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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
This book took a weird turn that I can't really get over.
Vladimir is one of the most interesting novels I’ve read this year. I find it hard to review because I disliked the characters so much, and yet, they’re so complex and interesting to read about.
For the narrator, Vladimir will never live up to the fantasy that she has built of him, with her constant obsession pushing the novel forward. There’s more character study than plot but this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for me. It does mean it can be quite a slow burn at times; however, at the same time, it’s a marvel to be inside the head of ‘Vladimir’s’ compelling unnamed narrator. As the narrator grapples with her own sexual liberation, Joans poses the question to her readers, what does age do to a person’s sense of purpose, ambition, sexual desire and success?
I also found the ending quite thrilling myself. I’ve read a lot of discourse online about the ‘messiness’ of the ending. And it is rushed to an extent, but it felt like the perfect direction. Especially after such a build up longing and desire.
All in all, I think it’s a great read. It took me a little bit to get into, but by the end, I was hooked. The characters are intensly dislikable which did bring down my rating. It’s hard to sit with them for long periods of time. Which, in saying so, that’s probably the whole point.
For the narrator, Vladimir will never live up to the fantasy that she has built of him, with her constant obsession pushing the novel forward. There’s more character study than plot but this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for me. It does mean it can be quite a slow burn at times; however, at the same time, it’s a marvel to be inside the head of ‘Vladimir’s’ compelling unnamed narrator. As the narrator grapples with her own sexual liberation, Joans poses the question to her readers, what does age do to a person’s sense of purpose, ambition, sexual desire and success?
I also found the ending quite thrilling myself. I’ve read a lot of discourse online about the ‘messiness’ of the ending. And it is rushed to an extent, but it felt like the perfect direction. Especially after such a build up longing and desire.
All in all, I think it’s a great read. It took me a little bit to get into, but by the end, I was hooked. The characters are intensly dislikable which did bring down my rating. It’s hard to sit with them for long periods of time. Which, in saying so, that’s probably the whole point.
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i had semi high expectations for this book. we all known i love this taboo topic of older person seeking younger person (see my previous reads of my dark vanessa, and innocents and my tbr reads of putney and adults). i understand that this book is supposed to be a think piece/critique on older generation and their take on age, certain movements and beliefs of younger generations (specifically metoo) but it fell short with me on actually properly handling these situations.
vladimir is about a married couple, both professors (one on a leave) of english at a college. the husband is forced to take a leave after the school began to frown upon teacher/student relationships and women stepped forward that they felt abused by him. the narrator then finds herself thirsting over the new professor, slowly becomes obsession, and things go badly from there.
the narrator is older, like 50?, and all she does is complain about her body and compare herself to younger womens bodies. she’s a rape apologist for her husband (even if the girls gave consent there was clear power abuse). the book would’ve been better if it took to discussing complicity and how no one is innocent if you knew what was going on. I also found that at times the writing was boring, often droning on about grocery lists or recipes. and then once i realized what was happening towards the end, the author threw in the last couple chapters as a really weird fix-it-all ending. which in my honest opinion the book would’ve been much better without. (trying to avoid spoilers here at all costs).
i think the discussion and thought pieces about sex, race and social status/class were interesting but far too covered up in an old lady complaining about being old, or unwanted by the husband that she told could sleep with other people, or old (because she complains about being old A LOT). but in the end every conversation sided with the perpetrator instead of the true victim. this book wasn’t memorable for me, and didn’t have a good enough take on the subject that it was trying to embrace.
2/5 stars, will not be adding to my collection, would not read again, would not recommend, please check TW/CW for this book as a lot happens in it.
vladimir is about a married couple, both professors (one on a leave) of english at a college. the husband is forced to take a leave after the school began to frown upon teacher/student relationships and women stepped forward that they felt abused by him. the narrator then finds herself thirsting over the new professor, slowly becomes obsession, and things go badly from there.
the narrator is older, like 50?, and all she does is complain about her body and compare herself to younger womens bodies. she’s a rape apologist for her husband (even if the girls gave consent there was clear power abuse). the book would’ve been better if it took to discussing complicity and how no one is innocent if you knew what was going on. I also found that at times the writing was boring, often droning on about grocery lists or recipes. and then once i realized what was happening towards the end, the author threw in the last couple chapters as a really weird fix-it-all ending. which in my honest opinion the book would’ve been much better without. (trying to avoid spoilers here at all costs).
i think the discussion and thought pieces about sex, race and social status/class were interesting but far too covered up in an old lady complaining about being old, or unwanted by the husband that she told could sleep with other people, or old (because she complains about being old A LOT). but in the end every conversation sided with the perpetrator instead of the true victim. this book wasn’t memorable for me, and didn’t have a good enough take on the subject that it was trying to embrace.
2/5 stars, will not be adding to my collection, would not read again, would not recommend, please check TW/CW for this book as a lot happens in it.
don’t be fooled by the shirtless man in black and white… this book is not very exciting xx
Had no idea where this book was going at times but a fun read nonetheless, especially if you're in academia.
This was so much better than I could’ve ever hoped for. I absolutely love the complexity in this book
This was a very engaging read for about 90% of the book, pivoting from “interesting sort of beach read” to very “what in the fudge” about 70% of the way through, before coming to a very abrupt and confusing final 10% that left me really scratching my head. I walked away feeling like, “what in the world did I just read and why?” — but not necessarily actively thinking about / questioning anything. I don’t mind books that are very odd if it puts my mind to work — however, this didn’t make me feel like I needed to dig into any metaphors or hidden messages, it just made me feel “huh?” Honestly, I’d recommend it for the sheer absurdity of the aforementioned pivot at about 70% and I mean, heck, it didn’t take long to read…but I’m not even sure I know how to describe it other than maybe dark comedic beach read? Taking some of the romantic comedy beach read tropes and making them very “wtf”? I was going to actually say this was like a messed up romance paperback meets the play “Noises Off,” and then I saw this was originally meant to be a play before pivoting to a novel — so, maybe my feeling wasn’t so wrong. I definitely speed-read a lot of this thinking I was working toward one type of conclusion and then getting something very different. Maybe just because of that, but I never really cared about or even had a strong mental image about the majority of the people or places (even the characters that you’d think are set-up to be sympathetic).