The Trouble With You: one woman's choice between playing it safe and risking it all

The Trouble With You by Ellen Feldman is a story of a young woman in post WWII New York City when she is faced with the choice between playing it safe and risking everything for what is right. As the fighting men are coming home from war, the country is on a high note and settling into the life of marriage, family and a booming economy. In an instant, the rosy future of Fanny Fabricant was turned upside down. Educated for a career as a wife and mother, she is torn between being the “nice girl” like her cousin Mimi and being the rebel like her Aunt Rose. Fanny takes a job in radio serials and forges friendships with an actress and a man who writes the series and comes face-to-face with the blacklist and McCarthyism. Will she follow her heart or will she allow societal norms to dictate her actions? 

I thoroughly enjoy Ellen Feldman’s stories as she writes about the stories in the aftermath of war, a time most stories gloss over or forget. The Trouble With You features a scary time in the United States as the Cold War begins to heat up and the fear of communism is everywhere and the one man leading the charge. It is an interesting story; however, I would have liked to see and feel more of the impact of the blacklist and the panic going on with McCarthyism. It was talked about but I feel it didn’t quite come across as how much of an impact the Hollywood blacklist had spread. I enjoyed Fanny as she struggles with her choices. Overall, I enjoyed The Trouble With You  and I look forward to reading more stories from Ms. Feldman. If you are interested in stories of life after the war, I recommend The Trouble With You. 

The Trouble With You is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook