I thought The Trouble With You was rip roaring good. The story was set in the 1940s towards towards the end of the war. The lead character, Fanny, was married to Max who was a soldier and a doctor. Before he left for the war, they had a daughter, Chloe. Not long after he got back, they bought a beautiful home. And not long after that, Max took a fall in the closet and as a result, died of an aneurysm.

Fanny had to go to work to support her and her daughter, so she took a job as a secretary for three soap operas. Her job was to type the scripts. Charlie Berlin was one of the writers. Actually, he was the best writer, but eventually he was blacklisted.

Fanny had taken a literature in school and she was a good writer. One day, she told her boss, Alice, that she wanted to try her hand at a script. Alice told her that she would pay her if they only if they used the script. At first her scripts weren't very good. But then Charlie came up with an idea. His proposition to Fanny was that he would write the scripts and she would put her name on them. This worked out well and Alice agreed to pay her $50 for each script. Charlie told her that he had been paid $100 for his and that she should ask for that much from Alice. She asked and she got it.

Chloe had experienced several stomach aches and Fanny took her to a doctor. The doctor's name was Ezra. It wasn't long before Fanny and Ezra were dating. Ezra never asked Fanny about her work. As far as he was concerned she was just a secretary. But she had been promoted from being a secretary to being a script writer. At first as he didn't like it, but he eventually was okay with it with the understanding that she would quit working when they got married. Fanny was not having any of that. She loved her work and she planned to continue.

Fannie and Charlie worked beautifully together. In the very beginning. Charlie was doing most of the writing with Fannie doing editing. But as time went on. Fanny took on an equal role. Over time, they were asked to write a screenplay for television. It was a smashing success. While they were working in Fanny's apartment one night, Charlie kissed and she kissed him back. Fanny was very uncomfortable with this and told him it could never happen again. But it did happen again. And again, and this time she had sex with him. That was the end of her engagement with Ezra.

Charlie had fallen in love with her, but he couldn't marry her because he was blacklisted and if it got out that they were married then she'd be blacklisted too. They worked successfully side by side for years and two of their screenplays came up for awards.

I thought the author did a fine job developing the characters, and the storyline was well thought out. One of the characters was Rose, Fanny's aunt. She was a feminist who she played a huge role in Fanny's and Chloe's life. When all has been said and done, I was well pleased with this book. I gave it five stars.

Fanny Fabricant is the protagonist in this historical fiction novel. Fanny is a college educated women who following the unexpected death of her husband struggles with being independent and true to herself while trying to live up to the cultural expectations for women in the 1950’s America. Politics, McCarthyism, HUAC Blacklisting, Actors and Writers are all in the backdrop of the plot. Fanny’s Aunt Rose is a supporting character that fits like a glove in the study. The end is predictable which is why I rated this 4 stars. The pacing is good, I finished this pretty quickly. The educational factor which is what I love most about historical fiction was 5. An excellent read overall. Highly recommend.

I was eager to read this after reading and loving Paris Never Leaves You. This book is another well written story with really good characters.

It’s New York after WWll, men are coming home from war, families were able to put down their worry for a bit, and of course, the babies!

Fanny was raised to become a wife and mother. Even college pushed that as a career opportunity! But she doesn’t want to get married and be a housewife. She wants to write. And even when an event she did not expect happens, she still wants a different life.

A single woman raising a child is hard now, I can’t imagine how hard it was the. When she takes a job with a writer of “serials”, never say “soaps”, she is excited.

But this was a scary time. With people seeing communists everywhere, it was much worse in Hollywood. And as Fanny moves ahead, she will have to decide what is more important. Doing the right thing or going along with the crowd.

I enjoyed this one a lot.

Netgalley/ St. Martin’s Press, February 20,2024

The Trouble with You will lift you up and carry you to a different time and place. Post WW2 is the setting for the book and the characters are submerged into the culture and beliefs of the time. It was so interesing and easy to visualize and put yourself right alongside everyone as you experience their trials and joys. A wonderful book!
Thank you to Netgalley.

The Trouble with You is an emotionally compelling and gorgeously written novel. It is a big-hearted story that skillfully guides the reader through the depths of history.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This post World WR II historical fiction book about the McCarthy era was an interesting, quick paced , insightful story about a young widow trying to singularly raise a child and support herself in the 1950’s in New York City. Fanny Fabricant gets a job as a secretary for a woman radio scriptwriter and becomes wrapped up in the drama and trauma of writing and producing radio soap operas, ultimately she tries her hand at script writing and editing and it leads to a whole new world for her. I found myself rooting for Fanny for her guts and determination and also dealing with the ultimate suitors in her life, namely Charle and Ezra. Fanny’s Aunt Rose was a great influence and support system for Fanny, I enjoyed the interaction of all the characters and this whole story. I would highly recommend this story for anyone interested about life in the McCarthy era in NYC , it is an insightful story.

This book opens one’s eyes during a time in America’s history before WWII when there were unwritten rules for love and marriage. The list is long and restrictive and parts are hard to imagine as it was not that long ago.

