You want to believe your husband. She wants to destroy him. “The courtroom yields high drama, but Vaughan also dives deep into the characters’ backstories–especially the entitled lives of powerful men–creating a nuanced story line perfectly in tune with our #metoo times.”–People, Book of the Week “One of the season’s most buzzed-about thrillers.”–Bookish “A strong choice for book clubs. … thrillers.”–Bookish
“A strong choice for book clubs. Former political correspondent Vaughan makes an impressive debut with this savvy, propulsive courtroom drama.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Vaughan offers gripping insight into a political scandal’s hidden machinations and the tension between justice and privilege…Absorbing, polished.”–Booklist (starred review)
“Skillfully interweaving the story of the unfolding scandal, Vaughan gradually reveals just how shockingly high the stakes are…Sinewy…engrossing, twist-filled.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
An astonishingly incisive and suspenseful novel about a scandal amongst Britain’s privileged elite and the women caught up in its wake.
Sophie’s husband James is a loving father, a handsome man, a charismatic and successful public figure. And yet he stands accused of a terrible crime. Sophie is convinced he is innocent and desperate to protect her precious family from the lies that threaten to rip them apart.
Kate is the lawyer hired to prosecute the case: an experienced professional who knows that the law is all about winning the argument. And yet Kate seeks the truth at all times. She is certain James is guilty and is determined he will pay for his crimes.
Who is right about James? Sophie or Kate? And is either of them informed by anything more than instinct and personal experience? Despite her privileged upbringing, Sophie is well aware that her beautiful life is not inviolable. She has known it since she and James were first lovers, at Oxford, and she witnessed how easily pleasure could tip into tragedy.
Most people would prefer not to try to understand what passes between a man and a woman when they are alone: alone in bed, alone in an embrace, alone in an elevator… Or alone in the moonlit courtyard of an Oxford college, where a girl once stood before a boy, heart pounding with excitement, then fear. Sophie never understood why her tutorial partner Holly left Oxford so abruptly. What would she think, if she knew the truth?more
Good book, lots of characters and a lot of background story. A little hard to keep track of on audiobook and I think I would have enjoyed reading it more than I enjoyed listening. Very entertaining read with good motives and hidden motives galore.
Somewhat entertaining. But too wordy and repetitious.
In this book, nobody is above the law, even a member of parliament accused of rape. I hope the Netflix movie does it justice. Can’t wait to see it!
We are in Sarah Vaughan’s assured hands in this intricate story of a high profile sexual assault court case, the marital crucible of exposed infidelity, and entitled youth getting away with much and hiding more. A true literary thriller.
This book had all the ingredients to keep me hooked. The timing of its publication could hardly have been better as it plays directly into the #metoo movement and shows, only too vividly, the lasting impact of this type of abuse on a woman’s self esteem and ability to form relationships. The characters were well-drawn and convincing even though some of them were the entitled privileged ‘types’ we think we recognise in today’s public life. It was fascinating to get a fictional glimpse inside the heads of such characters whose sense of entitlement is so deeply embedded it skews their whole perspective of other people and the world around them. The plot is sufficiently twisty to keep the reader turning the pages but Vaughan plays fair with her readers (i.e. we are given enough clues to guess the twists but we may or may not do so). Once the reveals are exposed we don’t feel cheated. One thing that irked me (and this is no fault of the author as she simply exposed it, if it is true) and that was the old-fashioned ‘motivation’ given to posh, rich girl, Sophie (wife of politician, James) and her ilk in apparently going to Oxbridge to take a degree in a soft subject with the sole motivation of meeting a posh, rich husband and posh, rich, influential friends and with little intention of working at all, less still in an area that is of any use to society. People like the fictional Sophie are blocking places in top universities that could be given to more deserving, hard working students who weren’t born with a silver spoon and might actually do something worthwhile with their expensive education. If that still holds true – that really is a scandal!
With Sarah Vaughan’s new book soon to come out, I thought I’d review Anatomy of a Scandal. I was so impressed with the writing. Vaughan is a natural with flowing narrative and combines it with a plot that has inner drive and the wort of twisty-turny plot that keeps the pages turning late into the night. Deserved all the early praise it got. Some unique world building too, often underwritten in modern thrillers. Really classy piece of writing.
I couldn’t put down this courtroom drama centred on a Tory politician’s rape trial. Wronged women and entitled egotistical men. A page-turning tale of revenge and justice
With a Westminster sex scandal as its backdrop, this book starts slowly but is worth the wait as the story’s pull gradually became inexorable.
Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan
2017
Received as ARC from publishers via NetGalley for review.
What constitutes a scandal? Usually, there are several conflicting views of the same story. What makes one person a more reliable source than another? In this novel, the actions of an Oxford educated politician in Britain’s Parliament are being scrutinized. James was raised in a wealthy privileged family which fostered his perception of accountability. Consequently, he has to defend himself against a prosecutor with a big chip on her shoulder. The prosecutor, Kate, had struggled to be a successful barrister defending innocent victims despite her unfortunate past. The story unfolds through alternating POV including, Sophie, the dedicated spouse of James. Like James, Sophie was raised with opportunities and wealth which jaded her view of reality.
This is a well written book which raises questions regarding how well do we truly know other people including those closest to us? There are many layers and opinions regarding a truth that might otherwise seem obvious. I don’t like giving spoilers so I will just add that often even the truth isn’t necessarily the true story. It is interesting how different people can experience the same situation yet arrive at a completely different and opposing conclusion.
I enjoyed the suspense and well developed characters. Like most scandalous stories there will always be people who strive to seek the truth at any cost. Sometimes, these people can be admired or criticized for their cunning approach in the sake of the truth.
Anatomy of a Scandal is not for everybody, it has certain “experiences” that can bother some sensible people.
Being said that, Anatomy of a Scandal is a book that will make you eager to continue reading, it will play with your mind on who you should believe and what really happened.
For me, at the beginning it was a little slow, no getting why different POV’s but as you read the book everything starts to make sense.
The story is good, the characters too but my favorite without doubt is Sophie, the new Sophie and not the one from college. This Sophie realizes what she truly deserves and what not, and loved that she was strong for her and her family.
When you start reading, you start to make your assumptions but nothing is decided until you read the last word.
This book has zero romance, so if you think you will find something of that, no, this book is about knowing the people how they really are, and finding the truth in a world where money and power is everything.
In this work Sarah Vaughan has pinpointed the sense of entitlement and privilege assumed by some young men of the upper-middle class in England. Wealthy parents, a major public school, Oxford or Cambridge; have the time of your life and to hell with the consequences – a hand-full of large denomination notes will usually calm troubled waters and, where that fails, brazen lies and solidarity from your chums will do it! Of course, this is not a uniquely English phenomenon; men of all ages, around the world may be similarly guilty. All too often, however, it is young women who are the victims of their barbaric behavior. In Anatomy of a Scandal we spend some time with a group of women who are living with the consequences of precisely this kind of conduct. The novel is well paced with plenty to keep the heart pumping and the pages turning. The characters are well drawn and the plot sufficiently intricate to provide unexpected twists, without ever becoming convoluted.
his took awhile for me to get into but once I did it unfolded beautifully. It read more like a mystery to me. The plot was well developed as were the characters although I admit I was not overly fond of them. I loved to hate some of the characters in this book. I did have a hard time getting through some parts of this book but it was a solid read for me. It really brings into question how much would you cover up and or stand by your spouse if you think or know that they are guilty of an awful crime.
James was not one of my favorite characters and I thought Sophie needed a backbone at times. The writing was superb, the plot did keep me interested and on my toes. I look forward to this authors next book.