Author: Sarah Vaughan
ISBN: 9781471165009
RRP: $29.99
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
Anatomy of A Scandal is the first of the January titles that went on the list and it is one that I am looking forward to reading.
Family holidays mean I have had very little time to read and even less to review so I am very far behind and not looking like catching up anytime soon; so I am still looking at short posts that our readers can leave their reviews on and I will review separately later.
Anatomy of a Scandal is the third book by Sarah Vaughan and it promises a taut and suspenseful tale of power and privilege.
A husband accused of a terrible crime is at the centre of a drama that will rock Westminster; his wife on one side determined to have faith in his innocence and the prosecutor on the other side equally as determined to see justice done.
Early reviews are making this one crawl closer to the top of the pile, but many are also a little spoilerish so I won’t go into it. This is a tale with multiple perspectives and multiple timelines which tells me there will also be some sneaky twists that pull things together.
Anatomy of a Scandal is quite topical at the moment with scandals rocking Hollywood and wreaking havoc on lives and careers. We are finally at a point where we, as a society, have decided that enough is enough. It doesn’t matter how rich, charming and good looking you are, it matters that you do the right thing by people.
I look forward to hearing what our readers have to say.
Sarah Vaughan can be found on her Website, Twitter and Facebook.
Anatomy of a Scandal is published by Simon & Schuster and is available through Angus & Robertson Bookworld, Booktopia and where all good books are sold.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster a selection of our Beauty and Lace Club members will be reading Anatomy of a Scandal so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
Anatomy of a scandal is a story that is centered around a court case that is told from different characters points of views. This can be confusing and at times I did have to go back and check the character’s chapter and also the year as the story tends to go back and forwards from past to present. This book does start off slow and it did take me awhile to get into. I found the further I got into the book the more I began to enjoy it and also not want to put it down. Without giving too much away, the author does a great job at writing about a ‘topical’ subject and showing how these events can change and affect so many peoples lives. Once I got to know each of the characters I liked how the story did change from different character perspectives and you do find that you do enjoy getting to know the characters throughout the story.
This book does focus on dark scandals, as mentioned above, such as rape, drugs, power and at times can be quiet confronting, especially if you can connect with any of these themes.
I found this book an easy read, a great book to read over summer when relaxing by the pool or each night before bed.
Thank you Beauty and Lace Book Club and Simon & Schuster Australia for this reading opportunity.
Kate Woodcroft is a criminal barrister specialising is sex crimes. She likes to think that she stays detached from the cases that she handles but when she is given the case of a high profile politician accused of rape she cannot help but become totally consumed.
Anatomy of a Scandal is a character driven story of privilege and power. The story jumps back and forward in time filling in more details as the plot progresses. Told in multiple POV’s the puzzle is slowly pieced together giving more insight into each characters motivations.
My reading time is full of interruption so I found it hard to really get into the story. It focuses heavily on character development and as I guessed the twist quite early in the book I got easily bored and was constantly sidetracked.
Maybe another day, another time I would think this book brilliant and I can see why some gave it great reviews but I couldn’t get into the story. It was difficult to read due to the multiple date changes and the number of POV’s.
Anatomy of a Scandal is powerful and thought provoking; a timely story that I am sure will be a huge success.
Content: frequent coarse language, rape, drug use.
Anatomy of a Scandal is a well written book centred around a case that Kate Woodcroft is prosecuting.
Jumping between characters and different periods of time, the author was able to allow the reader insight into what drives each character and gain an appreciation for their actions.
An enjoyable and easy read, looking forward to reading more from Sarah Vaughan.
I bought this book on the basis of the reviews I reading I was not disappointed!
The stories of Kate and Sophie make for compelling reading and the mystery of what happened all those years ago and the crime that happens now and linked in ways we cannot imagine.
The characters are so true to life – the thoughts and reactions ring so true and the intersection with James is intriguing!
Highly recommended!
I really thought I would like this book, it ticked all the boxes for me, but for some reason I failed to get in to this one, but I think it may be as it is a bit close to some things in my own life, so I put it down in the middle section. The book is dramatically written, and clever as it is easy to read by weaves characters and some more complex story lines together. I see from the other reviews that I am in a minority and so don’t be put off, it must just be me!
You cannot help but be drawn into this drama- I can see it would make an awesome TV series if the plot is unwound slowly, lots of cliff hangers and tension, characters to trust and distrust and then change your mind. Very accessible but keeps you guessing and wanting to know what actually went on and who we should be supporting. I would say 4 stars.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Australia and Beauty and Lace for giving me the opportunity to review Anatomy of a Scandal, written by Sarah Vaughan.
This was the first novel of Sarah’s I had read, I initially found the story a bit hard to get into as I found it overly discriptive and the beginning chapters a bit slow to gain momentum but found the book enjoyable once the story started to come together.
I felt invested in the story due to feeling hurt for the wife Sophie who is grappling with what her husband did and not trusting the husband James at all. I felt the story line was very powerful especially with what we are currently seeing in society with men in positions of power and the good old boys club that can exist.
The additional element of Kate the Lawyer who takes on the career making case is powerful, she is obsessed with it.
Then we have Holly a character from their Uni days that is intertwined into the story.
It makes for an enjoyable piece of fiction that is a must read, modern with a touch of scandal and drama.
Anatomy Of A Scandal by Sarah Vaughan is a courtroom drama/thriller that had me hooked right from the beginning.
The story initially begins with our introduction to Kate Woodcroft, a barrister who has been assigned to prosecute James Whitehorse, a junior member off Government who has been accused of a very serious crime.
The story/chapters alternate between characters as well as the past and present giving us insight into what each character is thinking and feeling. Sophie, James’ wife, is distraught and believes in her husband’s innocence . Kate, on the other hand, believes he is guilty. Themes of harassment and privilege, as well as Sarah Vaughan’s clear and unquestionable knowledge of political drama /scandal, she was a former political correspondent, make this book very authentic and topical. Especially with current events in the media and the world. It is a gripping drama that compels you to read till the very end to find out the truth. Is Sophie right, is James innocent? Or is there more to this than even she could have ever imagined?
This is definitely a fantastic read!
Thank you Beauty and Lace and Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.
Once again many thanks to Beauty & Lace Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to review this book Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan
I too found this book very hard to get into with a slow start but perseverance paid off & I was totally captured by the overall storyline with many twists & turns
Without giving any thing away on one side we have James the government minister & wife Sophie versus Kate the prosecutor of the case against James then we have Holly from the past uni days as I said so many twists & turns
I just recommend patience at the beginning will reveal a very intriguing story that I think people will enjoy
Thankyou for allowing me to read this book. I don,t normally like stories that jump back and forth in time but in this case was relevant. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I actually guessed the twist at the end. I felt desperately sorry for the wife and didn,t have much sympathy for the husband.It is good that the wife had a best friend to turn to and help her through this scandal.It was a good read and I couldn,t put the book down.