Agent Sonya: Lover, Mother, Soldier, Spy
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- Create Date：2021-05-08 11:54:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Ben Macintyre
- ISBN：0241408512
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Summary
The incredible story of the greatest female spy in history， from one of Britain's most acclaimed historians - available for pre-order now
In the quiet Cotswolds village of Great Rollright in 1944， a thin， and unusually elegant， housewife emerged from her cottage to go on her usual bike ride。 A devoted mother-of-three， attentive wife and friendly neighbour， Sonya Burton seemed to epitomise rural British domesticity。
However， rather than pedalling towards the shops with her ration book， Sonya was heading for the Oxfordshire countryside to gather scientific secrets from a nuclear physicist。 Secrets that would enable the Soviet Union to build the atomic bomb。
Far from an obedient homemaker， Sonya Burton was a dedicated communist， a decorated colonel and a veteran spy who risked her life to keep the Soviet Union in the nuclear arms race。 Her husband was also a Soviet agent and her children had three different fathers from lovers she'd encountered throughout her incredible career。
In Mrs Burton， Ben Macintyre reveals the astonishing story behind the most important woman spy in history and the huge emotional cost that came with being a mother， a wife， and a secret agent at once。
In the quiet Cotswolds village of Great Rollright in 1944， a thin， and unusually elegant， housewife emerged from her cottage to go on her usual bike ride。 A devoted mother-of-three， attentive wife and friendly neighbour， Sonya Burton seemed to epitomise rural British domesticity。
However， rather than pedalling towards the shops with her ration book， Sonya was heading for the Oxfordshire countryside to gather scientific secrets from a nuclear physicist。 Secrets that would enable the Soviet Union to build the atomic bomb。
Far from an obedient homemaker， Sonya Burton was a dedicated communist， a decorated colonel and a veteran spy who risked her life to keep the Soviet Union in the nuclear arms race。 Her husband was also a Soviet agent and her children had three different fathers from lovers she'd encountered throughout her incredible career。
In Mrs Burton， Ben Macintyre reveals the astonishing story behind the most important woman spy in history and the huge emotional cost that came with being a mother， a wife， and a secret agent at once。
Reviews
Steven
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I'd read Mcintyre's The Spy and the Traitor a few years ago。 He told that story so well， so I knew this one would be good。 And it was。Ursula Kuczynski was born into a middle class German Jewish family in Berlin in the decade before WWI。 She grew up rather comfortably but still gravitated to left-wing and communist causes even in her youth。 She even carted leftist literature around Berlin in a wheelbarrow as a kind of portable lending library。 She married a similarly minded architect and moved wi I'd read Mcintyre's The Spy and the Traitor a few years ago。 He told that story so well， so I knew this one would be good。 And it was。Ursula Kuczynski was born into a middle class German Jewish family in Berlin in the decade before WWI。 She grew up rather comfortably but still gravitated to left-wing and communist causes even in her youth。 She even carted leftist literature around Berlin in a wheelbarrow as a kind of portable lending library。 She married a similarly minded architect and moved with him to Shanghai when he got work there。 And that's where she was recruited。Sony （her code name） became the ultimate spy -- almost undetectable due to the attitudes of the time。 There was no way a young housewife with a toddler could be a spy！ But spy she did， providing information to communist causes in China and Russia。 She was trained as a radio operator and learned how to build， break down and operate hidden communication stations。 She was sent to Manchuria on assignment -- still married to her unsuspecting husband -- and posed there as husband and wife with another -- with whom she had a child。As WWII broke out she was in Switzerland， running agents herself and continuing her radio communications with Moscow。 She married a British citizen and moved to the UK during the latter part of the war - and had a third child。 There， she was instrumental in the passing of nuclear weapon secrets from the UK and USA to Moscow。 Slowly， MI5 and MI6 （agencies themselves riddled with double agents） began to clue in -- thanks to another woman in their ranks who wasn't distracted by the stereotypes that affected her male colleagues。 As the noose tightened， she fled with her three unsuspecting children to the new East Germany， and there lived out her life， mostly working in publishing。 She died in 2000。She really did lead a remarkable life -- calmly doing a job she believed in， and not getting caught。 Turns out most spy work is far from the world of James Bond。 Agent Sonya's story is all the more fascinating for it。 。。。more
