Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I hadn't been looking forward to this one (book club choice) but the first 70% surprised me and I liked. I enjoyed the narrator's descriptions of aging and observing her younger students and reflections on gender differences. However, then it went completely OFF the rails and never got back on. Overall, probably a 1 star book but I'm being charitable since I did enjoy the start.
A strange yet entertaining and intriguing character study. The ending was very unexpected, but this is a well-written novel about power, obsession and higher education. Definitely not for everyone but quite memorable.
Abandoning at 50%. The narrator is too mean. Continuing to read her anti-fat anger began to feel like self-abuse. No thanks.
4.5 STARS
This book was great and in a lot of ways, not what I was expecting. It felt a bit of a slow burn for a while for me, so much so that I actually picked it up and put it down about four times since September 2022. I’m honestly so glad I persisted.
Vladimir is about a 58 year old (unnamed) English professor. She and her husband (also an academic) have always had an “understanding” in relation to their extra-marital activities, however now her husband is very publicly under investigation by the university for inappropriate relationships with former students. With their relationship feeling increasingly hostile and uncomfortable, the professor finds an outlet in an obsession with the young, new novelist, Vladimir, who has just begun teaching at the university.
Our protag is unlikeable, which I love. She is incredibly vain; preoccupied with her own and others’ appearances to the point of obsession. Her unravelling at the climax of the story took me by complete surprise at the time, but upon reflection it seems kind of obvious that she was teetering on the precipice of taking the obsession to dangerous levels. Her rage and desire escalate to a fever pitch before she self-combusts, and (without spoiling anything) in a tragic way she ends up liberated from the pressures that come with vanity and seeking eternal youth.
I really do hope that Julia May Jonas plans to write more novels as I for one will be getting my hands on them.
This book was great and in a lot of ways, not what I was expecting. It felt a bit of a slow burn for a while for me, so much so that I actually picked it up and put it down about four times since September 2022. I’m honestly so glad I persisted.
Vladimir is about a 58 year old (unnamed) English professor. She and her husband (also an academic) have always had an “understanding” in relation to their extra-marital activities, however now her husband is very publicly under investigation by the university for inappropriate relationships with former students. With their relationship feeling increasingly hostile and uncomfortable, the professor finds an outlet in an obsession with the young, new novelist, Vladimir, who has just begun teaching at the university.
Our protag is unlikeable, which I love. She is incredibly vain; preoccupied with her own and others’ appearances to the point of obsession. Her unravelling at the climax of the story took me by complete surprise at the time, but upon reflection it seems kind of obvious that she was teetering on the precipice of taking the obsession to dangerous levels. Her rage and desire escalate to a fever pitch before she self-combusts, and (without spoiling anything) in a tragic way she ends up liberated from the pressures that come with vanity and seeking eternal youth.
I really do hope that Julia May Jonas plans to write more novels as I for one will be getting my hands on them.