Agent Sonya cover art

Agent Sonya

Lover, Mother, Soldier, Spy

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin

A TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

DISCOVER THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF THE SPY WHO ALMOST KILLED HITLER - FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE SPY AND THE TRAITOR

Ursula Kuczynski Burton was a spymaster, saboteur, bomb-maker and secret agent. Codenamed 'Agent Sonya', her story has never been told - until now.

Born to a German Jewish family, as Ursula grew, so did the Nazis' power. As a fanatical opponent of the fascism that ravaged her homeland, Ursula was drawn to communism as a young woman, motivated by the promise of a fair and peaceful society.

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 conducted some of the most dangerous espionage operations of the twentieth century.

In Agent Sonya, Britain's most acclaimed historian Ben Macintyre delivers an exhilarating tale that's as fast-paced as any fiction. It is the incredible story of one spy's life, a life that would alter the course of history . . .

'His best book yet' The Times

'Macintyre's page-turner is a dazzling portrait of a flawed yet driven individual who risked everything (including her children) for the cause' Sunday Times

'Macintyre does true-life espionage better than anyone else' John Preston

'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' Spectator


© Ben MacIntyre 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

20th Century Freedom & Security Military Modern Politics & Government Espionage Marriage Soviet Union War Funny Thought-Provoking Imperialism Socialism Village Solider

Critic reviews

Macintyre does true-life espionage better than anyone else (John Preston)
Think John le Carré at his early best - but fact not fiction
This impeccably researched account of her double life spans continents and is brilliantly compelling
Macintyre's page-turner is a dazzling portrait of a flawed yet driven individual who risked everything (including her children) for the cause
The best true spy story I have ever read (John le Carré on 'The Spy and the Traitor')
Thrilling...Macintyre will have you hooked to her life's every twist and turn (Lucy Knight)
Macintyre has found a real-life heroine worthy of his gifts as John le Carré's nonfiction counterpart
This book is classic Ben Macintyre...quirky human details enliven every page... it is Macintyre's own vivid retelling of her perilous professional, personal and political life that make Agent Sonya such an accessible spy story.
He has the unerring gift of uncovering those astonishing truths that make even the best novelists of espionage seem both earthbound and artificial in comparison
His best book yet (The Times)
All stars
Most relevant
Another brilliant book from Ben Macintyre. A fascinating story of a remarkable spy and some incompetent British spy catching! The book is excellently narrated by the author and I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in spies and history.

Superb

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I listened to an interview the author had done and was intrigued that all things in the book were true and verifiable. What a brilliant story/memoir/telling of events. Thoroughly enjoyed and recommend.

Female spy!

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What a complex woman. While her politics are not mine, she led a fascinating life of principle and danger, mixed with the everyday, mundane frailties of human beings through some of the darkest days of 20th Century history. Her life touched so much of the history we know today

Fascinating story

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I really enjoyed listening to this - I was gripped from start to finish! Sometimes there were a lot of names being thrown around and it was a little confusing as to who was who, but I guess that was needed in order to tell the story. Would definitely recommend and I'll be looking out for other books by the same author.

Really enjoyed this!

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An interesting story and will be liked by all spy fans, however not his best.

Interesting story

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