The Vixen
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- Create Date：2021-06-30 02:19:13
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Francine Prose
- ISBN：0063012146
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Kathleen Gray
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I was reading and enjoying this for the writing and for Simon when things began to go a bit sideways- but I kept reading because Prose had sucked me in and I wanted to know the truth of the matter。 Simon， a Harvard alum who did not get accepted to grad school。 finds himself， thanks to his uncle， working for a failing publishing house。 He's given a novel about Ethel Rosenberg to whip into shape- harder than he imagined。 The author， Anya， is resident in a mental health facility but able to leave; I was reading and enjoying this for the writing and for Simon when things began to go a bit sideways- but I kept reading because Prose had sucked me in and I wanted to know the truth of the matter。 Simon， a Harvard alum who did not get accepted to grad school。 finds himself， thanks to his uncle， working for a failing publishing house。 He's given a novel about Ethel Rosenberg to whip into shape- harder than he imagined。 The author， Anya， is resident in a mental health facility but able to leave; these two end up in a carnal relationship。 As the plot progresses， things about the novel become more confusing for Simon。 This ia hard to review without spoilers and credit goes to Prose for a plot that allows the reader to discover what's going on as Simon does。 Readers should know that there's a sort of political commentary here。 I liked Simon - felt for him- and his mom。 Not so much Anya。 The snapshots of different locales such as Coney Island and various mid-town restaurants are wonderfully done。 Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC。 A worthy read especially for fans of literary fiction。 。。。more
Stacy40pages
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The Vixen by Francine Prose。 Thanks to @harper and @netgalley for the e-Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️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 McCarth The Vixen by Francine Prose。 Thanks to @harper and @netgalley for the e-Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️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。 。。。more
Andrea Wenger
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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 h 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。 。。。more
Lori Sinsel Harris
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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 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。 。。。more
Rhiannon Johnson
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*review in progress*
Meghan PageUs
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Thank you for the chance to read this novel from Francine Prose。 3。5/4 stars roundedThis 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 Thank you for the chance to read this novel from Francine Prose。 3。5/4 stars roundedThis 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。 。。。more
Patty Shlonsky
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i would give this more than 5 starts if i could！“The Vixen” is a sort of coming of age story that takes place in the 1950s， during America’s struggle to assess its morality in the McCarthy era。 The novel， in many but not all ways， revolves around the execution of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg in 1953。Simon Putnam narrates the story and has just graduated from Harvard with a degree in Folklore and Mythology。 Despite a reference from his renowned professor Robertson Crowley， Simon is rejected from a i would give this more than 5 starts if i could！“The Vixen” is a sort of coming of age story that takes place in the 1950s， during America’s struggle to assess its morality in the McCarthy era。 The novel， in many but not all ways， revolves around the execution of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg in 1953。Simon Putnam narrates the story and has just graduated from Harvard with a degree in Folklore and Mythology。 Despite a reference from his renowned professor Robertson Crowley， Simon is rejected from a graduate program in Norse literature at the University of Chicago。 Simon is in awe of professor Crowley， explaining that when he sat through his lectures “I felt that I was hearing the answer to a question that I hadn’t known enough to ask。” After his rejection from the University of Chicago， Simon has no choice but to return home to his parents in Coney Island。Two weeks after he returns from Harvard， Simon sits with his parents and watches the news surrounding the execution of the Rosenbergs。 The Putnam family is sympathetic to the Rosenbergs and has a personal tie to Ethel。 “My mother grew up on the Lower East Side， in the same tenement building as Ethel…They went to the same high school。” These were not things you told people during those times。 Nor did you tell people that， despite your name， you are Jewish。Simon’s uncle， Madison Putnam， is a distinguished literary critic and arranges for Simon to go to work for Landry， Landry and Bartlett， a distinguished publisher of literary fiction。 Simon’s job is junior assistant editor， with the responsibility of reviewing unsolicited manuscripts。 On his first day he meets Julia， who has been fired and whose job he is taking。 Julia gives him some tips and leaves。 No one at the publishing house really acknowledges Simon， except for Warren Landry， one of the named partners and Elaine Geller， the Firm’s publicity director。 