Reviews with content warning for Rape - Anatomy of a Scandal

Anatomy of a Scandal is the story of a court case for a British politician charged with raping a young female staff member sometime after he ended the affair they were having. It is told primarily from the perspective of Kate, the prosecutor, and his wife, Sarah. There are also flashback scenes to the university years of Holly, who at one stage shared tutorials with Sarah. The way these two storylines came together was one of the weak points of the novel for me. While I understand the motivation behind the decision, it felt a little forced and artificial not to mention a little too risky and implausible. What I did enjoy were the courtroom scenes - I’m a sucker for a good courtroom drama. The contrast between Kate’s perspective and that of Sarah was well done and kept my interest high, trying to ascertain whose view of James was correct - although I was pretty sure I already knew the answer. I also enjoyed the portrayal of Sarah and her evolution - both the way she stood by her man despite the stress the trial placed on her and her children, as well as the way she then slowly began to question what she thought she knew, and to recognise signs she had been previously ignoring. And I loved the ending. ***Spoilers ahead***Who doesn’t love an entitled rich white man finally getting held to account for at least some of his actions and having to face consequences he considered himself immune from? Especially when he is taken down by someone he would probably have never suspected.

Content Warnings

bookishpip's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

ksukainahusain's review

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A

5.0

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