Vladimir
Books | Fiction / Literary
3.3
(153)
Julia May Jonas
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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More Details:
Author
Julia May Jonas
Pages
256
Publisher
Simon and Schuster
Published Date
2022-02-01
ISBN
1982187654 9781982187651
Community ReviewsSee all
"While I did appreciate the author's voice for the main character and her "isms". The overarching story was not my favorite. I believe that those who love to read romance novels and novels of forbidden love- this book will be much more up your alley. "
Andrea Myers
"I think the fact that the cover is of a man's body and not much more is quite telling. The narrator (who's never named) is an English professor who spends the entire book ******* over one of her colleagues, the way he looks, the way he thinks. Her descriptions are vivid, her fantasies almost real, and she is determined to make them come true.
All this, of course, is happening while the real world is kinda falling apart around her. Her husband is being possibly suspended from his job as the director of the English department due to a sexual relationship with 7 women, who both the author and he assure were of age and consenting in a time that student teacher relationships at the college were legal. Our narrator cannot allow herself to condemn her husband as a rapist, and how could she, when she's so stuck in her own world.
Honestly, I don't know how I feel about this book. The writing was beautiful, poetic, descriptive. But the scenes that were being described were sensual to the point of my feeling uncomfortable. I do believe that was the point, but I feel like symbolism was lost on me somewhere inside."
Anna-Racquel Perez
"3.5* Much different from what I thought it’d be based off the synopsis, but wasn’t disappointed. I think I actually enjoyed it better because of that"
Jade E
"Everything about this book was super cringe for me… everything from the cover to the story itself!"
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Nikki Cureton
"I didn’t really like this book, but that’s on me. I believe this is a 5-star book that just didn’t appeal to me. <br/><br/>This author does a great job of presenting the many facets of human interaction, our perception of ourselves vs. how others perceive us. No one is 100% right and no one is 100% wrong."
Diane Oravec
"Perhaps marketing this book as a romance novel was not a good move, as it leads to disgruntled reviewers, but if you take this book as simply a story, and a modern reworking of Lolita it is very very good. Literary allusions abound and having read Lolita might provoke more appreciation for the story and even the voice and style of this novel. Filled with robust and thought-provoking social commentary, wonderful vocabulary, a perfectly quick pace, and unique characters , it is a truly immersive and page turning novel. "
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Nikita Bailey
"The last 8% of this book crumbled for me, it was a bit of nothing. I really liked this but then that happened and it deterred my whole affection towards this book (ok wait affection's too strong of a word but I'm gonna roll with it). A real shame because it could've been so much more! Don't know whether to give it a 3.25 or 4 honestly.<br/>Edit: it's been half an hour and I'm still not over that ending **** smh biggest disappointment how can I sleep in peace now?? Like HUH are you the same person who wrote the 92% before that? Very sad moment. I'll think about the ratings when I wake up."
Julia Jesmee
"Initially I classified Julia May Jonas’ debut novel as literary softcore ****. But “Vladimir” is so much less and so much more. I took up residence inside the unnamed narrator’s brain and heart and libido. No spoilers. Read with an open mind and vicariously experience the narrator’s lust and mischief. And appreciate the author’s adroitness."
Patty Hardwick
"The book was well written, but like Nabakov’s Lolita, I didn’t like the way I got into the protagonist’s head as they were making terrible decisions. It gave me anxiety."
Mandy mcManders
