Historical fiction readers will like reading this post war era novel. Many women searching for employment after WWII were expected to go back to being stay at home wives and mothers. But when Fanny suddenly becomes a widow and needs to be employed, what are her choices? Interesting but not a fan.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

An okay read but the relationship between mc's was somewhat predictable.

3.25☆

Life after WWII is at the heart of The Trouble with You by Ellen Feldman. Suddenly life changes for Frannie and her young daughter after the war. The beginning of the book where this happens is the most profound part of the story for me. A lesser of a character would have wallowed in their pity but somehow, I expected Franny to pick herself up and carry on. Carry on she does.

The changes that the war has brought especially in relationships and work are clearly shown in this book. Politics too, with McCarthy and the HUAC. This is where the story becomes extremely interesting. People put in difficult positions and choices that were made in a time of uncertainty gives the reader much to think about. Easy to see how trust in the government begins to erode. An interesting story with historical value.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Today, feminism seems to be a dirty word for a lot of people. Without being too preachy, this novel reveals why feminism is necessary. The lead character, Fanny, gets a Barnard degree and marries Max as he goes off to World War II. She is happy to stay at home with their young daughter when he returns and enters medical practice in New York City. But when Fanny is widowed, her life as a suburban housewife and mother is over. It’s back to the city and a tiny apartment, as she navigates her grief and her future with the constant help of her aunt Rose, who always took care of herself.

Fanny finally gets a job as secretary to the woman running radio serials. She becomes aware of the Red Scare as the studio has hired its own goons to sniff out so-called Commies and pinkos. Actors and writers lose their jobs, and Fanny is faced with a decision about whether to just keep her head down and safe, or to help people she knows who have become victims of the blacklist.

In her personal life, Fanny has decisions to make too. Everyone (except Rose) hounds her about finding a man to marry and provide for her and her daughter, Chloe. Will she do what they expect and marry the doctor who thinks it would be humiliating for him to have a wife who works? Will she succumb to the charms of a blacklisted writer? Or will she make her own way in the world?

As someone born during the Red Scare and familiar with its history, the time, place, and themes of this book interested me. There are many little moments that stand out, like women not being able to be served at a restaurant bar, like being told that even a Seven Sisters education is there to prepare women for marriage and child-raising. Will reading that be incredible to a young woman today? What about the idea that your personal life and political ideas, from however far back in your life, can be used against you to deprive you of the right to work in your chosen field? If the Red Scare is new to some readers, I hope they appreciate learning about how it affected individual lives.

While this book wasn’t particularly deep or revelatory for someone familiar with the period, it had good characters and a story that moved along, even if a bit predictably.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this advanced copy of The Trouble with You by Ellen Feldman. I enjoyed reading about this little written about period. I have heard about this time in Hollywood where the actors were blacklisted for having ideas and values that were not of the majority. This sheds a light on what was happening, as well as a story line where women were expected to be at home taking care of family, husband and home. .This book sheds light on both topics and shows just how far ideals and values have changed over the years. Add this book to you TBR, as it was enjoyable, enlightening and easy to read!

The Trouble With You by Ellen Feldman is a fabulous novel that brings to life the post second world war era in New York city, and the challenges facing women in general and those of Fanny in particular as she overcomes her grief after the death of her returned husband to circumvent societal norms and build a life that is her own.
The story is brilliantly told, with sympathetic characters navigating a difficult period in American history for the creative set and liberal thinkers in general. Fanny's challenges keep you turning the pages , and the book brings history to life.
I was fortunate to receive an ARC of #TheTroubleWithYou from #NetGalley.

This is the story of Fanny Fabricant who loses her husband suddenly one evening and now must find a way to make a life for herself and her daughter Chloe. With the help of her aunt, Fanny finds a position as a secretary for a woman who produces serial radio shows. One of the writers for the serials is accused of being a Communist and Fanny must decide what she wants to do with her life.