One of the other named partners， Preston Bartlett， has had some sort of break down and is living in an asylum。 He shows up at the offices from time to time。Warren Landry is described as a charismatic lady’s man， with a past in military intelligence。 “His diction and accent combined the elongated vowels of a New England blueblood with the dentalized plosives and flat a’s of a Chicago gangster。” After about six months at Landry， Landry and Bartlett， Warren Landry pays a visit to Simon and assigns him the job of editing a novel called “The Vixen， the Patriot， and the Fanatic”， “a steamy bodice-ripper based on the Rosenberg case。” This is not the type of novel the Firm would normally consider。 Warren explains to Simon that the firm is languishing and in need of money and that he believes the novel will be a best seller and bring the firm to solvency。 Simon is also told that the existence of the novel is a secret。“It was strange that I， of all the young editors in New York， should have been chosen to work on that book…My being assigned “The Vixen” was， I thought， pure coincidence。”As he reads through the novel Simon struggles with its content and its portrayal of Ethel Rosenberg as a sexual temptress， someone very different from who she was。 He has lunch with his Uncle Madison in an effort to seek advice without disclosing the information about the novel。 His Uncle， an arrogant man， advises him to make the “lady writer…fall in love with you。”Simon asks to meet the mysterious author， Anya Partridge， who interestingly lives in the same asylum as Prescott Bartlett。 They immediately begin a romantic relationship。Simon continues to struggle with editing what is a terrible novel and his interactions with Anya become ever more steamy until suddenly， Anya disappears。 When Simon returns to the asylum to ask after her， he decides to pay a visit to Preston Bartlett， who advises that the firm is not quite what he thinks it is。 He also learns a bit about his favorite professor， although that comes later。 From here， things become extremely interesting， as Simon struggles with his ethical obligations and morality。 The novel ends with this thought about life: “Everything was beautiful except what we do when we forget our humanity， our human dignity， our higher purpose。” Words to live by！I loved this novel。 It is a great story with lots of twists and turns and interesting and complex characters。 It is beautifully written and gives the reader a lot to think about in the midst of all the action。 If you like this review subscribe to www。frombriefstobooks。com for more！ 。。。more
Castille
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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%。
Angela Branham
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Adult Historical fiction。 Simon graduates from Harvard but his liberal arts degree doesn't necessarily score any points with his parents。 He is excited to get a job at a publishing house， and when he's asked to give feedback on a scandalous book （for its time）， The Vixen， he feels honored。 But when he realizes the main character， communist sympathizer， of the novel was childhood friends with his mother， he worries that relationship may have a far-reaching and lasting impact on his family。 Intere Adult Historical fiction。 Simon graduates from Harvard but his liberal arts degree doesn't necessarily score any points with his parents。 He is excited to get a job at a publishing house， and when he's asked to give feedback on a scandalous book （for its time）， The Vixen， he feels honored。 But when he realizes the main character， communist sympathizer， of the novel was childhood friends with his mother， he worries that relationship may have a far-reaching and lasting impact on his family。 Interesting but slow at times。 。。。more
Nancy
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I am a sucker for books about writers。 And books about books。 So， I was immediately drawn to THE VIXEN。 But， this is really a book about deceit。 Or， perhaps， more accurately， a coming of age story。I desperately wanted the young protagonist to earn his parents pride。 Their unconditional love for him made them proud before he earned it， and I wanted him to work for that gift。 So， as a reader， I struggled along with him as he bumbled through his entry level job assignments。My yearning for his succe I am a sucker for books about writers。 And books about books。 So， I was immediately drawn to THE VIXEN。 But， this is really a book about deceit。 Or， perhaps， more accurately， a coming of age story。I desperately wanted the young protagonist to earn his parents pride。 Their unconditional love for him made them proud before he earned it， and I wanted him to work for that gift。 So， as a reader， I struggled along with him as he bumbled through his entry level job assignments。My yearning for his success left me filled with tension as I worked my way through the novel。 And， it was harder work than I anticipated because he was so naive， and so idealistic， and so unaware。 。 。 Perhaps that is what left me a bit dissatisfied with this book。I loved the plot twists。 I enjoyed the author skewering the hyper-sophisticated literary press。 But， I wanted more from our Harvard-educated anti- hero。 His relationship with his family was charming， and felt “ real，” but his relationships with women went so far afield that my “ suspension of disbelief” couldn’t reach that far。This was an interesting book in many ways， but I wanted it to be so much more than it was。NetGalley provided me with a complimentary copy in exchange for a candid review。 。。。more
Emily Matthys
