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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
DNF halfway though. really didnt like it. the tv show is alright :/
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
While there aren't any big disappointments to point out in this novel, nor are there any exciting, outstanding ones. Although the biggest part of the novel takes place in the courtroom, I found this book to be very mediocre. There are much better books to pick up if you want something similar (try The Wife Between Us).
I enjoyed reading this.
It's about a trial where minister James is accused of raping a woman, Olivia who was working with him. James is married to Sophie who he met in college and has two kids.
I enjoyed it and I also i suffered through it. Being inside James' head was repulsive. A rich kid who thinks he can get whatever he wants and has 0 morality and uses every method possible to get it. When I say I hate men is because I fucking hate men.
It touched the topic of class differences as I mentioned with James and also it touches the topic of misogyny and sexual harassment. Sophie being dependent on his husband and having raised to be that way. The women who suffer because of their rapists, the rapists thinking they did nothing wrong.
And just thinking about how there are men out there thinking like James, acting like James or shielding men that are rapists like James makes me sick. Makes me fucking sick.
It's about a trial where minister James is accused of raping a woman, Olivia who was working with him. James is married to Sophie who he met in college and has two kids.
I enjoyed it and I also i suffered through it. Being inside James' head was repulsive. A rich kid who thinks he can get whatever he wants and has 0 morality and uses every method possible to get it. When I say I hate men is because I fucking hate men.
It touched the topic of class differences as I mentioned with James and also it touches the topic of misogyny and sexual harassment. Sophie being dependent on his husband and having raised to be that way. The women who suffer because of their rapists, the rapists thinking they did nothing wrong.
And just thinking about how there are men out there thinking like James, acting like James or shielding men that are rapists like James makes me sick. Makes me fucking sick.
sad
medium-paced
What Worked For Me
Sophie – For the most part I really liked Sophie. Her life choices might not have been the same ones I would make, but in the situation, with her husband accused of rape, I could understand her fragile loyalty. In no way was Sophie fully behind her husband, yet she had a lifestyle she liked and children she needed to protect.
“Her insides have hollowed out and a potent bank of emotions presses up: horror, incredulity, revulsion, and above all a deep, all-encompassing shame. She clamps her lips tight. It frightens her, this intensity of feeling. Only once before has she experienced anything similar and then it was a shadow of this. She dabs at her eyes with a tissue. Letting her emotions overwhelm her isn’t an option. She has the children to think about and, of course, James.”
Standing behind James was far from easy and Sophie did it in her own way, yet stand she did.
A Timely Topic – I liked the opposing forces in Anatomy of a Scandal. Vaughan took a timely topic and through the women in her novel explored all sides. Kate, the prosecutor, loathed James, and not just for the crime he was accused of. Olivia, the young woman at the heart of the scandal, willingly entered into an affair that quickly disintegrated. Ali, the person who knows Kate best, just might be willing to look the other way for her friend. And of course, Sophie, who struggles, but who might also be willing to turn a blind eye. And such is the reality of scandals.
What Didn’t
James – I found James completely disgusting. I understand that this was what Vaughan was likely going for, but for me it was too much. Even after the scandal broke he still lusted for Olivia and made excuses for his poor behavior. His college history was so over the top, that surely, as a man who had run for a public office, someone would have let some his bacchanalian history slip. He was surrounded by women that enabled him to be the man he was and that might be the saddest statement of all.
Slow, Slow, Slow – The plot of Anatomy of a Scandal unfolded much to slowly for my taste. Kate, in particular, had way too much introspection that added little to the story. It was simply too wordy.
One-Dimensional Characters – With the exception of Sophie, I found all the characters to be serving a narrow role: the revengeful victim, the girlfriend scorned, the loyal friend, the creepy man. There was no one I wanted to know more about.
{The Final Assessment}
I think the idea for this book was great: both sides of a man accused of scandal. However, in trying to do so much more with this particular scandal, it seemed like the entire idea became diluted to the point where is just wasn’t real and because of that not very interesting. I’d take a pass on this one. Grade: C
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.
Original Source: https://novelvisits.com/anatomy-scandal-sarah-vaughan-review/
Sophie – For the most part I really liked Sophie. Her life choices might not have been the same ones I would make, but in the situation, with her husband accused of rape, I could understand her fragile loyalty. In no way was Sophie fully behind her husband, yet she had a lifestyle she liked and children she needed to protect.
“Her insides have hollowed out and a potent bank of emotions presses up: horror, incredulity, revulsion, and above all a deep, all-encompassing shame. She clamps her lips tight. It frightens her, this intensity of feeling. Only once before has she experienced anything similar and then it was a shadow of this. She dabs at her eyes with a tissue. Letting her emotions overwhelm her isn’t an option. She has the children to think about and, of course, James.”
Standing behind James was far from easy and Sophie did it in her own way, yet stand she did.
A Timely Topic – I liked the opposing forces in Anatomy of a Scandal. Vaughan took a timely topic and through the women in her novel explored all sides. Kate, the prosecutor, loathed James, and not just for the crime he was accused of. Olivia, the young woman at the heart of the scandal, willingly entered into an affair that quickly disintegrated. Ali, the person who knows Kate best, just might be willing to look the other way for her friend. And of course, Sophie, who struggles, but who might also be willing to turn a blind eye. And such is the reality of scandals.
