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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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3084 Reviews

3.0
“I found the story interesting and appreciated how it portrayed characters of a certain age beyond worried parents or wise sages. The narrator was captivating but frustrating, and her nameless, detached nature felt like forced complexity. I was more drawn to Vladimir and Cynthia’s story than John’s and Sid’s and wanted more closure for the couple. The climax relied on a major deus ex machina, but overall, it was a decent story.”
Rolling on the Floor Laughing Face“This has been sitting on my TBR for a hot minute and finally decided to give it a go. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I feel like this was at the beginning of the unhinged women genre because this FMC is a little bit crazy but it comes across as more of a slow unraveling. The writing, while dense, was smart and approachable. I can see why this maybe didn’t have the best reviews but I personally thoroughly enjoyed this. The ending was…humbling (for the characters).”
“this one is not for me”

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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