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The Vixen is such a fun， mysterious little story！ I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started， but I was easily sucked in and could not put it down。 I was instantly invested！ This book is set in America in the 1950’s， at a time when Americans were just on the heels of WWII and already embroiled in the Cold War。 People toss around the word communism like candy these days， but in this era of history it was a truly terrifying thought…and a word that could even land you on trial！ I love that this bo The Vixen is such a fun， mysterious little story！ I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started， but I was easily sucked in and could not put it down。 I was instantly invested！ This book is set in America in the 1950’s， at a time when Americans were just on the heels of WWII and already embroiled in the Cold War。 People toss around the word communism like candy these days， but in this era of history it was a truly terrifying thought…and a word that could even land you on trial！ I love that this book makes the reader long for more information， more history， more knowledge。 I vaguely remember hearing about the Rosenbergs in my youth， but this book definitely led me down a rabbit hole （my favorite！） and I’ve since spent hours researching and reading about this fascinating and devastating case。 Joseph McCarthy， as we all now know， was a real piece of shit and I love that this novel doesn’t shy away from showing that。 In the end， this was a fun and exciting read with some real and serious issues included。 I really enjoyed the characters and their development and the ending was just perfection。 4/5 ✨ 。。。more
Whitney
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I was provided an ARC of this book through a Goodreads giveaway and received no compensation for my comments。 For the second time this week， curse my inability to give this book 3。5 stars。 I have lots of feelings about the book; some parts were amazing， some parts made me hope that a few more edits would be made， sometimes I thought I was reading too much into it， sometimes the writing was good enough to be certain that I was getting exactly what the author wanted me to get out of it。 The first I was provided an ARC of this book through a Goodreads giveaway and received no compensation for my comments。 For the second time this week， curse my inability to give this book 3。5 stars。 I have lots of feelings about the book; some parts were amazing， some parts made me hope that a few more edits would be made， sometimes I thought I was reading too much into it， sometimes the writing was good enough to be certain that I was getting exactly what the author wanted me to get out of it。 The first thing people need to know about this book？ Read it all。 I mean it。 Normally I'm all for quitting books you don't enjoy。 Life is short and all that。 But this book switches genre， tropes， etc at different parts of the book， at the same time the narrator realizes exactly what kind of situation he is in the middle of。 The prologue is。。。rocky。 At best。 The writing style feels like it's from a different book， which， given the ending， might be on purpose。 It then transitions into The-Secret-History-lite， then to the Tortured Academic Novel， then into Tom Clancy。 And it only works if you read the whole thing。 Do I think the transitions between genres could be done smoother？ Of course。 Some of the key themes of third act needed to make an appearance earlier。 The political commentary could have been a bit more nuanced。 Theres a bunch of technical tweaks I would make， but the tiny moments in the book make the book worth it。 The diner's mac-n-cheese， The Burning， the subtle hints about Anya w/ the rice pudding。。。those tiny hints keep the wheels of the book turning。 。。。more
Myrna Gottlieb
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Thank you Harper Collins for sending me an ARC of "The Vixen" by Francine Prose via Goodreads in exchange for an honest review。 I adored the book。 The premise and the characters， though over-the-top， are brilliantly and wittily drawn by Ms Prose; I was hooked from page one。 And as events unfolded， even when it turned more and more fantastical， I cared about the main character Simon and the agonizing choices he had to make。The story is set in the 1950s。 Young Simon Putnam， the protagonist， a rece Thank you Harper Collins for sending me an ARC of "The Vixen" by Francine Prose via Goodreads in exchange for an honest review。 I adored the book。 The premise and the characters， though over-the-top， are brilliantly and wittily drawn by Ms Prose; I was hooked from page one。 And as events unfolded， even when it turned more and more fantastical， I cared about the main character Simon and the agonizing choices he had to make。The story is set in the 1950s。 Young Simon Putnam， the protagonist， a recent graduate of Harvard， with no idea what to do next， was back home with his loving parents watching TV。 The family was Jewish- parents were Roosevelt Democrats。 The apartment was in Brighton Beach， walking distance from Coney Island， where Simon had spent much of his youth。 It was 1953 and they were following the daylong tv coverage of the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg， convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage- handing over top secret information re the atomic bomb to the Communist government in Russia。 The twist: Simon's mother grew up in an apartment where young Ethel was her neighbor。 As a girl， Ethel was a good singer and hoped to become an actress。 Politics was not an interest。 Mama believed strongly in Ethel's innocence。 She had a shrine （of photographs） of Ethel on display。 And she was concerned about Ethel's two young sons。 soon to be orphans。 