I have read other Ellen Feldman novels and loved them. Sadly, I found this one slow in the beginning which made it difficult to become attached to or interested in her. The writing was simplistic and the main character was rather boring. I am sure someone will love this book and delve into the authors other works.

This is an important book that takes place post WWII in the era of McCarthy and the activities of the HUAC . I had some idea of those time but did not realize how pervasive the "snooping" activities were and the serious consequences for those who were accused. It made me think of the banning of books going on today. the book was somewhat predictable, but I was happy the way it ended

This book took a bit to get going for me, but then it took off. I truly felt sorry for Fanny and especially Chloe. Charlie is a great character. The character development was great. I loved feeling like I knew these people and was right there in the interactions with each and every one.

The scenes were well drawn out so I really felt I was in the moment with the act scene. I could see myself as if I were a fly in the wall throughout the book.

This book was well laid out and I did enjoy it.

The Trouble with You by Ellen Feldman is a story about loss and perseverance. The novel is set in New York City in the aftermath of World War II. Fanny was raised to be a wife and mother but the sudden loss of her husband set her life on a different course. Alongside Fanny’s story of being a mother with a career, we learn about the McCarthy years, the Hollywood Blacklist and the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee). This book focuses on a unique time in history. The book also contains a great complement of secondary characters who help shape Fanny and the choices she ends up making.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and the author for an eARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Ellen Feldman has written a number of historical fiction novels, imagining events in the lives of the Scottsboro Boys, Anne Frank, Margaret Sanger and others. She has also written novels that bring places and times vividly to life, as for example, in Paris Never Leaves You and, The Living and the Lost.

In The Trouble with You, Feldman again excels in creating a world and characters that are detailed, vivid and real. Just a couple of examples of the accurately described time include trips to the Automat, the fear of polio, and the age of radio serials (soaps). Even more importantly HUAC figures prominently in the story. As many will know that stands for the House Unamerican Activities Committee.

Readers follow Fanny, her friends, family, colleagues and others, including Aunt Rose (an appealing character). When the story opens, Fanny’s future looks bright. Unfortunately it does not remain so when she is widowed at a young age with a child to raise. As a result Fanny needs to work. This is where the radio serial setting enters the story.

Over the course of the novel, Fanny needs to think about what she wants and what she stands for. Does that sound familiar? How will things work out for her?

Fans of more literary historical fiction and those who have read other novels by Ms. Feldman will, I think, want to read The Trouble with You.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

The Trouble With You, historical fiction, is a story that takes place after WWII. Interesting story about women and black listing that takes place during the late 40s and early 50s. Fanny Fabricant, the main character, is a very strong woman so different from many women during this time period who only felt that they needed to be married to be happy. Fanny lost her husband shortly after WWII and is left with a young child to support. She is torn between her cousin Mimi, who believes a woman must be married, and her Aunt Rose, who while single has a very eventful life. Fanny faces a hard decision. This is a great story with a very strong woman at the heart of it.

Definitely didn't like this one as much as Ellen's last novel, but I did enjoy the setting for this one - post-WW2 during the 1940s-1950s "red scare" as it is a time period that I don't know a lot, if anything, about. I also love Chloe as a character, Charlie as a character, and Rose as a character.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for the ARC on Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Post WWII between the 1940s through the 1950’s the reader follows the life of Fanny Fabricant as a young widow. Her life changed as tragedy struck with Fanny losing her husband Max.

The story follows Fanny entering the workforce which was rare for women of her time. Readers are further introduced to Fanny’s Aunt Rose, and love interests Charlie and Ezra.

I found this novel at times slow but I enjoyed following Fanny’s story overall.

Terrific story about the importance of being true to yourself over conforming to society's expectations. A bit of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" type character. I would have loved more scenes in the radio soap world.

3.75 stars

This novel set in the 40s and 50s and featuring the Red Scare and House Un-American Activities Committee was a slow starter for me, but once I got into it I really enjoyed the characters and situations.

