "read" as a historical novel。 （I'm thinking of The Nightingale）。 Of course， when you're trying to stick to the facts， you're limited to the story those facts tell。 。。。more
Jessica Smith
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I really enjoyed this book but I did not enjoy Agent Sonya， Ursula， as a person。 She was a selfish and naive person and I could not get over how she was so naive about Communism。 The writing of the book was very good and I really enjoyed the audiobook read by the author。
Dee
，
This is a fascinating story！ I was totally caught up with her anti-fascist views as a teenager and young woman， and could understand why she found the work she did in those days as both necessary and "glamorous！" I was still enough "enamored" by her courage and daring that， by the time she was in England， helping to steal atomic secrets， that I was "rooting" for her to get away from the British "spy-catchers。" The author was， indeed， fortunate to be able to interview her children and get their p This is a fascinating story！ I was totally caught up with her anti-fascist views as a teenager and young woman， and could understand why she found the work she did in those days as both necessary and "glamorous！" I was still enough "enamored" by her courage and daring that， by the time she was in England， helping to steal atomic secrets， that I was "rooting" for her to get away from the British "spy-catchers。" The author was， indeed， fortunate to be able to interview her children and get their perspective。 。。。more
Krishnan Sampath
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 A treat for readers who revel in espionage genre。
Marc
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What a great book。 My second one from this author。 I will be reading him more。
Archangel
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Abandoned
Dean
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What a great read。It’s hard to believe the ineptitude of MI5 & MI6 to allow agent Sonya to carry on undetected for so many years and slip through their fingers。It seems that between her and Klaus Fuchs they were solely responsible for handing the Russians the atomic bomb and thus shifting the balance of power on the world stage in a massive way。Now I guess your computer get hacked instead。
Gonzaga Escauriaza
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No es el libro que más me ha gustado de Ben Macintyre quizás porque no relata operaciones concretas de espionaje con un comienzo y un fin， sino que cuenta su vida y de paso nos dice que transmite y da información a la URSS， pero no se relata exactamente la información que está buscando， ni como la va a buscar。
Linda Humberstone
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Many people find this woman fascinating but I would rather call her fanatical。 A fanatical communist of the worse type who believed in a regime that became one of utter tyranny and although she found this out， she still carried on spying for Russia using her family and friends in her escapades。 Admittedly she had enough nerve of three or four people put together and she was one of those people who craved adventure but unfortunately her dreams when she was young of a new ideal communist state nev Many people find this woman fascinating but I would rather call her fanatical。 A fanatical communist of the worse type who believed in a regime that became one of utter tyranny and although she found this out， she still carried on spying for Russia using her family and friends in her escapades。 Admittedly she had enough nerve of three or four people put together and she was one of those people who craved adventure but unfortunately her dreams when she was young of a new ideal communist state never did， or has， materialised。 Although she was Russian， after operating in various countries across the globe she settled in England enjoying the freedom and opportunities offered to her and her children but all the time spying。 Her ultimate achievement would be to appropriate the scientist Klaus Fuchs， who passed the UK and USA's plans to Russia enabling them to build their own atom bomb。 Admittedly she was formidable in her actions and her loyalty to Russia but in my opinion she was as despicable as the Cambridge five and her fanaticism was almost on a par with Hitler and Stalin。 The way she was so willing to accommodate Russian orders without hesitation or thoughts for her family， practically proves it。 The one thing that stands out in this book is the way that Russia dealt with their operatives who had been caught but later repatriated; they were executed or sent to the gulags。 Another aspect that is highlighted is the terrible incompetence of M15 and M16。 They never looked into events properly， they ignored warnings from their investigators and just were not vigilant enough and couldn't add two and two together。 The conclusion for many is that there surely must have been a mole at the very top in one of their organisations protecting this woman， she was very， very lucky。 。。。more
Terry
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I rarely give five stars for a book but this one deserves it ，it is so well written andresearched the story unfolded like a spy novel but this was a true story。I gave five stars to Ben Macintyre's last book which was also well written story。The amount of time to research this story would have amazing about this daringspy and how she survived every obstacle before， and after the war。This is a great read which will keep you interested until the very end。 I rarely give five stars for a book but this one deserves it ，it is so well written andresearched the story unfolded like a spy novel but this was a true story。I gave five stars to Ben Macintyre's last book which was also well written story。The amount of time to research this story would have amazing about this daringspy and how she survived every obstacle before， and after the war。This is a great read which will keep you interested until the very end。 。。。more
Cecelia
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Incredible story I'm just not sure it was written so brilliantly。 Incredible story I'm just not sure it was written so brilliantly。 。。。more
Jim Rimmer
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Ursula Kuczynski。 What is there to say。She lived more lives more fully than most could dream of， all while intentionally keeping most of her significant contributions under the radar。 She lived a life that spanned some of the most momentous events of the twentieth century and played a crucial role in many of them。 Macintyre's writing peels back the onion skin with slow reveals while always spurring the reader on ever increasing urgency。A cracking read。 Ursula Kuczynski。 What is there to say。She lived more lives more fully than most could dream of， all while intentionally keeping most of her significant contributions under the radar。 She lived a life that spanned some of the most momentous events of the twentieth century and played a crucial role in many of them。 Macintyre's writing peels back the onion skin with slow reveals while always spurring the reader on ever increasing urgency。A cracking read。 。。。more
Robert Irish
，
