The life of a fifty-eight year old English professor is not restricted to academia or the world within. In this gripping read, we revolve around our unnamed narrator who introduces herself to us with the simplest of statements ‘When I was a child, I loved old men’.
With curiosity peaked, the findings and revelations are many. She is married to a man, also a professor who has been accused of having inappropriate relationships with former students. Although their marriage has been an open one and they have partaken in extramarital affairs, the details of these allegations have changed what was once a comfortable, mutually agreed upon decision. In facing her own aging process she has self doubt about her career and her relationship with her daughter recently returning home after a break-up with her girlfriend.
Enter the married, new professor and budding novelist Vladimir Vladinsky who quickly becomes our narrators object of desire. As she becomes more obsessed with Vladimir, she cannot define the line between love or lust. Her fantasies, her thoughts and her mind begin to spiral as she faces her own desirability.
Julia May Jones writing is a riveting study of the human condition. Glimpses of raw emotion, vanity, self-destruction, loneliness and happiness mold and unfold throughout the pages of this much recommended novel.
Thank you NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.

I feature this in Apartment Therapy's Monthly New Book Listicle!

If you’re a fan of Netflix’s “The Chair” with Sandra Oh, you’ll enjoy Julia May Jonas’s debut novel. “Vladimir” follows a beloved 58-year-old female English professor at a small upstate college, who finds herself in the ghastly position of having to deal with the fallout of her husband’s past affairs with students. They’ve had a “don’t ask, don’t tell” marital arrangement for decades, but now that’s backfiring. Then, when the protagonist becomes increasingly obsessed with a new, young colleague named Vladimir to escape from her messy current life, things start to get even more chaotic, to say the least.

“Vladimir” winks at Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita,” but from the female gaze. Jonas invites the reader into a world where power dynamics, vanity, generational mores, and moral codes keep interfering with and upending each other.

Thank you to Avid Reader Press and Simon and Schuster for the ARC of this ebook to read and review, as well as Netgalley.

I do not think I have ever read a romance novel, and while the cover of this book makes it look like a romance, I don’t think it qualifies. I had seen enough advance press to entice me to read this book, and Netgalley granted my request.

The narrator and her husband are professors in their late 50s. They have always had an open marriage and now the husband is being held accountable for his past. Some of the struggles of the narrator made me laugh - unwanted pounds, getting rid of wrinkles over night, etc. and then she would amaze me with her thoughts that she shared with her students. Enter Vladimir and his wife. While you may think you know where this is going, there are a couple of surprises. The author keeps the story moving along with the addition of the daughter and an overnight at the narrator’s cabin. Some amusing visual pictures, but ultimately some current day issues that will continue to make us all uncomfortable.

As soon as I started reading Vladimir by Julia May Jonas, I knew that when it was published it was going to rattle the table. The first sentence is wild. This is one of those books that will disgust some but intrigue others, and I think whatever way it affects a reader will be dependent upon how a reader views morality in fiction. This book touches on some risky subjects, and every single one of the characters is what a lot of readers can have a problem with: they’re unlikeable. They do and think questionable things, especially the main, unnamed narrator. I’m the type that loves prickly, unlikeable characters. I like witnessing people do questionable things. Reading about someone perfect and oh so moral is boring to me. I wanna see people probe the darkest parts of themselves, either to their benefit or their detriment. It’s an intimate and uncomfortable look at those who eschew common social mores. It’s interesting. And Vladimir is nothing if not interesting.

The unnamed narrator of the book is a 58-year-old English professor. She is beloved by her students, and she is married to the English chair at the university. She and her husband have an unconventional marriage: they both sleep with other people. It is an agreement that they have had almost since the beginning, and up until now, it hasn’t been a problem. They are, if not entirely happy, content and satisfied. Sounds alright, right? Well, the husband has now been accused of having inappropriate relationships with his students for years. The funny thing is, his wife was already aware of this. She knew he was sleeping with students, but none of that matters in the face of an impending hearing and possible firing. Then there’s the wife’s budding obsession with a new, younger professor named Vladimir that threatens to shine a spotlight on her whole life and the choices that she’s made and gone along with despite her own feelings.

This book was a whirlwind. It was deeply intimate. It’s told in the first person, from the POV of the wife. Hers is the only POV that we get, and it's a doozy. Because we’re in her head, we get an unfettered look into exactly what she thinks about not only the charges against her husband but about the women he has had inappropriate relationships with. Here’s the thing: she sees nothing wrong with them. In her view, he never slept with underage women, and although they were students they were of age and of the presence of mind to make an informed decision regarding their consent. Taken at face value, she’s technically not wrong. Her husband isn’t a pedophile, and he did only engage with women who consented willingly. But what she refuses to engage with is the question of power dynamics. She mentions the power dynamics when ruminating on the whole ordeal; she knows that in the situations her husband did have a sort of power over the women due to his position. But she thinks that that was what the women were attracted to and that there’s nothing wrong with that. She thinks that the women were old enough and intelligent enough to make the decision, and she also thinks that they need to own up to their own sexualities and actions. She thinks that the “me too” movement has influenced these women and robbed them of their agency, making them look back on what they once enjoyed with trepidation because they’ve been made to feel that they should. I…there’s just a lot to unpack here, isn’t it?