Fanny Fabricant, a young widow with a daughter, is the main character. She has a very close relationship with her Aunt Rose, who was a rabble rousing union organizer back in the day. Fanny was devastated by her young husband's death and even three years later has not found her way. She does, at Rose's urging, go to work as a secretary for a group of writers who do radio soap operas.

Fanny wants to keep a low profile. She's not interested in a new relationship. But she finds two interesting men who are totally different and feels herself swept along. She becomes engaged to a doctor, a good man, but one that she has some basic compatibility issues with. She tells herself everything will be all right and it is time for her to move on. But she is intrigued by another man -- less suitable with all kinds of red flags. He's a flirt, he plays the horses, and the really serious thing is that he has been blacklisted as a writer because he was a member of the Communist Party in his younger days.

The story unfolds and we get to watch Fanny heal enough to start evaluating her life and desires. It was a pleasure spending time with her. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I applaud the author’s ability to really research the time period after World War II. Unfortunately, this book was a really slow read for me. It took until midpoint before I became slightly engaged with the content. In a time when women were frowned upon working, we meet Franny. Franny is recently widowed and has a young daughter to provide for and raise. Fanny finds herself being forced to work, which in turns makes her gossiped about. The reader follows her story with twists and turns; highs and lows. I am glad I finished this book, although it is not one I will think back on.

It is post World War II, and we meet Fanny Fabricant, her husband, Max, and their daughter Chloe.

Fanny was the lucky one because her husband came back from the war.

She wasn’t lucky for too long, though, because her life changed one night.

We follow Fanny as she goes to work much to the gossiping of other women at this time because women didn't work, but she had no choice.

THE TROUBLE WITH YOU dragged until mid point, caught my interest after that, but it still wasn’t a book I was anxious to get back to even though Ms. Feldman’s writing and research were well done.

My favorite character was Chloe…she was so sweet and innocent.

Fanny was a well-thought-out character and one ahead of her time.

I enjoyed following Fanny and was hoping for the best for her in the social attitudes of this era.

The ending was satisfying, and the book will be enjoyed by historical fiction fans and women’s fiction fans. 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

In New York City after the end of World War II, Fanny Fabricant, along with her daughter Chloe, welcomed her husband Max home from the war in The Trouble with You by Ellen Feldman arriving on bookshelves February 20. A college graduate, Fanny thought she was prepared for a life as a wife and mother until tragedy struck the young family.

Fanny soon finds herself selling her home and in dire need of finding work. With a cum laude degree in the liberal arts from Barnard College, she could not find a job calling for that kind of background. With the help of her Aunt Rose who knows Alice Anderson, a writer of radio serial scripts, Fanny secured the job of Alice’s secretary to support herself and Chloe.

Two men eventually attract her attention: Charlie Berlin, another script writer who is a step away from being blacklisted during the McCarthy Era, and Ezra Rapaport, a pediatrician who wants to marry Fanny partly to rescue her from working to support her child who is his patient.

But Fanny does not want to quit work if she remarries because her boss is giving her a chance to write some scripts, and Fanny genuinely enjoys her job. Charlie appreciates Fanny’s efforts at script writing and soon talks a reluctant Fanny into being his “front” once he is blacklisted. While both men love her, Ezra wants to turn her back into a housewife, and Charlie cannot marry her or she would be blacklisted by association. Which pathway forward will Fanny choose?

Ellen Feldman is well educated like her protagonist Fanny as she attended Bryn Mawr College, from which she holds a B.A. and an M.A. in modern history, and she did graduate studies in history at Columbia University. Having worked for a New York publishing house, Feldman writes both fiction and social history, and has published articles on the history of divorce, plastic surgery, Halloween, and many other topics. She lives with her husband in New York.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting January 5, 2024.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

I love this historical book! These are my favorites. I can't imagine living in this time and having to start over like this! I couldn't put it down!

Thank you NetGalley and Ellen Feldman for the change to read this one!