Wednesday, November 3, 2021

The Vixen by Francine Prose




Fabulous book. I have always liked this author but have nor read her much lately. I heard about this book and knew I had to read it. The main character, Simon Putnam, is a Harvard graduate, living in Coney Island with his parents, when he gets a job at a major publishing house. Then all hell breaks loose when he is given the assignment of editing a book about the Rosenbergs, who have recently been executed for treason. Simon's mother has a vague connection to Ethel, as they lived in the same apartment builidng. The book, "The Vixen, the Patriot, and the Fanatic depicts Ethel Rosenberg as a communist Mata Hari seducing every man in sight and, by the way, as guilty as hell."

Simon has a moral dilemma, knowing his mother would lambast him for having anything to do with this trashy version of the Rosenberg case. A touching, funny and interesting read!

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