Vladimir: A Novel

Written by Julia May Jonas

Narrated by Rebecca Lowman

An NPR, Washington Post, Time, People, Vulture, Guardian, Vox, Kirkus Reviews, Newsweek, LitHub, and New York Public Library Best Book of the Year * “Delightful…cathartic, devious, and terrifically entertaining.” —The New York Times * “Timely, whip-smart, and darkly funny.” —People (Book of the Week) * One of Shondaland’s 13 Best College-Set Novels of All Time

A provocative, razor-sharp, and timely debut novel about a beloved English professor facing a slew of accusations against her professor husband by former students—a situation that becomes more complicated when she herself develops an obsession of her own...

“When I was a child, I loved old men, and I could tell that they also loved me.” And so we are introduced to our narrator who’s “a work of art in herself” (The Washington Post): a popular English professor whose charismatic husband at the same small liberal arts college is under investigation for his inappropriate relationships with his former students. The couple have long had a mutual understanding when it comes to their extra-marital pursuits, but with these new allegations, life has become far less comfortable for them both. And when our narrator becomes increasingly infatuated with Vladimir—a celebrated, married young novelist who’s just arrived on campus—their tinder box world comes dangerously close to exploding.

“Timely, whip-smart, and darkly funny” (People), Vladimir takes us into charged territory, where the boundaries of morality bump up against the impulses of the human heart. This edgy, uncommonly assured debut perfectly captures the personal and political minefield of our current moment, exposing the nuances and the grey area between power and desire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Feb 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781797137032

Julia May Jonas

Julia May Jonas is a writer and theater director. She has taught theater at Skidmore College and New York University, and lives in Brooklyn with her family. Vladimir is her debut novel.

Reviews for Vladimir

[Jessica Dapper · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Surprisingly good! I was not expecting to be completely sucked into this story!

[jamey oneal · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

a surprising read. The narrator did a good job, but I personally would have preferred if she sounded much older, closer to the near 60 years of the character. Or much younger, the way some older people see themselves in defiance of their reality, but I can't complain about the performance which was beautiful.
It's not the kind of novel I'd usually be interested in. I genuinely thought it was going to be a murder/thriller as it was recommended with that style of book, and it definitely is not, but it's compelling none-the-less. If you like books with strong female perspectives and cultural critique that doesn't hammer it home in trite ways, this book is enjoyable.
Quick synopsis: the book opens the way the cover shows-an attractive young man bound by a much older woman in her cabin. Then we jump back to the present day. A late 50's professor in a small college is dealing with the fallout of the accusations of sexual conduct by her slightly older husband. They have had a tacit but quiet open relationship for years and he (and she) have had several lovers thought their near 40 year marriage, but some former students have come forth about their trysts with him over the years. None were explicitly his students at the time and there was no policy against teachers and students at the time of these allegations, and no one denies they happened or were "consensual" but they are inappropriate nonetheless, and she's still a beloved professor there as well as his wife. During all this, a new teacher and his wife enter the college, and the couple befriends them. She finds herself sexually attracted to him, Vladimir, and the fantasies stir her to action, until we are at this moment and how we got here.
I loved the writing. I loved the commentary on the current state of mores vs the not-too-distant past, feminism, aging, marriage, relationships with other professionals in your career, your adult children, power, sex, and what being a woman, especially an older woman, means. There are times she really digs in to things-like when she ended her own affairs or her feelings about her daughter's relationships (I really hated the daughter), but lots of subtle aspects the narrator hints at, even tells the whole story, but doesn't allow herself to think too much about the cost or damage done, like when a much older man takes advantage of-then insults-her as a t'ween or her lifelong eating disorder. They exist, she knows they are probably problematic, but then moves along to the next thing that needs thinking about. Her relationships with her younger female students and how they interpret what she should do or how she should be feeling, her decades long writer's block, they you can tell is her unknown but seething resentment to being a mother and wife. Her relationship to sexuality and her aging body and her own moral sensibilities.
At no point did I dislike this woman, though shes never painted favorably, just uncomfortably real. I feel like I'd like her if I knew her irl. WE hear the inner thoughts of her talking to students, strangers, her family and where they don't always align with her outward presentation, and it's a layer that should make us all question so much about...well, everyone, especially if we really do think they are interesting, intelligent, and insightful. She's complex, lonely, hopeful, and also desperate to just...be. To be able to just be. It's very relatable and possibly moreso as one gets closer to her age.
The end is a bit messy. There's a sort of fantastical series of events that has some beautiful and very real moments, but they are framed in a bit of a silly circumstance and Im not sure why the author did this, as we could have gotten to the same places by a much more realistic circumstance or we could have ramped up the fantasy, but it was middling on both counts, and that's a bit of a shame. The very end seems as if she was in a rush to explain some things (most of which needed no explanation), and it ends sort of abruptly.

I very much recommend this book and would love to read more from this author.

[Tracy Isaacs · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Strong start but the plot unravels into something that defies credibility in the second half. Too bad because there were some great insights and the writing itself was good. And then it became ridiculous.

[Zoë Damacela · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is super glitchy - it won’t let you play the last chapter!!!

[Victoria Edelsbrunner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fascinating book with a fantastic middle aged protagonist some very different perspectives on popular social movements. Set mostly on a college campus which I always enjoy. Quite literary while also being compulsive reading.

[Robin Herbert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For fans of novels set in academia, those who ponder the complexities of dealing with gender issues in duel writer couples, and anyone who enjoys the delight of listening to a book with some beautifully written passages, this book is for you. I think some readers may be uncomfortable with the moral ambiguities posed by the lead characters, an older male professor and his academic wife. I enjoyed the book, but only gave it 4 stars because the final sections seemed hastily written and somewhat unbelievable.

[sabrocks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I felt so many things about this woman whose name we don't know. She's a moody contradiction and a compassionate muse. This was a journey.

[sun1974deep · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I’m conflicted about how I feel about this book. It’s

[MarHasHobbies · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

2.5, just two damaged, derranged, messed up people messing up other peopels lifes I just can't and I know you can love the book and not like characters but this is not that book.

[Feminist Reader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow. A must-read for any former graduate student. Surprisingly literary, feminist, and entertaining. I’m sad about the cover, but I see the wry decision to let the image disrupt expectations to the audience it is roasting. High brow mingling with low brow. I’m here for it.

File Under: “No my first name ain’t baby, it’s Janet. Miss Jackson if ya nasty.”

[Alex Larson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was very engaging and beautifully written. But the storyline felt clunky, like the direction it went was a bit forced although unexpected at times.

[Delaram Mirshamsi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What the hell happened after chapter 20????? I felt like the author woke up from a dream and wrote everything with an unnecessary sense of urgency. The narrator did not feel like a 60yr old Eng prof to me most of the time but overall I liked the idea and the writing style!

[Rebecca · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

At parts it felt longer than it needed too, but the dialogue and discussion on courtship and roles in society was interesting

[Surbhi KitKat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a meteorite arising out of nowhere to fill the sky. This author is a star. She is powerfully intellectual, deeply nuanced, sophisticated and complicated. Her belief in the strength if women and in their resiliency is reassuring. I am addicted and I want more. Soon please.