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Agent Sonya (Paperback)
Ben Macintyre

From planning an assassination attempt on Hitler in Switzerland, to spying on the Japanese in Manchuria, to preventing nuclear war (or so she believed) by stealing the science of atomic weaponry from Britain to give to Moscow, Ursula Kuczynski Burton conducted some of the most dangerous espionage operations of the twentieth century. Born to a German Jewish family, as Ursula grew, so did the Nazis' power.

A fanatical opponent of the fascism that ravaged her homeland, she was drawn to communism as a young woman, motivated by the promise of a fair and peaceful society. She eventually became a spymaster, saboteur, bomb-maker and secret agent. In Agent Sonya, Britain's most acclaimed historian vividly reveals the fascinating tale of a life that would change the course of history.

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Media Reviews

'His best book yet' The Times

Macintyre has found a real-life heroine worthy of his gifts as John le Carré's nonfiction counterpart' New York Times'This book is classic Ben Macintyre... quirky human details enliven every page' Clare Mulley, Spectator

'She is the strongest character of all in Macintyre's bestselling series of wartime tales... I raced through the pages to keep up with the plot' Julian Glover, Evening Standard

What We Think

We think that the story of Ursula Kuczynski is so wild that if it were a film rather than real life you would have to have to deploy a lot of suspension of disbelief to enjoy it. Ursula, or Sonya to use her agent name, was a German born communist who spied for the Soviet Union. A lot of her best work was done from a small village in Oxfordshire. Honestly the overview of it reads like a cross between Miss Marple and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. But it has been claimed that Sonya was one of the best spies ever recruited by the Soviets, so mostly not very Miss Marple at all. It has to be read to be believed. So read it.

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A Bit More Info

The Author

Author: Ben Macintyre
Nationality: English

The Book

Format: Paperback
Pages: 400
Published: 2021-05-27
First Published:
ISBN: 9780241986950

The Place

Continent: Europe
Country: Britain