This story starts in 1947 when Fanny thought she was one of the lucky ones with a husband, Max, that returned from the war. However, sadly he died not long afterwards leaving her with a young daughter to raise alone in NYC. Fannie had to find a job which wasn’t an easy task for a woman when thousands of servicemen were first in line. She told her Aunt Rose, “I wasn’t brought up to work.”

This is an unforgettable, well-written story of how she managed in a man’s world and found a secretarial job at a daytime radio show. The book highlighted how McCarthyism in the early 50s was a danger in the arts for anyone with a hint of affiliation to communism.

This book is a reminder of where the country once was before women fought hard for their rights. A handful of characters were easy to follow with a plot that took the reader back in time. The dialogue made me understand more about how difficult it must have been especially for single women. I could feel Fannie’s hardship and drive towards independence. It was engaging and the end was somewhat of a surprise.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of February 20, 2024.

Predictable but pleasant. The pacing is off at some points and Fanny a likable but frustrating character. The love triangle was a non issue to the reader. This is a fascinating area of US history so the setting is right. It is mostly enjoyable.

3 1/2 stars

The Trouble with You focuses on Fanny, a young widow making her way as a writer in the decade of the 1950s and her fearless Aunt Rose. Author Ellen Feldman accurately describes a society in which women were expected to marry, have children and find their satisfaction in their homes. Ms. Feldman also delves into Joseph McCarthy’s committee on un-American activities and the writing industry’s black list as well as burgeoning protest against social inequality and restrictions. These two points of view are illustrated in the personalities of the men Fanny becomes involved with….one safe, one exciting. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Highly recommend.

This post-WWII novel is an enjoyable slice of history. I'm giving this one 3.5 stars - I'm all for rooting for a likable female character, but I found this novel a tad predictable, slow, and stilted. I'm so thankful to have received this eARC, and I know people love it - I'm not sure why it wasn't my favorite!

Synopsis: Fanny Fabricant, the main character, is married to Max and mother to her five-year-old daughter Chloe. Max was one of the lucky ones, returning safely from the war, but unexpectedly dies from a brain aneurism one night. Finding it difficult to move on from the loss, Fanny also feels unprepared to be a single mom and earn a living to support her family. Her aunt Rose gives her time to heal but then encourages her to find a career path (already outside of the norm for a woman at the time, typically expected to be housewives and sewists), and she ends up as a secretary to a soap opera writer. There's a great exploration of feminism and individuality for Fanny in this novel - we see her move on from the death of her husband, find a way to be the best mother she can be for her daughter, take a risk at becoming a screenwriter (one that proves fruitful), and break away from societal norms for women. There's also an exploration of McCarthyism, an intriguing part of our history.

Outside of her writing career, the novel explores two men in Fanny's life: Dr. Ezra and writer Charlie Berlin. As time passes and the women in her life encourage her to move on and marry, there's a choice to make: Do I marry Extra, a doctor with traditional values, a man who expects her to stop working once she has children, the safe option, or Charlie, the risky writer who challenges her to push her career path even if it means risking a potential blacklist. Who will she choose?

Regarding the above question, I wanted to shake Fanny - how could it take her as long as it did to realize which man was right for her? For someone who was growing so much in her individuality, I couldn't believe what she was willingly putting up with in terms of disagreements with one of the two suitors. Expanding on the 3.5 stars, I could not keep up with the characters and, for the life of me, couldn't remember who was whose aunt, mother, daughter, friend, etc. I knew that would be a problem from a few pages in, and I kept thinking the characters would eventually make sense to me, but they never did. I found the book fast-paced in that the dialogue was very simple - but I wouldn't call it exhilarating, and it dragged quite a bit in the middle.

However, I'd love to read another novel by this author - maybe this one wasn't for me, but there's no denying that the story kept my attention, and it did have me wanting to get to the end!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I Voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced copy of this book. All Thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is such a great read. I love historical romances and this does not disappoint.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin Press for an advanced copy of The Trouble with You by Ellen Feldman. I love reading WW2 historical novels, and as this novel takes place post WW2, I was looking forward to the change. I was not disappointed. Ms. Feldman's novel focuses on the social issues faced during that time by women. I love the powerful and non conforming characters of Fanny and Aunt Rose depicted in this novel A very enjoyable read..

This was an entertaining read and will appeal to readers who enjoy reading about the post WW2 period in New York City. I thought the characters weren't quite fully developed and the storyline was pretty predictable, so I'd characterize this as light reading material. It's the kind of novel that would make for a good television movie. That said, I'd read another book by this author because the flow of the story was quite good and kept my attention.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It was quite enjoyable.

This was my first book to read by Ellen Feldman and it won’t be my last. The beginning gripped me and I had to know where this was going and then how it was going to end. I felt connected to the main character and was torn over what decision she should make. This was a solid 4.5-star book for me, and I would recommend it to readers who love historical fiction and/or books with a resilient and relatable female lead in the WWII era.