Michael
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Very bland and disappointing compared to Macintyres other works。
Mary
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It took me a bit to really get into this one， but once I did it was fascinating。 The life of Ursula Kuczynski seems like it belongs in a movie or the pages of a novel， but in fact she lived a life of intrigue and secrets， a life beyond what most can imagine。 I never thought I would find myself feeling sympathy and understanding for a communist spy， yet here we are。 I certainly would never make many of the choices she did， but can understand why she did what she did。
Laura Gallant
，
This is a pretty great biographical read， especially because it gives you a whole perspective on WWII that we don't usually get。 The writing was great， but it was really hard keeping up with all the transient players in the book and the overzealous adjectives。 I felt like the book could've been much more succinct than it was。 All in all， very good read。 This is a pretty great biographical read， especially because it gives you a whole perspective on WWII that we don't usually get。 The writing was great， but it was really hard keeping up with all the transient players in the book and the overzealous adjectives。 I felt like the book could've been much more succinct than it was。 All in all， very good read。 。。。more
Carol
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Excellent biography of a talented spy。 It sometimes reads like an action suspense novel and other times like a book report。 I was captivated by the idea that this woman could get away with the passing of information so blatantly。 One of the photos of her homes clearly shows the radio parts attached to bamboo poles on either side of her home in plain sight--crazy！ What an amazing woman and what a wild ride。
Alan Medcalf
，
This is a deeply-researched and detailed accounting of a woman whose espionage career remained hidden and active for decades。 It's a remarkable recounting。 It's also a very slow， ponderous read。 This is a deeply-researched and detailed accounting of a woman whose espionage career remained hidden and active for decades。 It's a remarkable recounting。 It's also a very slow， ponderous read。 。。。more
Krista
，
Once again， a fabulous tale of a woman of strong convictions caught up in the momentous events of the last century。 Balancing home with children， spying and lovers， she somehow does it all。 If anyone reads this review， do you think that the British woman they uncovered at the end of the 90s as a spy， captured in a photo outside her door with groceries was the same woman who is the subject of the book “Red Joan”？
Roberta Matz
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amazing story of a WWII anapest WWII spy。 Dedicated communist with skill and drive。
Renee King
，
This was very well written and interesting， especially the concluding chapters which followed up on the outcomes and lives of all the people in Sonya's circle。 It was surprising to learn of her role in supplying Moscow with the secrets of US atomic research， truly changing the theater for two geopolitical giants and kicking the Cold War into high gear。 Indeed， Ursula/Sonya was a tough as nails and I admire her keen wit， undercover intelligence skills， and almost super-human resilience。 However， This was very well written and interesting， especially the concluding chapters which followed up on the outcomes and lives of all the people in Sonya's circle。 It was surprising to learn of her role in supplying Moscow with the secrets of US atomic research， truly changing the theater for two geopolitical giants and kicking the Cold War into high gear。 Indeed， Ursula/Sonya was a tough as nails and I admire her keen wit， undercover intelligence skills， and almost super-human resilience。 However， I did not really like her。 Excepting the period of her life where she was vehemently opposed to Hitler's Nazi fascism， I could not and cannot identify with what drove her lifelong commitment to a political dogma born of the Bolsheviks。 That she could remain deeply committed to the failed Marxist-Communist ideology， even after learning of the mass destruction and misery wrought by Stalin's gulags and mass purges， is confounding on a deeply moral level。 I would like to know more about her children and what life was life after they learned the truth about their mother。 I recommend this book if you like true stories about female spies， WW2， the Cold War。 。。。more
Chrissie
