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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
Nothing really wrong with this, I just had a bunch of other books I wanted to read first and lost interest in it.
A decent novel of suspense & the lies we tell ourselves in marriage. The ending was a bit anti-climatic, but a book I tore through because I wanted to know what the big secret was & what would happen to the characters. This is supposed to be coming to Netflix, not sure if its a series or movie, but I'll definitely check it out.
I picked up this book by chance at a book sale at the start of this year; no idea what to expect other than it would be a court room drama. What a book! Vaughan's writing quietly, deftly takes you through the halls of Oxford into the corridors of Westminster and into the dock of the Old Bailey and smack-bang into one of the best books about rape culture that I have ever read. Setting the tale in the privileged colleges of Oxford and the Houses of Parliament, you can't help but notice the metaphor for power and control.
Anatomy of a Scandal follows Kate, a successful barrister prosecuting a case against James, a charismatic and popular MP accused of rape by a junior assistant, and Sophie, the loving, loyal wife of James and keeper of his darkest secret. I found the voices of these two women deeply compelling, each in pursuit of 'the truth', even if it could prove damaging to them both. I also found it interesting that we only hear from the victim in the case in the witness stand, we find out along with the jury her testimony and listen with interest when James gives his account of events. The novel contains a few unexpected turns, which I felt were completely believable for the characters and in moving the story forward.
Looking forward to reading more by this author!
Anatomy of a Scandal follows Kate, a successful barrister prosecuting a case against James, a charismatic and popular MP accused of rape by a junior assistant, and Sophie, the loving, loyal wife of James and keeper of his darkest secret. I found the voices of these two women deeply compelling, each in pursuit of 'the truth', even if it could prove damaging to them both. I also found it interesting that we only hear from the victim in the case in the witness stand, we find out along with the jury her testimony and listen with interest when James gives his account of events. The novel contains a few unexpected turns, which I felt were completely believable for the characters and in moving the story forward.
Looking forward to reading more by this author!
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've lost count of the amount of amazing reviews I've seen about Anatomy Of A Scandal from my wonderful fellow bloggers. And guess what? They were all right! This is a fantastic novel that melds contemporary fiction with mystery and a legal thriller in a perfect way. This combined with some hard-hitting issues and intriguing characters produces a novel that is not only incredibly relevant and timely but difficult to tear yourself away from and I must have gobbled it up in less than two days as I found once I started, I definitely didn't want to stop. This book rightly deserves all the acclaim it is getting and I feel my job now in this review is to get as many of you to read it (who haven't already done so) as possible so you can all discover the powerhouse that is Sarah Vaughan.
Told from a number of different perspectives this is the story of a wife, Sophie and her husband, James, a politician and close friend of the Prime Minister. They met at Oxford University where they formed a fleeting relationship then re-connect later on in life, marry and have two children. Their relationship has been tested at times but Sophie now fully believes that they have a strong, loving partnership that absolutely nothing can shake. She is wrong. When he is accused of a terrible crime and protests his innocence, their whole world is rocked irrevocably. Of course, Sophie trusts her husband implicitly and stands by him through a horrendous trial situation but as more details of the incident come to light from the woman accusing him, she begins to question everything. We also hear from the brilliant Kate, who is prosecuting James' case and determined to get a guilty verdict for him, whatever the cost.
This novel jumps across time-lines from the present situation that all parties find themselves in to their past experiences in the world of Oxford University where the rich and privileged seem to get away with anything as long as they have enough money, prestige and connections to make the situation go away. I loved how this was a eye-opening reflection on scandals we have heard about, particularly politically (and across the globe, not necessarily in Britain) in recent years where if you have power, the world is your oyster no matter how badly you might behave.
I was shocked to realise that the exclusive club at Oxford that Sarah Vaughan writes about, where the young men go around, getting horrifically drunk, wrecking restaurants and then settling the bill for the damage at the end of the night IS an actual thing and indeed, some of our illustrious leaders in the country at the moment were part of this club. There's also the very timely issues of sexual abuse/rape and how this is treated in the courtroom and by a jury i.e. "was she asking for it?" and the real fact that convictions for this crime are so staggeringly awful. There is no doubt that change needs to happen.