In many ways， this story is fascinating as it traces the story of Ursula Kochinsky， Agent Sonya， a German Jew recruited as a Soviet spy who operated in China， Switzerland， Poland， and England over the period before and through the Second World War。 She played a pivotal role in passing information to the Soviets， including nuclear secrets。 As a weakness， the story seems longer than it needs to be。 Otherwise， very good。
Dave the Rave
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Mind numbing incompetencyThis is a readable， remarkably light considering the contents， history of a spy whose life covered the entire span of the Russian Revolution。 One gains the impression that MI5 and MI6 were not populated by men like James Bond or John LeCarrie but inebriated twits putting in time。 For all the missteps， it is hard to see how the Cold War would have turned out differently given the incompetency that abounded on both sides。
Barbara
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I do not think I can say enough about this book。 Zippy narrative， very well researched and a large cast of "characters" that are not too difficult to keep track of。 We travel to China， Japan， Germany， America， Switzerland， England and the Soviet Union This is of course due to the skills held by Mr。 Macintyre。 There are even a few cliff hangers thrown into the mix。 Take note， this is not a work of fiction。Given her code name Sonya by Richard Sorge （most formidable spy in history according to Ian I do not think I can say enough about this book。 Zippy narrative， very well researched and a large cast of "characters" that are not too difficult to keep track of。 We travel to China， Japan， Germany， America， Switzerland， England and the Soviet Union This is of course due to the skills held by Mr。 Macintyre。 There are even a few cliff hangers thrown into the mix。 Take note， this is not a work of fiction。Given her code name Sonya by Richard Sorge （most formidable spy in history according to Ian Fleming）。 It is an affectionate term for someone hiding in plain sight， a dormouse，（sleeper cell）。Hide well she did through 20+ years as a Soviet spy， rising to the rank of Colonel。Only Milicent Bagot of M15 was suspicious。 Interviews by Jim Skarden were laughable according to Ursula。 I picture a bumbling Inspector Clouseau （Pink Panther theme playing in background）。 There were 71 files held concerning the Kuczynski's。 Most important was her handling of Klaus Fuchs a nuclear scientist involved in the Manhattan project。 Information passed led to the Soviets developing an atomic bomb and the levelling of the playing field with America。 What if the plan to kill Hitler in his favourite restaurant was allowed to proceed。 With Sonya involved one can only wonder。 In 1956 she became the novelist Ruth Werner， joining the ranks of Graham Greene， Ian Fleming， Somerset Maugham and John Le Carre。 Some say the best writers are spies。How did Ursula Kuczynsky become a communist？ Her family proudly intellectual for 7 generations were wealthy， secular German Jews。 Dad Robert was the father of modern statistics and brother Jurgen a historian/economist。 The family saved 70，00 books from their library from the Nazis。 At a May day march in 1924 she was brutally beaten by a Berlin policeman。 Her father was a communist sympathizer。Read the book to find out。 Once again， I mention the late John Le Carre whose applause pointed me towards Ben Macintyres' work 。 Thanks！ 。。。more
Billy
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We listened to this on the road on multiple trips。 The audio version is read by the author who has a very British accent which I liked。 I was amazed at the detail available from the archives which the author used to piece together the many strands of this story。 It is wide ranging- from Germany to Poland to China to Switzerland， England and back to Germany。 This book is a bit like the TV show The Americans- there can be spies among us that neither we nor the pro spy catchers know about。
David Zalut
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Really reads as fiction until you realize it was all real。 Good read。
Jessica Senn
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Absolutely ENGROSSING read。 I was fascinated the whole time。 Definitely adding more of Macintyre's books to my list。 Absolutely ENGROSSING read。 I was fascinated the whole time。 Definitely adding more of Macintyre's books to my list。 。。。more
Sarah Tregear
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Loved the sound of this but didn’t enjoy as much as his other books， almost too much information
Colin Henning
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Outstanding。 Gripping， informative， and expertly crafted。
RODERICK E
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Interesting biography of one the greatest spies for the Soviet Union。 Good pacing and character profiles。
Bela Kloboucnikova
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Loved it。
Andrew
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Another great real-life spy story from Ben Macintyre！ Having never heard of Ursula Kuczynski （codenamed Sonya） I now feel it’s almost remarkable she isn’t more well known。 Incredibly brave， driven solely by communist ideology， whilst balancing keeping up appearances an innocent housewife with the globetrotting activities of prolific soviet spy - she ultimately has a hand in breaking America’s nuclear monopoly。 A great lesson （including for MI5！） in how appearances can be deceiving！
Sarah Glaze
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Great book， really accessible What a remarkable Woman and story。 You couldn’t make it up！ No wonder that so many ex-spy’s became novelists Really enjoyed this book
Bridget
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I'm veering between 3 and 4 stars for this。 I do love a good spy story， and this is definitely daring and how Ursula got away with her activities for so long is quite amazing to me。 She was born in Germany and was a supporter of the communists from a very early age。 Thrilled by their ideaology and enamoured by the prospect of change that they offered， it is easy to see how she got caught up in the world they offered。 She was the daughter of an academic， had wealth and a loving family。 Yet she we I'm veering between 3 and 4 stars for this。 I do love a good spy story， and this is definitely daring and how Ursula got away with her activities for so long is quite amazing to me。 She was born in Germany and was a supporter of the communists from a very early age。 Thrilled by their ideaology and enamoured by the prospect of change that they offered， it is easy to see how she got caught up in the world they offered。 She was the daughter of an academic， had wealth and a loving family。 Yet she went from this to a world of danger few of us would have the mettle to survive， let alone thrive in。 Ursula's life is full of romance， her love for her children， dodgy dealings in dark alleys and travel to the most dangerous of places in times of war。 You can't help but admire her while feeling utterly sorry for her kids。This is a fascinating look at a life fully led。 Really engaging and I think an important record of the kind of spy who just gave everything for the things they believed in。 。。。more
Bailey
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