I really enjoyed this book, and I think it will start a lot of conversation about informed consent, power, individual agency, and open secrets in academia. A stunning debut!

This provocative debut novel is a deft character study, pitting the current state of morality against the human heart's wilder instincts and impulses. In many ways, I can relate to the 58-year-old literature professor, who lives in a small, idyllic college town. Huh boy, in so many others, though, I can't relate to her. She's married to the chair of the English department, who is in the midst of being me-too'ed by former students. She's not surprised by the revelations of his infidelity. The pair have always had an open marriage: "We had wanted to live unconventionally, in a new way, invented unto ourselves." What does surprise our nameless professor/novel writer/narrator/provocateur is how angry she feels towards her husband John's accusers, all of whom were of-age and consenting. "I wish they could see themselves not as little leaves swirled around by the wind of a world that does not belong to them, but as powerful, sexual women interested in engaging in a little bit of danger, a little bit of taboo, a little bit of fun." She knows her opinion is not popular. What's more, as the date of John's hearing approaches, she finds herself veering into lusty obsession with the title character, Vladimir, a young married novelist who has just arrived as a newly hired professor. You know what they say about flirting with trouble ... 

[Thanks to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of this book.]

Vladimir is book about a 58 year old female professor struggling with her career and relationships. Her husband, another professor is being investigated for his relationships with students. While she isn't shocked since the couple have an open marriage, but the investigation throws her into turmoil. She becomes obsessed with Vladimir, a newly recruited professor.
I really enjoyed this book!. It is very focused on character development, which I enjoy.

2.5 Stars

I found this novel a tiresome read.

The unnamed narrator is a 58-year-old college professor at a small liberal arts school in upstate New York. Her husband John, also an English professor there, is being investigated for his past affairs with students. Although she and John have had an open marriage and she has found his affairs neither disruptive nor painful, she finds her relationships with students and colleagues changing as his sexual exploits become public knowledge. At the same time, she becomes infatuated with Vladimir Vladinski, a handsome (and married) new professor who has recently arrived on campus.

The title suggests that the novel will focus on the narrator’s relationship with Vladimir, but that is not the case. She claims to be fixated on him, but it is only in the latter part of the book that her attention really zeroes in on him. And then there’s a plot twist that, though it is foreshadowed in the prologue, is just bizarre.

Though I am an older woman, I found it difficult to relate to the narrator. Except in her role as a mother, she is selfish, even admitting “I am the most selfish human being I know.” She is supposedly intelligent, but sometimes behaves so stupidly. She is insecure, constantly worrying about her writing and her aging body. Though I can understand her concerns about growing older (“Older women with lust are always the butt of the joke in comedy, horny sagging birds with dripping skin”), her vanity and constant whining become annoying.

Other characters are no more likeable or sympathetic. John is just a cad who used his prestige and power to bed young women. Vladimir is supposedly a talented writer, but comes across as needy. Sid is the lesbian daughter of John and the narrator; she has an argument with her lover and so she has sex with a man in the bathroom of a train?! I found it difficult to care about these people.

An action-packed plot is not a necessity for my enjoyment, but the pace is almost glacial. For much of the novel I wondered where exactly it was going. The narrator goes on and on in long, meandering paragraphs expressing her opinions about sundry topics. Then she acts decisively but in a way that is unrealistic.

The aspect that most interested me is that this could be classified as a #MeToo novel, but it doesn’t offer the perspective one might expect, especially from a woman. The narrator takes exception with charges that John was abusing his power when “that power is the reason they desired him in the first place.” She believes the women accusing her husband were not traumatized: “’He didn’t drug them or coerce them . . . None of these women suffered professionally or academically . . . They came to him. He didn’t pursue.’” She argues that the women accusers have adopted a victim mentality and are “’reacting to a moment.’” She believes that academia creates a discriminatory environment because some students are selected for honours while others are dismissed or ignored: “those selections caused more pain, at least in my opinion, than the amorous fixations of an over-the-hill professor.”

This just wasn’t my cup of tea. As I read, I kept checking to see how many more pages were left. I’m sure it will appeal to some readers, but the behaviour of narcissistic characters with opinions about random topics left me totally indifferent.

