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3.0 

Vladimir

By Julia May Jonas
Vladimir by Julia May Jonas digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

An NPR, Washington Post, Time, People, Vulture, Guardian, Vox, Kirkus Reviews, Newsweek, LitHub, and New York Public Library Best Book of the Year * “Delightful…cathartic, devious, and terrifically entertaining.” —The New York Times * “Timely, whip-smart, and darkly funny.” —People (Book of the Week) * One of Shondaland’s 13 Best College-Set Novels of All Time

A provocative, razor-sharp, and timely debut novel about a beloved English professor facing a slew of accusations against her professor husband by former students—a situation that becomes more complicated when she herself develops an obsession of her own...

“When I was a child, I loved old men, and I could tell that they also loved me.” And so we are introduced to our narrator who’s “a work of art in herself” (The Washington Post): a popular English professor whose charismatic husband at the same small liberal arts college is under investigation for his inappropriate relationships with his former students. The couple have long had a mutual understanding when it comes to their extra-marital pursuits, but with these new allegations, life has become far less comfortable for them both. And when our narrator becomes increasingly infatuated with Vladimir—a celebrated, married young novelist who’s just arrived on campus—their tinder box world comes dangerously close to exploding.

“Timely, whip-smart, and darkly funny” (People), Vladimir takes us into charged territory, where the boundaries of morality bump up against the impulses of the human heart. This edgy, uncommonly assured debut perfectly captures the personal and political minefield of our current moment, exposing the nuances and the grey area between power and desire.

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3194 Reviews

3.0
“you know.. for a book that has so much potential, so much interesting thoughts and twists, it was way too bland!! how????? the plot got interesting only 60% in and i didn’t dnf it only because it was a short book. but i probably should’ve.”
“My main thoughts on Vladimir are what a bizarre little story and equally a cleverly written musing on life. I appreciated the commentary on power, beauty and ageing. However many of the characters I found somewhat insufferable, although maybe that was the point 🙃 The decisions of the narrator were difficult to understand and felt rogue at points. The ending was also bizarre. It reminded me of Boy Parts in that it felt like a story that shouldn’t be enjoyed yet was entertaining and you couldn’t look away. Difficult to give a rating to but settling around a 3.5!”

About Julia May Jonas

Julia May Jonas is a writer and theater director. She has taught theater at Skidmore College and New York University, and lives in Brooklyn with her family. Vladimir is her debut novel.

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