First of all, I adore Francine Prose. That was the reason for requesting this book. I didn't even read what it was about. I saw her name and that was all it took. I love books that take place in the 50s or 60s. This one begins in 1953 on the eve of the execution of Ethel & Julius Rosenberg and while it definitely dances around the political it is also so much more. So much that I am going to be mindful in how I write this review as to not spoil anything. Know that this book is all the things: a coming of age story, a thriller, a spy novel, the making of a writer, and even a love story. I went into this knowing very little about the execution of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. The characters became more interesting as I read and I began to feel like I knew each and every one of them. This story keeps you reading and enjoying each and every page and it also had me researching and Googling myself into a rabbit hole. The book started a little slow and then when THE THING is revealed it picks back up quickly. I enjoyed that this was plot-driven and sort of a story within a story. I recommend going in blind and also if you enjoy that Mad Men aesthetic.

This is my first Francine Prose novel and I enjoyed it! The fictional story of a writer confronted the real-life execution of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg is original and interesting. Prose's protagonist is believable and sympathetic and the eventual twist reveals are solid and earned. I do feel that much of the internal monologue tends to be repetitive and a shorter novel might have been a tighter story. Also curious: the multiple endings. But an interesting and unique story makes for a good read!

McCarthyism/Red Scare themes in Historical Fiction have been very popular over the last few years, but Francine Prose has found a unique and interesting take on the subject.

I’ve been a fan of Prose since I read Lovers at the Chameleon Club, and while this book can’t quite match that for flawless work, it’s a good story in its own right.

After the outstanding prologue that sets the scene for the entire novel, I struggled a bit with where the story was going. Simon, our sweet and bumbling naïf of a narrator spends a lot of time reckoning with his conscience and then promptly ignoring it, and then engages in a tiresome affair with the author whose work he has been assigned to edit.

Though this part of the story felt droning and overlong, it does set up what follows, which is a far more engaging series of events than Simon’s typical twenty something navel gazing and a bunch of cringey semi-public trysts.

For a book driven mostly by plot, The Vixen had atmosphere in spades, which is perhaps what I look for most in a novel. Chameleon Club was the same, and it’s one of the best features of Prose’s fine writing. I loved the way she used Coney Island in the story.

Though it has plenty of moments of heartbreak and cruelty, The Vixen is at its heart a sweet story about being brave enough to do what’s right and making ones parents proud. Fool though he was at times, I really liked Simon and especially adored his sweet appreciation of his lovely parents.

The Rosenberg situation was not quite as morally simple as it is laid out in the book, but the way Prose works it into her story is masterful and entertaining.

Having recently read "Ethel Rosenberg - An American Tragedy" by Anna Sebba I thought I should explore "The Vixen" to see how truth and fiction matched up. I found with The Vixen that I really enjoyed the writing but just couldn't connect with any of the characters or with the Ethel Rosenstein book. I kept reading because I thought something interesting would happen eventually but there was just too much day to day Simon life and his constant introspection. He seems to be in a constant state of anxiety and it seems pretty obvious from the beginning that he is being set up for something. I did not however envision the actual ending and how it all got tied up in a nice bow. It is a well written book, with an interesting storyline but not my favorite by this author. I received an ARC from the publisher Harper Collins through NetGalley and appreciate the opportunity to read this book.

Hot diggity!

This Francine Prose is one of the pros, I’m telling you. With sophisticated, lively language, she took me into the New York City publishing world in the 1950s, and I was totally absorbed from page 1. Oh, and she also took me to Coney Island, and I could feel the boardwalk under my feet, feel the thrill of the rides.

I’ve got a weird thing going about New York. I never lived there but I’m nostalgic. But tell me, how can I be nostalgic for a city that I only visited a dozen times or so? I don’t believe in past lives, but if I did, I’m pretty sure I was once a proud New Yorker. One who loved the fast pace, the cynicism, the subway, the book world. Every time I read a good book about NYC, I sort of get this swagger and I think I’m a hot shot. I have to tell myself to calm down and stop being so obnoxious in my head, but the other voice tells me, “Whatever floats your boat.”

Well, this book definitely floated my boat. Not only did I feel the pulse of the city and the publishing world, I learned a little history. I had been too young at the time to hear about the Rosenbergs, a couple who were accused of being Communist spies and were executed in the 1950s. Don’t ask me why I didn’t learn about it in school. The book opens with a scene of a family watching the countdown to execution.

The characters are vivid and complex; especially Simon, who is telling the story. Another huge plus for me: lots of introspection. Simon is always analyzing what he’s doing, what he’s thinking. He’s sort of floundering and is very hard on himself. He gets in trouble because he wants everyone to like him. Meanwhile, I liked him!

