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A review by meghan_readsbooks
Reputation by Sarah Vaughan
5.0
I just finished listening to the audiobook Anatomy of a Scandal from Sarah Vaughan when I got the chance to review Reputation, her forthcoming novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the copy of this book.
Ms Vaughan has a talent for highlighting the underbelly of not just political lives but of many adult lives. Ms. Vaughan also again shows strengths in highlighting why we must have awareness of women's lives as seen in the public lens and how the media, and general public, is often attached to one narrative, one that lacks nuance and does not offer room for explanation, insight, or flexibility (this is seen when the Emma, main character, a new MP, is thrust into a media frenzy when a dead body is found in her house.
I love that this book has strong women and blurry/morally grey areas; I am all in for women being able to pursue positions of power and leadership and to make their experiences their complicated, messy, and filled with questionable experiences and decisions. It was hard, but real and relatable, to see a character with confidence, and to earn a position of leadership and power, become less than confident, to be hurt and impugned by media attacks and online trolls.
This is a book filled with strong suspense as well and well executed twists and turns. The execution of this plot is well done, I was really engaged not just in Emma's story but also in how it was shared and revealed; the narrative was for me compelling and well paced. I like the balance of plot driven narrative with strong character development, I felt as though I had a strong grounding in Emma as a character but also in how Emma was treated and how we got to a satisfying resolution.
This is a book with a lot of payoff and also a lot of discussion potential. I am definitely a fan of Ms. Vaughan's work and her storytelling!
Ms Vaughan has a talent for highlighting the underbelly of not just political lives but of many adult lives. Ms. Vaughan also again shows strengths in highlighting why we must have awareness of women's lives as seen in the public lens and how the media, and general public, is often attached to one narrative, one that lacks nuance and does not offer room for explanation, insight, or flexibility (this is seen when the Emma, main character, a new MP, is thrust into a media frenzy when a dead body is found in her house.
I love that this book has strong women and blurry/morally grey areas; I am all in for women being able to pursue positions of power and leadership and to make their experiences their complicated, messy, and filled with questionable experiences and decisions. It was hard, but real and relatable, to see a character with confidence, and to earn a position of leadership and power, become less than confident, to be hurt and impugned by media attacks and online trolls.
This is a book filled with strong suspense as well and well executed twists and turns. The execution of this plot is well done, I was really engaged not just in Emma's story but also in how it was shared and revealed; the narrative was for me compelling and well paced. I like the balance of plot driven narrative with strong character development, I felt as though I had a strong grounding in Emma as a character but also in how Emma was treated and how we got to a satisfying resolution.
This is a book with a lot of payoff and also a lot of discussion potential. I am definitely a fan of Ms. Vaughan's work and her storytelling!