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

First, let’s address the obvious. That cover! 😳The UK cover is so much better and honestly I personally feel like it fits the story better. But I loved the story anyway.

The narrator is a 58 year old woman who is a wife, mother, and professor at a small college. We get in her head and hear all her thoughts. These thoughts range from marriage, career, appearance, parenthood, student life, society views, and personal wants/needs. It is very stream of conscience style more than conversations. The commentary feels real and unapologetic. There are situations abound between her husband’s prior affairs with students, a new spark with Vladimir, and surprises along the way. But in the end, it is about a woman’s choice or choices she has selected to create her life. Or maybe choices made for her. Life changes and you reevaluate what’s next all the time. And sometimes things do not go as planned. This really worked for me. I found it smart and right in my wheelhouse.

If you liked Monogamy by Sue Miller…you should give this a read.

Posted Instagram @carolinehoppereads and goodreads

I will admit, the cover of this book is very misleading. My first thought was this was a mass produced romance novel and I wasn’t sure if this book would be for me. However, I am glad to announce this is not a romance novel! The writing is witty and sharp. It is more of a literary character study of a husband and wife professor at a small New England college. I enjoyed this book!

A compelling read...on the surface, it's about an older woman who becomes obsessed with a younger man, but really, it's about the bleakness and inevitability of ageing. Goes off-the-rails and requires quite a bit of suspension of disbelief towards the end.

First things first: while this cover is yummy, it led to me having a hard time convincing my tween daughter (whose phone I borrowed for my pic) that this is the wickedly smart book that it is.🤪 I prefer the stunning red British cover to complement the content of this book. That said, this is an incredibly well-written, provocative, and nuanced study on relationships, the female gaze, aging, generational gaps, academia, desire, consent, and sexual politics. I absolutely love the way this writer crafts the inner workings of the mind of this complex narrator—a middle-aged professor dealing with the fallout of sexual misconduct accusations against her professor husband (whose affairs she has known about over the years) and her lust for a much younger, married new professor in the department. Her observations about people and the ways they relate to each other are razor sharp and so relatable.

Do not let this cover fool you! This is NOT a romance book, and it is very good. If you like campus novels, Vladimir, while it doesn't appear it, is one of the very best.

This book truly resonated with me! I decided to review it based on the promotion of it by the Millions. It's normally not my style (and the cover even less !)

This book is a long slow burn of a character study. A. 58 year old female English teacher in an open marriage faced with backlash due to her husband's past relationships with undergrads. As she reminiscences on her marriage and her life at the university, she also discusses her burgeoning obsession with Vladimir, a new professor.

There's not much that actually happens but it's a story I will remember for a long time. SO much of what this woman says just resonates with me and with my experiences in life albeit as a middle class white woman. I think anyone interested in thinking about their place in the modern world as a woman would enjoy this incisive and articulate treatise.
If you enjoy character studies, campus novels and feminist view points this novel is for you #Vladimir #avid #Simonandschuster

Vladimir is told through the perspective of a middle aged college professor and focuses on her obsession with a young junior professor Vladimir Vladinski . During this time her husband also a professor at the same college is embroiled in a scandalous investigation involving sexual misconduct with his female students.
*********
The first half of the book was really slow for me as I got to the second and last part it seemed to pick up pace . I read this in one day and while it was on the slower side the writing was very well done and it was definitely interesting to be inside the protagonists head. I would recommend this book to someone who loves dark academia and character driven plots

I’m really not sure how to review this book, honestly I don’t even know what I just read. A popular English teacher, who we never actually get the name of, is struggling to deal with her choices in life, aging, and the investigation into her husband’s inappropriate relationships with former students. When new profession Vladimir shows up at the college, our narrator becomes obsessed with him and his wife, though it’s really Vladimir she craves.

Let me first say that the cover art for this book is horrible. A picture of a shirtless man tends to lead readers to think this is some mass marketed romance, and it’s not that at all. This is a character study and an exploration of sex and relationships from the eyes of a women in her late 50s. It’s heavily literary in nature and would never even be remotely consisted a romance.

Past that however, three stars is the highest rating I could even attempt to give this book. The first 1/3 of the book had me so bored, I was legit fighting sleep and almost decided to DNF. The middle of the story made me feel gross and left me with nothing but disgust and annoyance for our narrator. The last 1/3 of the book seemed to actually get some sort of plot but it felt so outlandish, that I just couldn’t with it. Though I did need to see what happened, so at least it pulled me in there, and the whole reason this didn’t end up as a 2 star review.