Mama was dedicated to clearing Ethel's name for the sake of the boys。A second twist: Simon's uncle got him work as an assistant editor at a highbrow NY publishing house。 Simon's job was to go through the stacks of submissions from aspiring authors and follow up with short notes when the manuscripts were rejected and returned。 Then， seemingly out-of-the-blue， Simon's boss handed him a manuscript which the company was anxious to publish- a best-seller， a moneymaker， and top secret。 The manuscript was a steamy bodice-ripper with the main characters thinly disguised as Ethel and Julius Rosenberg。 And Ethel （Esther Rosenstein） was portrayed as a cruel nymphomaniac， who was actively involved in spying。 Oy， what would Simon's Mama have thought about her son's involvement with that？Another complication: Simon， the editor， had to meet with his author - the manuscript was full of spelling mistakes and amateurish writing。 And he becomes infatuated and sexually obsessed with the author， Anya Partridge， a beautiful seductive vamp， straight out of the silent movies， who lived in a luxury mental institution near Sing Sing。 They first met in her garishly furnished boudoir smelling of incense and opium。 Events unfolded and became even more complicated。 But I enjoyed the book and never stopped rooting for a good outcome for Simon。 。。。more
Steve Essick
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Thank You #NetGalley and #HarperCollins for the ARC of Francine Prose’s #TheVixen。If I had to classify #The Vixen I’d call it a story about about stories， which is a plotting device I’m drawn to。 The year is 1954 and Simon Putnam is a recent Harvard graduate who majored in Folktales & Mythology and is now living back home with his parents in Coney Island。 Through the assistance of his Uncle in the publishing business， Simon lands a job at another publisher。 He is assigned a book to edit ， The Vi Thank You #NetGalley and #HarperCollins for the ARC of Francine Prose’s #TheVixen。If I had to classify #The Vixen I’d call it a story about about stories， which is a plotting device I’m drawn to。 The year is 1954 and Simon Putnam is a recent Harvard graduate who majored in Folktales & Mythology and is now living back home with his parents in Coney Island。 Through the assistance of his Uncle in the publishing business， Simon lands a job at another publisher。 He is assigned a book to edit ， The Vixen， The Patriot， and the Fanatic， a highly factionalized but very recognizable telling of The Rosenberg Saga。 The trouble arises when he reads the manuscript to discover it to be a lurid， sensational telling of this bleak chapter of American History， all the while knowing that his bosses see The Vixen。。。。 as the book that will financially save the company。 Prose’s #TheVixen is many things ， but first and foremost it’s a warning not to take things as they initially appear ， you could end up very surprised。 I was delighted with this mesmerizing book ！ 。。。more
Jill
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Had Francine Prose followed what I believe was her initial instinct—to write a story about an innocent junior editor who has torn between his conscience and his desire to garner the rewards of living a relevant and interesting life—this would have been an extraordinary novel。The premise is indeed， fascinating: a bumbling young Harvard graduate named Simon Putnam is placed in charge of shepherding a bodice-ripper of a book based on Ethel and Julius Rosenberg。 The novel is designed to help a strug Had Francine Prose followed what I believe was her initial instinct—to write a story about an innocent junior editor who has torn between his conscience and his desire to garner the rewards of living a relevant and interesting life—this would have been an extraordinary novel。The premise is indeed， fascinating: a bumbling young Harvard graduate named Simon Putnam is placed in charge of shepherding a bodice-ripper of a book based on Ethel and Julius Rosenberg。 The novel is designed to help a struggling literary publisher get back on its feet financially， and it is written by a very beautiful， enticing， and unstable debut author named Anya。 Naturally， Simon falls head over heels for her。The fictional book， entitled The Vixen， the Patriot， and the Fanatic， with its lewd plotline， is in direct contrast to Simon’s sense of value and dignity。 His mother， after all， was neighbors with Ethel and has often quoted one of her final statements to her lawyer: “You will see to it that our names are kept bright and unsullied by lies。” That line is repeated in this book。 A lot。 So are Simon’s fears and guilt about causing his mother grief。 We hear about that a lot， too。This good-looking Harvard graduate is so awkward and bumbling that his social interactions border on cringeworthy。 Later in the book， he is described by a key character as malleable。 It is hard to believe that anyone could get through college years – even in the 1950s – and be so rudderless and self-lacerating。 Simon also has a habit， it seems， of falling in love with just about any female who is placed in his path。 It is easy to see why he would be lustful towards Anya。 But to fall so deeply for a woman who appears to have his polar opposite values， little moral compass， and who is quite likely mentally disturbed is a hard pill to swallow。I won’t give away the plot points。 It wouldn’t be fair。 But I will say that I had the uncomfortable feeling that art was imitating life。 The state-mandated murder of the Rosenbergs for a level of crimes they did not do （Ethel， for example， was only the typist of materials and paid for that with her life）， has long held a sort of prurient interest。 