What I also loved was that Simon was in a moral quandary for most of the book. What was the right thing to do? And would he do it? Could he live with himself if he did the wrong thing? And was there actually a “wrong” thing to do? I can’t remember when I last read a book that had morality as its main theme. Good stuff!

I liked it that there wasn’t an ounce of sentimentality. At the risk of sounding like a cold fish, I’m glad to read a book where heartwarming isn’t the main adjective used to describe it.

A few quotes to whet your appetite:

“My uncle turned a pinkish purple of a violent intensity that I wouldn’t see again in nature until my first desert sunset.”

“The snails were an ingenious delivery system for garlic, butter, and parsley.”

“His posture was aggressive and defensive at once, as if, like a toddler with sharp scissors, he feared that someone would take away his cane.”

“Just getting through the day felt like memorizing poetry in a foreign language, outside, in a hailstorm.”

Now, of course, I want to read more of Prose’s books. This was such a satisfying read. Check it out!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

The last Francine Prose novel I read I was halfway through I thought to myself, “Is this YA?”
This novel will not confuse you in the same way.

In the 1950’s Cold War, anyone can be found guilty under McCarthy’s hearings. While self preservation and conscience fight for internal control, and when trying to stay out of it sucks you right in, what do you do? Simon faces these challenges and more while attempting to keep his job and family vows alike.
A curious novel, unlike anything I’ve was in years, but was just ok for me

even having to do with tragic circumstances, this book is very funny. Highly recommended. Probably my favorite novel of the summer,

It was a quick and easy enough read and fun for a "summer beach book". Do we even do that anymore? Do we say that it is a beach book? I dunno. I read it on my back porch after work so it was my post work decompression book. Beach Read sounds better and less stressy. Call it what you will... this was a fun romp and read. I have usually struggled in the past with getting past the first third of Francine Prose's books but this book captured me. Snagged me in it's little twists and turns and was a multilayer candy bar of story. I loved how it rolled out before me. Some of the story was predictable (how I wanted the story to go) and some not at all. It was a delight to have to read after work everyday.

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy... I promise I will get back to the other books by the author now! And tell everyone I know that this was a really twisty and fun adventure.

Duality and nuance interplay as recent graduate Simon Putnam is tasked to secretly edit a manuscript by Anya Partridge called 'The Vixen, The Patriot, and The Fanatic'. It's a steamy read based on none other than his mother's good friend, Ethel Rosenberg. The Ethel Rosenberg. And while this error-prone project must be kept under wraps for what's at stake for his firm, there is also the reconciliation between the real Ethel and the sexy "Ethel" creation by an alluring, vampish Anya. At play is also a strong duality between Simon's personal coming of age, along side the nation's, with the reveals of this "Red Scare" era. Simon balances truths, lies, morality, and grapples with serious decisions as a result. Francine Prose delights with this irresistible, witty blend of genres and an idealistic hero on the cusp of knowing

Simon Putnam finally has his own book to edit at his publishing agency. The problem? It’s a lurid, sexual tale of Ethel Rosenberg. Shortly after her execution, the country is still in controversy.

I am not really familiar with the case of the Rosenberg’s and enjoyed learning about it. I liked that historical aspect and how it affected the main character and his family. It was super interesting reading about McCarthyism and the paranoia that went through the country. The literary aspect of the book didn’t do it so much for me. I usually like books and books, but there was a deeper level to this (no spoilers!). If you like historical events and books that can get a bit wild, this might be it for you.

“I was betraying a dead woman, betraying the truth, betraying my parents, betraying that part of myself - my integrity- that was still in the process of being born.”

The Vixen comes out 7/6.

Editorial assistant Simon is given the job of editing a cheesy, salacious political thriller for his failing publisher of literary fiction. The owner's hope is that the titillating novel will provide the company with the infusion of cash needed to save it.

As Simon works with the author to improve the manuscript, the two embark on a wild and obsessive relationship. Simon soon realizes that more is going on with the book than meets the eye. If he goes along with the conspiracy, it will cost him his integrity. If he fights it, he'll lose his job, and possibly his freedom, or even his life.

I enjoyed this book. It's beautifully written and an engrossing read. I was disappointed by the conspiracy theory aspects of it—frankly, I think that's the last thing the world needs right now. But there's no denying that it's a brilliant novel.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you NetGalley for the Opportunity to read The Vixen.
Very interesting read in regards to Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. I always enjoy reading different takes and stories on these diverse individuals.