This is such a brilliant novel, for all of these above reasons and also because you really feel each character is so beautifully written, you could almost know them inside out. They could be a family member, your best friend, your colleague from work etc. However, even though I felt like I connected intimately with some of these characters, and knew what they might do, particularly Kate and Sophie at points, Sarah Vaughan is not shy of throwing a few spanners in the works and there are some fantastic twists to the tale that you just won't see coming. I'd love to chat more about this novel in the comments so if you've read and loved this please tell me what you loved the most and if you haven't read it yet, tell me when you're going to start reading it! You just have to. It's that good.
For my full review and many more, please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
Told from a number of different perspectives this is the story of a wife, Sophie and her husband, James, a politician and close friend of the Prime Minister. They met at Oxford University where they formed a fleeting relationship then re-connect later on in life, marry and have two children. Their relationship has been tested at times but Sophie now fully believes that they have a strong, loving partnership that absolutely nothing can shake. She is wrong. When he is accused of a terrible crime and protests his innocence, their whole world is rocked irrevocably. Of course, Sophie trusts her husband implicitly and stands by him through a horrendous trial situation but as more details of the incident come to light from the woman accusing him, she begins to question everything. We also hear from the brilliant Kate, who is prosecuting James' case and determined to get a guilty verdict for him, whatever the cost.
This novel jumps across time-lines from the present situation that all parties find themselves in to their past experiences in the world of Oxford University where the rich and privileged seem to get away with anything as long as they have enough money, prestige and connections to make the situation go away. I loved how this was a eye-opening reflection on scandals we have heard about, particularly politically (and across the globe, not necessarily in Britain) in recent years where if you have power, the world is your oyster no matter how badly you might behave.
I was shocked to realise that the exclusive club at Oxford that Sarah Vaughan writes about, where the young men go around, getting horrifically drunk, wrecking restaurants and then settling the bill for the damage at the end of the night IS an actual thing and indeed, some of our illustrious leaders in the country at the moment were part of this club. There's also the very timely issues of sexual abuse/rape and how this is treated in the courtroom and by a jury i.e. "was she asking for it?" and the real fact that convictions for this crime are so staggeringly awful. There is no doubt that change needs to happen.
This is such a brilliant novel, for all of these above reasons and also because you really feel each character is so beautifully written, you could almost know them inside out. They could be a family member, your best friend, your colleague from work etc. However, even though I felt like I connected intimately with some of these characters, and knew what they might do, particularly Kate and Sophie at points, Sarah Vaughan is not shy of throwing a few spanners in the works and there are some fantastic twists to the tale that you just won't see coming. I'd love to chat more about this novel in the comments so if you've read and loved this please tell me what you loved the most and if you haven't read it yet, tell me when you're going to start reading it! You just have to. It's that good.
For my full review and many more, please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
Anatomy of a Scandal is a multi-perspective, dual timeline, courtroom drama surrounding James Whitehouse, a man who holds a lot of power in the House of Commons in British parliament. James Whitehouse has been arrested and charged with the rape of a colleague who he has been having an affair with for a number of months. The story is told from the perspective of James, his wife Sophie, and the prosecutor Kate in the present day storyline, and we also see James, Sophie, and Holly's perspective from 20 years prior during their college years.
I was deeply interested in the plot of the story and trying to connect all the pieces, and I thought about the story a lot after laying the book down. But, I think that's the majority of the reason I liked this novel at all. The plot is gripping and realistic and the "boys will be boys" mentality and attitude that is portrayed resonated deeply as it mirrors a lot of the discourse we see in today's society.