The fictional Vixen capitalizes on that interest and in ways， so does its namesake。 The urge to publish a best seller that will appeal to a broad audience （we later discover who that audience is intended to be） also has some tendrils in the Prose book。 All the kinds of characters that appeal to readers are here – the naïve acolyte， the scheming and lascivious publisher， the beautiful and damaged damsel， the secondary characters who are not what they appear to be。But in writing this soon-to-be best-seller （and I suspect it will be， because the storyline moves fast and I never did want to abandon it）， the theme becomes heavy-handed and the characters in places become caricatures。 When Simon moans that all the people around him have lied to him and betrayed him， it’s almost a laughable moment because he has lied by omission to many of them—and most of all， to himself。Now， I love Francine Prose。 I have read many of her past books and have totally enjoyed several of them。 So it gives me no great joy to depart from several literary reviews who are calling the book “dazzling”。 I want to thank HarperCollins—which is a FAR better publishing house than the one portrayed in these pages！—and NetGalley for enabling me to be an early reader in exchange for an honest review。 I am truly sorry that that this review is taking me in an unanticipated direction and look forward to the many other superb titles they publish。 。。。more
Diane Payne
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Reading Francine Prose's novel， I couldn't help but feel like I was already watching the movie version of the novel。 Our young editor falling in love with all the older women he meets working at the publishing house that his uncle helped him land， the women flirting with him， as they drink （something， like being with women， that our main character is learning to master）， and Warren， his boss， the editor crass editor who has mastered booze， women， and seems to have involvement with the CIA。 The n Reading Francine Prose's novel， I couldn't help but feel like I was already watching the movie version of the novel。 Our young editor falling in love with all the older women he meets working at the publishing house that his uncle helped him land， the women flirting with him， as they drink （something， like being with women， that our main character is learning to master）， and Warren， his boss， the editor crass editor who has mastered booze， women， and seems to have involvement with the CIA。 The novel begins with our young editor sitting at home with his parents after graduating from Harvard， and watching the Rosenbergs get executed on TV。 His mother was friends with Ethel， so this is not just horrifying， but deeply personal。 From there， the novel moves forward with a new novel covering the Rosenbergs in a fictional way， the brings readers into the lurid details of the masculine 50's publishing world， the fear of communism， young love， and the CIA。 It's a relatively easy read， and unfortunately， at times， a tad too predictable。 Overall， it's a satisfying novel。 。。。more
Katie
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In the aftermath of the Rosenberg executions， Simon Putnam is put in charge of editing a book titled The Vixen， the Patriot， and the Fanatic。 The only issue is that this book is based on the life of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg and is set to be a bestseller。 Simon is at odds with his conscious: do you publish a book about a Communist execution or do you let the story die out quietly？ His concerns only increase when he meets the author of the book， who seems to have some confusing takes on The Vixe In the aftermath of the Rosenberg executions， Simon Putnam is put in charge of editing a book titled The Vixen， the Patriot， and the Fanatic。 The only issue is that this book is based on the life of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg and is set to be a bestseller。 Simon is at odds with his conscious: do you publish a book about a Communist execution or do you let the story die out quietly？ His concerns only increase when he meets the author of the book， who seems to have some confusing takes on The Vixen as well。 This is one of those books that really had me puzzled。 I felt like I was missing something the entire time I was reading it。 The general idea behind the book had me intrigued but the speed at which things happened was pretty slow and dragged on for quite some time。 Maybe someone can point something out to me that I missed。Thank you so much to Harper Books for the free copy！ 。。。more
Bethspin
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I don't normally give such low ratings， but， wow， what a stupid book。 I can't count how many times I rolled my eyes。 This book is possibly worse than the Vixen book in the story that they make fun of。 I don't normally give such low ratings， but， wow， what a stupid book。 I can't count how many times I rolled my eyes。 This book is possibly worse than the Vixen book in the story that they make fun of。 。。。more
Lydia Wallace
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A most exciting and interesting story。 I never read anything about the execution of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg。 The characters became more interesting as I read this great story。 I felt like I knew each and everyone of them。 This story keeps you reading and enjoying each and every page。 It is a spy story， love story and a thriller all bundle together。 I am now so interested in reading more books about Ethel and Julius Rosenberg。 What a great author。 Highly recommend this book to family ， friends A most exciting and interesting story。 I never read anything about the execution of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg。 The characters became more interesting as I read this great story。 I felt like I knew each and everyone of them。 This story keeps you reading and enjoying each and every page。 It is a spy story， love story and a thriller all bundle together。 I am now so interested in reading more books about Ethel and Julius Rosenberg。 What a great author。 Highly recommend this book to family ， friends and book clubs。 。。。more