The writing just wasn't for me which is unfortunate because I think this story is so interesting and unique. This was more literary than I would normally like.

I really enjoyed this book. It brought a real life drama to the ground, in a personal way that was unexpected. It kept up at a nice clip and really kept you guessing until close to the end. I found the relationship with Anya to be incredibly compelling, although I don't like how they dealt with the finality of the relationship, and the biggest flaw I found as that it felt like he book ended about 50 pages too soon. The rest was fluff. They should have either ended it with the book's publication 0r found a new twist for the end. The final 15% of the book felt more like reading out of necessity than pleasure. But I really enjoyed it until then.

A story of publishing intrigue steeped in the red scare paranoia of the mid 1950's. The mystery at the center of the narrative is relatively low stakes, but the characters that Prose introduces are so interesting that you can't stop reading until you find out what happens to them.

*Special thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an early e-arc of this novel.*

The story begins with new Harvard graduate Simon Putnam watching the live news updates about the Rosenberg's execution at the height of McCarthyism in America. Simon's mother grew up in the same apartment building as Ethel Rosenberg and commiserates with her husband about the "legal murder being performed."
Consequentially Simon gets a job in a leading but financially strapped publishing house through a recommendation from his uncle to be an assistant editor. Simon is not very enchanted with his new job, which entails his perusal of piles of unsolicited manuscripts that arrive daily. He feels he is not seen nor recognized at his new position and doesn't fit in well. Then suddenly one of the owners Mr. Landry approaches Simon with a top-secret assignment for him to edit. He states this novel will be the one to save the firm financially.
Simon is stunned and at a loss as to why Mr. Landry would pick him for this important job. He is even more shocked when he begins reading the novel and discovers it is a very badly written portrayal of the Rosenberg's story and that it exaggerates the role of Ethel as a sex obsessed spy, cementing her guilt in the eyes of the reader forever. Simon now has a moral dilemma to resolve. Betray the memory and the wish of Ethel's when she asked her attorney to not let their names be sullied untruthfully, thus betraying his mother and father also? Or refuse to do the edit, thus ending his career before it has begun?
The twists and turns in this novel are fantastic. I couldn't put it down. The moral questions that arise throughout the book can be applied today as well as at the height of the cold-war and McCarthy's fight against "the Red Scare".
How far is to far to go to achieve success? Do you disregard your own morals to succeed? How much conformity must there be? Is betrayal worse when it comes from someone close to you? Who can you trust when everyone lies?
Simon faces all of these questions. As he seeks the answers he embarks on an incredible journey through lies, mental institutions, betrayals, love, sex and ultimately finding himself in the wreckage left at the end.
Excellent writing styles, I say plural because they seem to switch up throughout the novel. Engaging dialogue, and characters. And enough twists to keep you reading into the night. I highly recommend this novel, it is bound to be a best seller for the year!
Thank you to the publishers at Harper publishing and to Net Galley for the free ARC of this novel. I am leaving my voluntary honest review in return.

Thank you for the chance to read this novel from Francine Prose. 3.5/4 stars rounded
This is a hard review to write because I so respect this book and the writing and the plot but at the same time the writing for me made it hard to connect with the character(s). Perhaps that was part of the point, to create tension and confusion and a feeling of being caught up in a malleable anti-hero's struggles with his conscience? The switching genre/writing also worked for me as an overall goal for the book and I can see how the author felt it valuable and useful to the plot/goals of the story but at times it made it hard for me to focus and engage as a reader.

My quibbles though are my own and have to do with my taste, not with the quality of the book, the mesmerizing storytelling and captivating focus on history, and on the witty moments and change ups the book offers the reader. I think this book will click with a lot of readers who like other work from this writer, who are fascinated by the Rosenberg Trial and that point in history, and who like somewhat atypical writing styles. I also think this book presents a strong option for literary fiction readers and book clubs invested in complicated storytelling and nuanced characters.

The Vixen
A Novel
by Francine Prose
Listen to an Audio Excerpt
Harper
You Like Them You Are Auto-Approved
General Fiction (Adult) | Historical Fiction | Literary Fiction
Pub Date 29 Jun 2021 | Archive Date 24 Aug 2021

This book wasn't a good fit for me. I couldn't relate or "like" the characters. It was well written but not a book I would recommend.
3 star

This was a 2.5 for me, rounded up to three because it is well written. I just didn’t connect to the characters, which I found to be one-dimensional archetypes, and was bored to tears with the protagonist. Perhaps it gets better— the positive reviews suggest as much— but I lack the patience to push through if I’ve not become immersed by 30%.