What Didn’t
James – I found James completely disgusting. I understand that this was what Vaughan was likely going for, but for me it was too much. Even after the scandal broke he still lusted for Olivia and made excuses for his poor behavior. His college history was so over the top, that surely, as a man who had run for a public office, someone would have let some his bacchanalian history slip. He was surrounded by women that enabled him to be the man he was and that might be the saddest statement of all.
Slow, Slow, Slow – The plot of Anatomy of a Scandal unfolded much to slowly for my taste. Kate, in particular, had way too much introspection that added little to the story. It was simply too wordy.
One-Dimensional Characters – With the exception of Sophie, I found all the characters to be serving a narrow role: the revengeful victim, the girlfriend scorned, the loyal friend, the creepy man. There was no one I wanted to know more about.
{The Final Assessment}
I think the idea for this book was great: both sides of a man accused of scandal. However, in trying to do so much more with this particular scandal, it seemed like the entire idea became diluted to the point where is just wasn’t real and because of that not very interesting. I’d take a pass on this one. Grade: C
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.
Original Source: https://novelvisits.com/anatomy-scandal-sarah-vaughan-review/
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you enjoyed Apple Tree Yard then you will Love this!
My first read of 2018 and what a way to kick-start the year with, it is a gripping and immersive book that is a definite “Burn the midnight oil” kind of book! But completely worth the loss of sleep 🙂
Set between 1993 Oxford University and London 2017 the story is told from 5 view points, the main ones being Kate, James and Sophie. Kate a QC who specialising in rape trials, James a member of parliament and close friend of the prime minister and Sophie, wife of James and mother to his 2 children. The other people to lend their voices to the narrative of this story are Alison or Ali as she was known at uni and Holly, another class mate from the uni days.
There is a plot twist part way in but I saw that one coming, however that didn’t detract from the enjoyment and adds another layer to the story.
The characters may not be real but they so easily could be and the storyline its self could be real, I expect if you went riffing back through history you might well find something similar. This has been written in such a good way the lines between fiction and reality become blurred and you half expect to switch on the news and see the headlines about James scrolling across screen!
It will be a book that stays with me long after completing and gives a lot of food for thought.
Would I recommend this book? 100% Yes! Not to just people who enjoy a good court room trial but to anyone, no matter what their normal genre of books are.
My first read of 2018 and what a way to kick-start the year with, it is a gripping and immersive book that is a definite “Burn the midnight oil” kind of book! But completely worth the loss of sleep 🙂
Set between 1993 Oxford University and London 2017 the story is told from 5 view points, the main ones being Kate, James and Sophie. Kate a QC who specialising in rape trials, James a member of parliament and close friend of the prime minister and Sophie, wife of James and mother to his 2 children. The other people to lend their voices to the narrative of this story are Alison or Ali as she was known at uni and Holly, another class mate from the uni days.
There is a plot twist part way in but I saw that one coming, however that didn’t detract from the enjoyment and adds another layer to the story.
The characters may not be real but they so easily could be and the storyline its self could be real, I expect if you went riffing back through history you might well find something similar. This has been written in such a good way the lines between fiction and reality become blurred and you half expect to switch on the news and see the headlines about James scrolling across screen!
It will be a book that stays with me long after completing and gives a lot of food for thought.
Would I recommend this book? 100% Yes! Not to just people who enjoy a good court room trial but to anyone, no matter what their normal genre of books are.
My first read of 2018 and what a way to kick-start the year with, it is a gripping and immersive book that is a definite “Burn the midnight oil” kind of book! But completely worth the loss of sleep 🙂
Set between 1993 Oxford University and London 2017 the story is told from 5 view points, the main ones being Kate, James and Sophie. Kate a QC who specialising in rape trials, James a member of parliament and close friend of the prime minister and Sophie, wife of James and mother to his 2 children. The other people to lend their voices to the narrative of this story are Alison or Ali as she was known at uni and Holly, another class mate from the uni days.
There is a plot twist part way in but I saw that one coming, however that didn’t detract from the enjoyment and adds another layer to the story.
The characters may not be real but they so easily could be and the storyline its self could be real, I expect if you went riffing back through history you might well find something similar. This has been written in such a good way the lines between fiction and reality become blurred and you half expect to switch on the news and see the headlines about James scrolling across screen!
It will be a book that stays with me long after completing and gives a lot of food for thought.
Would I recommend this book? 100% Yes! Not to just people who enjoy a good court room trial but to anyone, no matter what their normal genre of books are.
Set between 1993 Oxford University and London 2017 the story is told from 5 view points, the main ones being Kate, James and Sophie. Kate a QC who specialising in rape trials, James a member of parliament and close friend of the prime minister and Sophie, wife of James and mother to his 2 children. The other people to lend their voices to the narrative of this story are Alison or Ali as she was known at uni and Holly, another class mate from the uni days.
There is a plot twist part way in but I saw that one coming, however that didn’t detract from the enjoyment and adds another layer to the story.
The characters may not be real but they so easily could be and the storyline its self could be real, I expect if you went riffing back through history you might well find something similar. This has been written in such a good way the lines between fiction and reality become blurred and you half expect to switch on the news and see the headlines about James scrolling across screen!
It will be a book that stays with me long after completing and gives a lot of food for thought.
Would I recommend this book? 100% Yes! Not to just people who enjoy a good court room trial but to anyone, no matter what their normal genre of books are.
Not one of my favourites but not a bad book. I think I was expecting a less obvious plot with “scandal” in the title. The sensitive subject matter of rape was handled well. Interesting enough, found myself skipping some sentences where too much descriptive details were used for settings but that’s just me.