Book Hippie
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Although I do love them premise， and the time it was portraying， it was boring to read。 I did not connect strongly to any character or feel it was written in an interesting manor。
Rita Brutsch
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I forgot how much I like Francine Prose！ So witty and well written - I had to smile all the way through。 A young man at the start of his career is being handed an awful manuscript to edit。 But wait - there is more 。。
Nancy
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A most enthralling story。 Francine Prose is a phenomenal writer and spinner of stories。 This one defies classification！ It begins on the eve of the execution of Ethel & Julius Rosenberg and while it delves into the political it is so many other things。。。。 a coming of age story， a thriller， a spy novel， the making of a writer， and even a love story。 The protagonist， Simon Putnam， has just gotten his first job after college graduation （from Harvard） at a tony publishing house that， it turns out， i A most enthralling story。 Francine Prose is a phenomenal writer and spinner of stories。 This one defies classification！ It begins on the eve of the execution of Ethel & Julius Rosenberg and while it delves into the political it is so many other things。。。。 a coming of age story， a thriller， a spy novel， the making of a writer， and even a love story。 The protagonist， Simon Putnam， has just gotten his first job after college graduation （from Harvard） at a tony publishing house that， it turns out， is in financial trouble。 He is losing his mind going through 'slush piles' of submitted manuscripts day after day， when the genteel， well heeled head of the company requests that he edit a "top secret" novel， thinly disguised as the story of the Rosenbergs and the publication of this novel will put the publishing house back in the black。 This is his big break， thinks Simon， but， from there things spin out of control in ways both frightening and humorous。 Prose's writing perfectly captures the claustrophobic and paranoid environment of the McCarthy hearings and the ramping up of the Cold War。 She seamlessly stitches the narrative together in ways that twist and turn and kept me up reading late into the night。 If this doesn't turn out to be a bestseller， I will be very surprised。 Highly recommended。Thank you to Byrd's Books for the ARC。 Pub date 6/21/21 。。。more
Elizabeth
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I didn’t know a thing about Ethel & Julius heading into this novel and love the history that it led me to。。。but I found the story itself slow-moving。
Lorri Steinbacher
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Read in prepub， due out June 2， 2021。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。Recommended for fans of Emma Donoghue。 Prose handles historical themes with the same type of literary deftness。 Read in prepub， due out June 2， 2021。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。Recommended for fans of Emma Donoghue。 Prose handles historical themes with the same type of literary deftness。 。。。more
Betsy Robinson
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What a pleasure this novel is—I couldn’t put it down—and how tricky it is to say why or anything about it， because to do so would rob other readers of the pleasure of discovery。Since it happens immediately， it is safe to tell you that it begins with the execution of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg， but where it goes from there is so unpredictable that it’s best to say nothing。As a writer， I enjoyed the “inside” look at book publishing and book politics， but nonwriters will also relate: if you’ve ever What a pleasure this novel is—I couldn’t put it down—and how tricky it is to say why or anything about it， because to do so would rob other readers of the pleasure of discovery。Since it happens immediately， it is safe to tell you that it begins with the execution of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg， but where it goes from there is so unpredictable that it’s best to say nothing。As a writer， I enjoyed the “inside” look at book publishing and book politics， but nonwriters will also relate: if you’ve ever suffered betrayal from someone you like/love/trust or if you were ever screwed at a job， you’ll have some kind of personal identification。 The plot leaps in this story may seem extreme 。 。 。 unless you know some real history of extreme political actions。 （Hint: Ian McEwan covered some of the same territory in Sweet Tooth， a book that has almost nothing else in common with this one， but having read it， I’m sure what seems far-fetched is not。 Add to that our current cultural divides in the U。S。 over truth and fiction 。 。 。 Suffice it to say， facts and "alternative facts" have proven to be a matter of belief and are easily manipulated。）I’m being a tease and can’t help it。 I should just shut up and say， boy， was this book fun to read。 Thanks to HarperCollins Netgalley for the ARC。 I can’t wait until there are tons of reviews。 I’m so curious how others will react。This is my fourth Francine Prose novel and my favorite。 。。。more
Natalie
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