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***********************The Englishman's Daughter: A True Story of Love and Betrayal in World War I 3 stars ***********************The Englishman's Daughter: A True Story of Love and Betrayal in World War I 3 stars 。。。more
Robin Henry
，
Ben MacIntyre has written several books about World War II and Cold War spies。 They are all excellent and Agent Sonya does not disappoint。 MacIntyre has a talent for finding intriguing stories about real people in extraordinary situations。 Sonya， real name Ursula Kuczynski， worked for the Soviets beginning in the 1920s in China and continued through three pregnancies， two marriages， and several nations until she was unmasked， not coincidentally by another woman， one of the few in MI-5 at the tim Ben MacIntyre has written several books about World War II and Cold War spies。 They are all excellent and Agent Sonya does not disappoint。 MacIntyre has a talent for finding intriguing stories about real people in extraordinary situations。 Sonya， real name Ursula Kuczynski， worked for the Soviets beginning in the 1920s in China and continued through three pregnancies， two marriages， and several nations until she was unmasked， not coincidentally by another woman， one of the few in MI-5 at the time。 Sonya was able to convince her male interrogator that she had stopped spying when she came to England in 1940， and without evidence， he did not arrest her。 However， she knew she was on the MI-5 watchlist and it was only a matter of time。 When Klaus Fuchs was arrested， she fled to East Germany to avoid a similar fate。During her tenure as a Communist agent， Sonya ran multiple operations successfully and obtained reams of intelligence， including cutting edge communications technology and nuclear secrets--she ran Fuchs for a time。 Her story is compelling and hair-raising at the same time。 James Bond could not have maintained his cover any where near as long and Sonya had a few harrowing escapes no less fantastic than the fictional Mr。 Bond。 Though Agent Sonya is a narrative history， MacIntyre successfully inserts an argument about Sonya’s success being at least partly due to her gender。 Overlooked multiple times， because of the assumptions regarding what men and women did， Sonya used stereotypes to her advantage to hide in plain sight， much like Virginia Hall （A Woman of No Importance）。 The fact that she carried on spying while giving birth and raising children is nothing short of inspiring， regardless of which side she was on。There is also a veiled warning here， if one is needed， regarding the Russian talent for human intelligence。 While it is true that Communism as an ideology was more widespread and international during the decades leading up to WWII， the fact that Sonya hand selected the entire contingent of agents used by the OSS， America’s WWII spy agency， for Operation Hammer， one of the last Allied insertions before the end of the war in Europe， is stunning。 Every agent the Americans sent on that mission was in reality working for the Red Army， with instructions to report back to the Soviets what they learned about American operations。 It would be naive to think that Soviet efforts at intelligence gathering have slowed， and recent computer hacks are proof that they are still able to infiltrate and have the will to do so。 It would be naive to think they could not use unwitting actors as useful fools。 The United States arrived late to the espionage party and has not proved particularly adept。 。。。more
Janet
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Enjoyable but too long。
Ronnie
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I first read about this book in the Arts section of the Boston Globe。 An author whose name I can't remember was asked what books she was reading and she mentioned spy thrillers and mentioned this book。 I ordered from the Leominster Public Library and received。 At first when I began reading it I thought I made a misteak 。 The first 3 or four chapters I felt were mawkish and childish about politics for this person/character。 Then I stepped back and thought a little about the circumstances and era I first read about this book in the Arts section of the Boston Globe。 An author whose name I can't remember was asked what books she was reading and she mentioned spy thrillers and mentioned this book。 I ordered from the Leominster Public Library and received。 At first when I began reading it I thought I made a misteak 。 The first 3 or four chapters I felt were mawkish and childish about politics for this person/character。 Then I stepped back and thought a little about the circumstances and era that she was in。 We Americans are spoiled in that we have not faced the rude/ crude/ actitivites against ourselves。 I should correct that。 We who white。 The Blacks。。。Amerindians。。。Asian。。。Hispanics。。 