On a different note, it was difficult to attach to many of the characters, espically James and Sophie. Both of their mindsets are very aged and backwards. James is a man who views women as the supporting roles in his life. The way he treats women and speaks of them was something I found hard to get over. And likewise, Sophie for the majority of the story, played into the ways of the supportive wife who would never leave her husband's side and couldn't ever imagine him capable of an act such as this and she easily dismissed the concerns and fears of other women and that made it extremely difficult to read her perspectives. Kate and Holly's perspectives were much easier to read and enjoy and they were the only thing that really kept me reading, other than wanting to find out the verdict in the case.
The pacing of the story is a little strange as well. I found the first third of the novel confusing to a point as I wasn't sure how any of the perspectives (1993 to 2017) were connected and on where I should have been focusing. The middle third was the best as it was filled with courtroom drama and raw emotion and those chapters just flew by with gripping execution. The final third took an unexpected turn and it felt as if it was a different story with a much different focus which made the novel as a whole feel a little incomplete.
Overall, Anatomy of a Scandal was a gripping and realistic tale of people (particularly men) in positions of power, who tend to abuse that power without fear of consequences because of how comfortable they are in their roles. An enjoyable read that just left me wanting a little more.
I was deeply interested in the plot of the story and trying to connect all the pieces, and I thought about the story a lot after laying the book down. But, I think that's the majority of the reason I liked this novel at all. The plot is gripping and realistic and the "boys will be boys" mentality and attitude that is portrayed resonated deeply as it mirrors a lot of the discourse we see in today's society.
On a different note, it was difficult to attach to many of the characters, espically James and Sophie. Both of their mindsets are very aged and backwards. James is a man who views women as the supporting roles in his life. The way he treats women and speaks of them was something I found hard to get over. And likewise, Sophie for the majority of the story, played into the ways of the supportive wife who would never leave her husband's side and couldn't ever imagine him capable of an act such as this and she easily dismissed the concerns and fears of other women and that made it extremely difficult to read her perspectives. Kate and Holly's perspectives were much easier to read and enjoy and they were the only thing that really kept me reading, other than wanting to find out the verdict in the case.
The pacing of the story is a little strange as well. I found the first third of the novel confusing to a point as I wasn't sure how any of the perspectives (1993 to 2017) were connected and on where I should have been focusing. The middle third was the best as it was filled with courtroom drama and raw emotion and those chapters just flew by with gripping execution. The final third took an unexpected turn and it felt as if it was a different story with a much different focus which made the novel as a whole feel a little incomplete.
Overall, Anatomy of a Scandal was a gripping and realistic tale of people (particularly men) in positions of power, who tend to abuse that power without fear of consequences because of how comfortable they are in their roles. An enjoyable read that just left me wanting a little more.
There were bits of this, during the court case, where I was on the edge of my seat, so tense, willing it to go the right way - was so well done. Although it was a fictional case, the scraps that I think are probably all too realistic - the women ignored during rape and sexual assault cases, how few of them get brought to court, and the discomfort of female lawyers defending the accused (often guilty) men just felt very uncomfortable - though I suppose that was the point. It was hard to say I enjoyed this book, because I didn’t, it made me furious, sad, disgusted, angry and a real discomfort about it all - but, again, I think that was the point.
Couldn't put it down! Brilliantly paced, woven with heartbreaking scenes. Sad it's over!
Highly addictive & gripping read, I honestly couldn't read it fast enough! I did find the first half more gripping, while the characters build & you sense the twist coming & then, there it is!
Brilliantly written, Anatomy of a Scandal does make you feel on edge, especially when you take an instant dislike to James & want him to receive the come-uppance he deserves. You also find yourself having some contempt for his wife, is she really going to stick by him after what she's learned?
I do love a good court room drama & this didn't disappoint. There is so much more to it than that though - the intricacies of marriage & dealing with suffering you've been unable to share with others.
Recommended.
Brilliantly written, Anatomy of a Scandal does make you feel on edge, especially when you take an instant dislike to James & want him to receive the come-uppance he deserves. You also find yourself having some contempt for his wife, is she really going to stick by him after what she's learned?
I do love a good court room drama & this didn't disappoint. There is so much more to it than that though - the intricacies of marriage & dealing with suffering you've been unable to share with others.
Recommended.