Beatriz Williams is always my go-to author for historical fiction, particularly about areas of history with which I am less familiar. Our Woman In Moscow has the elements of a Williams’ story that I love most: family, loyalty, internal conflict, and historical details that make the story feel authentic and raw.
This is a book that is inspired by the Cambridge Spy Ring that notoriously passed along secret information to the Soviet Union before many of the members of the spy ring defected to the USSR. While spy novels or thrillers have a certain allure, Williams elevates the model and makes it even more compelling. The layers in this story are endless, and just when you think you know what’s coming, something surprising comes to light.
The story alternates between the perspectives of two twin sisters, Ruth Macalister and Iris Macalister Digby, and a few chapters are from the point of view of a KGB agent in Moscow. Ruth is a retired model who now runs a top modeling agency. Iris is married to Sasha Digby, a former US diplomat who is openly communist. The sisters live in different places at the conclusion of WWII, Ruth lives in New York and Iris follows her husband to Moscow when he defects. Years pass without them being in much contact, and then one day Ruth receives a postcard from Iris, requesting Ruth’s help with Iris’s fourth pregnancy. Rich with character development and well-plotted, this historical fiction takes a spy thriller and injects it with depth, examining family bonds and the choices we make that put our loved ones in danger.
Williams really did it again with this novel. She’s the premier historical fiction writer for readers who want romance, historical details and accuracy, and family drama.
Do you like historical fiction? 💛
Read It Like Rory 