any person of different nationalities have had the brunt of American Gov't waged against them。 She was Jewish German and saw first hand what the vestiges fascist ideology would do and had done。 Her choice was Communism。。。。Socialism。。。。。and then the story gets stunning。 Choices people make。Politics with Dogmatism。。。。Flexibilty of beliefs。。Cruelty。。。。China。。。。Russia。。。France。。Germany。。。USSR。。United States 。。England。。。。Spies。。。。You gonna read about spying that would do Le Carre Proud。 In fact some of the characters Le Carre used them in his stories。 It is a mesmerizing book。 Choices she made。。。That the individuals made。 The harsh realities of Asia。。。。The Opium Wars。。。。。。This book is a primer。 This is non-fiction。 but to is unbelievable。 Ive read read "The Citadel" and "The Keys to the Kingdom" by AJ Cronin。。。。。。and other books about the Sino History。。。。But this book is all encompassing。 Even Ho Cho Minh makes an appearance。 Its a helluva book。。。Startling because it takes us right to the present。 Read it。 。。。more
Cass
，
Bigger and somehow slower than Ben Macintyre's usual fantastically zippy standard， but what a story！It's a straightforward account of the complicated messy life of a successful long term spy for the Soviet Union。 Macintyre keeps a huge cast of characters clear and understandable。 He's also able to make us understand Sonya's perspective at any given moment， while placing her decisions in the bigger context of what was going on in the greater world at the time。 The tension and terror of this life Bigger and somehow slower than Ben Macintyre's usual fantastically zippy standard， but what a story！It's a straightforward account of the complicated messy life of a successful long term spy for the Soviet Union。 Macintyre keeps a huge cast of characters clear and understandable。 He's also able to make us understand Sonya's perspective at any given moment， while placing her decisions in the bigger context of what was going on in the greater world at the time。 The tension and terror of this life is adroitly conveyed， and it's particularly interesting when the true story overlaps with the world of George Smiley。 Not sure why the word "wartime" is in the title， though: it's a much longer and more complex story than that word implies。 。。。more
Westminster Library
，
This is an amazing thriller read by the author。 Agent Sonya is an incredible and often unbelievable story of a spy during the 1930's through 1950's as well as her life beyond。 She manages to escape every countries secret service traps and shares some of the most sensitive information。 There are a lot of foreign names to keep track of and it gets a little bogged down in the middle。 I learned a lot！Find Agent Sonya at the Westminster Public Library today！And if you are in search of new books to re This is an amazing thriller read by the author。 Agent Sonya is an incredible and often unbelievable story of a spy during the 1930's through 1950's as well as her life beyond。 She manages to escape every countries secret service traps and shares some of the most sensitive information。 There are a lot of foreign names to keep track of and it gets a little bogged down in the middle。 I learned a lot！Find Agent Sonya at the Westminster Public Library today！And if you are in search of new books to read， try our services， What Do I Read Next。 Our library staff are standing by to create a personalized recommendation list for you！ 。。。more
Stacie
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I tried， I really did。 After 6 hours of listening to the audio book， I has to give it up。 It just couldn’t keep my attention and I had no sympathy for Ursula。 Maybe it gets better later on in the book， but I just couldn’t。
Stephen M OHara
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Another incredible well written story by Macintyre of the WWII era & cold war time period of a female Soviet spy that shared stolen allied secret and narrowly avoided detection。 Remarkable testimony that truth is greater than fiction。 Highly recommended for those interested in the period & contemplate some of the lessons of history。
Paul Foley
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Yet another excellent Ben McIntyre book。
Laurie
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Very interesting and new information about this era
Helen Innes
，
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
，
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
，
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
，
I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 A treat for readers who revel in espionage genre。
Marc
，
What a great book。 My second one from this author。 I will be reading him more。
Archangel
，
Abandoned
Dean
，
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
，
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
，