Our narrator is completely unlikable, which I don’t need to like our main character, but she’s just awful. She’s intelligent, and according to her generally is one of the favored professors, but being inside her head was not fun. She’s obsession about her age, her weight, her looks, and eventually Vladimir. Her rational is questionable, and she is unsympathetic in her view of the world. I guess all that is fine, since this seems to be a story about a middle aged women coming to terms with her aging, but she just comes off as whiny to me. I haven’t been so glad to be done with a character in a long time.

I honestly, still have no idea how I feel about this story. It’s written well but I didn’t find it funny or really that entertaining as other reviews are finding it. I dislike the lack of dialogue, pretty much every single character in this story is easy to dislike, and for under 300 pages this book feels long. Jonas does try to tackle some hard topics, but there is no central plot which left me apathic and let down.

If you enjoy character studies, excessive monologues, and don’t need an actual plot then you might like this book. You may also enjoy this one if you’re looking to take a deep dive into the challenges academia is facing during the ‘me too’ movement, though it’s more an exploration of sexual morality in general. It does make you think and as I said earlier, it made me slightly uncomfortable, which any writer that can evoke such strong emotions has some talent. So maybe that’s why it’s getting such rave reviews.


Vladimir comes out February 1, 2022! Huge thank you to Avid Reader Press and Simon & Schuster for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.

most of the content warnings, especially 'me too' stuff and infidelity.
.
.
thank you S&S particularly Avid Reader Press for an advanced copy via NetGalley.
.
.
brief synopsis: narrator is a college prof. her husband's affairs with students are now public. they've long had an open marriage. But she's preoccupied thinking about a younger prof, the titular character Vladimir.
.
.
great writing. I laughed out loud at least once owing to smart humor. not predictable. protagonist was neither likable nor sympathetic, yet engaging. solid iteration of dark academia.

Review I loved Tampa by Alissa Nutting. Super uncomfortable novel about a woman high school teacher having an affair with a student. Hard to recommend to anyone - but so good. Vladimir reminded me so much of that one. First person story from the point of view of an obsessed woman. Love a dark, twisted story with a bang ended. But also have zero idea who I’d recommend this to.

First I have to say that the cover of the book is very deceiving. I wasn't sure if reading it or not because of the cheesy, ugly cover.
This book is a very thorough character study centered on the narrator and protagonist, a middle-aged woman that is a professor at a small college in upstate NY. She is facing some allegations about her husband, also a professor at the same university, and his reproachable relationships with many students.
At one point, Vladimir, a new tenure track teacher, arrives in her life and the obsession begins. We find out about her previous infidelities and obsessions with younger men and we know that something ominous is brewing in her twisted mind.
I really enjoyed this book. The character's study is impeccably portrayed and the action is fast-paced; that makes the book an entertaining page-turner. It's full of cynism and it's very critical of the woke and cancelation culture, in a humorously and clever way.
The name Vladimir is a reference to Vladimir Nabokov and his Lolita, also the account of an inappropriate obsession which in recent times has been the subject of much controversy.
Don't let the cover deceit you. The content of the book is much better than it looks.

At face value, Vladimir is about an unnamed narrator, a 58-year-old English professor at a small college in upstate New York, who is married to John, a fellow professor facing accusations of inappropriate sexual relationships with students many years prior. The narrator is not surprised by the allegations - she knew about the relationships at the time - but disputes the claim that they were not consensual. John and the narrator still live together but have grown apart naturally over the years, coexisting in the same house and within their respective lives. When Vladimir and Cynthia, two new professors move to town, the narrator becomes interested in the couple and their vitality, but especially with Vladimir. Interestingly, however, the plot points that will probably be used to advertise the book, including the ones described above, are not necessarily the point of the book or what propels it forward. Instead, the book is full of contemplation about the hard questions of aging, social values, and power dynamics.

I assume that the author made a deliberate choice by never giving her narrator a name. The narrator, a 58-year-old woman, is self-conscious about her body and very conscious about how she is perceived by others. Her interactions with students are couched in her desire to be liked and appreciated and she is fearful of being deemed matronly or old when she interacts with Vladimir. At the end of the day, despite the fact that it was her husband who transgressed, the narrator endures the cost of his actions after being asked to stop teaching and forced to contend with students who are uncomfortable by her presence. Indeed, she appears distinctly visible to others only within the context of her marriage, leaving the narrator to assert her own idea of control on the situation.

Rating: 8.5/10
https://bookhouseblog.substack.com/p/advanced-reviews-thread/comments

I loved this book! It was smart and darkly funny, propulsive, and wildly entertaining. I enjoyed getting inside out narrator’s mind and watching as she grappled with nearly aspect of her life. Her cynical way of thought brought up so many interesting things for myself to ponder. The writing was superb- honestly, just delicious. I couldn’t put it down once she had her fateful date with Vladimir and I did not see it playing out the way that it did. I will be thinking of this one for a long time!