Be on the lookout for this book in Feb 2024. Thank you NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Ellen Feldman for sending this book for my review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This wonderful story is about Fanny (Frances), Max and Charlie. Max came home from the War but her sister’s husband did not. Fanny and Max found a house with the GI Bill and started making plans. Everything seemed to be going smoothly but the night of Mimi’s wedding changed it all. It was a hazardous trip home with the falling snow. With Max undressing in the closet she heard a thud and her life changed in minutes. Max was gone. Fanny could not stay in the house since she could not afford it for her and Chloe, their 5 year old daughter. She moved in with her Aunt Rose until she found an apartment and started looking for a job which was not an easy feat with all the GI’s returning and taking over all available jobs – but she did find a job with the “queen” of soap serials not ever called soaps. She found she loved working but it was frowned upon because women at that time were supposed to be “housewives” and not secretaries. And then her life changed, after meeting Charlie. The story gets better and better from there. You will not be disappointed for this is a great story.
I want to thank NetGalley and St Martin’s Griffin for allowing me the opportunity to read this story. I have read two other of Ms Feldman’s books and was equally happy that I did so. All of the comments are mine only.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Franny Fabricant was the product of her time as well as her position in life. Although she graduated from one of the Seven Sisters colleges, she was mostly educated in order to be a successful wife and mother as well as to support her husband’s career by being a good conversationalist and able to hold her own at dinner and cocktail parties.

Her mother passed away while she was still young and thus her aunt, Rose, had a strong effect on her along with the culture in which she was raised. Sometimes the two forces were diametrically opposed. And that is the crux of the story. How Fanny navigates not only young widowhood, being a single mother, and learning how to support herself and her daughter makes for a very interesting story. Throw in the McCarthyism and two men who are polar opposites and therein lies the inner conflict of the main character.

I enjoyed reading Franny’s journey and rooting for her to make the right decisions. Her aunt Rose was a great character and her story was intriguing as well. We got it in little dribbles, but she was a strong character who lived a full life herself even though many people in the book felt sorry for her for never marrying. I liked this character a lot.

This book moves at a nice pace. No explosions, car chases or other crazy drama, just a lovely read with a likeable cast of characters—although one of the men set my teeth on edge—in a good way as far as bringing conflict to the plot.

The setting, era and morals of the day are well set out by the author and this is just very much an enjoyable read. Five Stars.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this E-arc for my honest review.
An excellent historical perspective of strong female characters based in the 1940s-1950s. These women were an inspiration for the women of today. Great story and loved the characters especially Fanny and Rose! Highly recommend.

I would like to thank St Martins Press, Net Galley and Austin Adams for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC. I like Historical Fiction, and was intrigued to see that this book was set in the late 40's, early 50's post war New York. I was also intrigued that one of the characters was described as the Queen of Radio Serials. I never heard the serials ( or soaps as they were commonly known) on the radio, but I did watch them on TV for years, including several that had started on radio. As luck would have it, this was only a very small part of the overstuffed storyline in this book. I liked the book, but I didn't love it.And part of the problem was the large number of plots, and cast members who were interesting, but often left with little to do. Fanny is married to Max. He is in the army and she is home with a child. He survives the war, but dies not long after his return home.So we have Fanny and her daughter Chloe. One storyline has her as a single mother, who has no work skills. Then she gets a job as a secretary to the aforementioned Serial Queen. That is another storyline. There are a number of interesting characters in this plot, Charlie , a writer and Ava , an actress, as well as Alice, the head writer. We see a lot of Charlie, but to my liking, could have seen more of the other two, as well as the world of Daytime Radio. Fanny also meets a doctor, one who knew her late husband, and their relationship is another plotline. Women had gone into the workforce during the war, and did not all want to go back to staying at home- the beginnings of the women's movement. Fanny's friend Savannah ,represents this plot line, but she is used sparingly and almost forgotten at times. Fanny has an Aunt Rose, a proud single woman and self employed as a seamstress. Fanny's sister Mimi , is the other side of the plot- once married , now a widow, and wanting only to be again a wife and mother. Besides the characters swirling through the story, there are a number of real life events. In addition to the war, there is the ascent of daytime drama, and the ascent of television, the polio epidemic, and the Communist Blacklist/ McCarthy /Army trials. There are also several major snowstorms as well. I truely was waiting for a hurricane or two. I liked this book. I think I would have liked it more if it told Fanny's story without a cast of thousands.

Reading this novel was my first time reading a novel of Ms Friedman's - that will definitely be changing.

The writing is terrific and the author poured so much life into the characters - strong female characters, post war McCarthy blacklisting era, radio serials (the original soap operas). It kept my attention throughout, kept me turning the pages and I thought it a wonderful story in spite of some predictability; I enjoyed The Trouble with You quite a bit.

Book clubs will likely love this title.

Recommended.



Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the DRC!

What a good book! It is about Fanny Fabricant. Fanny is at the prime of her life- she is married to the love of her life and has a young daughter. Then the war hits. The war is difficult but her husband makes it home and she suffers a tragic loss. Her world is turned upside down. The characters are believable and the storyline is very interesting. I would love to be one of Fannies’ friends. I will definitely be looking for other books from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.