The Trouble with You by Ellen Feldman: Book Review

The Trouble with You is the most recent book by American author Ellen Feldman. Published in February 2024, it takes readers to post-WWII New York City. After tragedy strikes, Fanny Fabricant finds herself a young widow and mother. She struggles between doing what she wants, what’s right for her family, and what society expects.

I want to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Trouble with You. However, all opinions expressed here are solely mine.

Synopsis from Goodreads

Set in New York City in the heady aftermath of World War II, when the men were coming home, the women were exhaling in relief, and everyone was having babies, The Trouble with You is the story of Fanny Fabricant, whose rosy future is upended in a single instant. Educated for a career as a wife and mother, she is torn between her cousin Mimi, who is determined to keep her a “nice girl,” and her aunt Rose, who has a rebellious past of her own.

Forging a new life, she gets a job in radio serials. Then through her friendship with an actress who stars in and a man who writes the series, she comes face-to-face with the blacklist, which is wrecking lives.

Ultimately, Fanny must decide between playing it safe or doing what is right in this vivid evocation of a world that seems at once light-years away and strangely immediate.

My Opinions

The Trouble with You is a great slice-of-life look at what life was like for women post-WWII. I enjoyed reading about various topics, including the impact of McCarthy’s witch hunts and women in the workplace. Another aspect I enjoyed was a look behind the scenes of radio serials that eventually became TV soap operas.

The overall plot was a bit dull for me, though. Throughout the story, many questions exist, such as “Will she?” or “Will she not?”, but it doesn’t feel as though enough is given for Fanny’s decisions. I understand wanting to protect her heart; she suffered a massive loss at a young stage in her marriage. And it goes without saying, she needed to protect her daughter. But how did Fanny come to make her decisions? She doesn’t strike me as the type of person to fly by the seat of her pants, and what will be will be. No, she feels as though she would be methodical in her decisions.

At the same time, I don’t feel the book needed to be as long as it was. Did we need the in-depth descriptions of the weather, what the neighbors across the way were doing in their apartment, or even of the library? If the book needed to be close to 370 pages, why not use some of those pages to let us into the inner workings of Fanny’s mind?

Overall, The Trouble with You is a decent read. In many ways, it feels like it would pair nicely with Lessons in Chemistry. Both books feature women who are widowed early and have to find a way to survive in a world where they aren’t expected to work.

Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.