Member Reviews

My Takeaway

Anatomy of a Scandal is full of courtroom drama -- the British way. I feel this book resonates and is relevant to the #MeToo movement currently taking place. Sadly, too often men in influential positions abuse their power and take advantage of others. With Anatomy of a Scandal, Vaughan delivers an intelligent and realistic novel. I do feel the pace of the book is a bit slow, but I still found myself wanting to read well into the night. The novel is well written and I like Vaughan presents the different perspectives of the main characters. All in all a worthy courtroom drama with a solid plot.

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The Abuses of Privilege

Sophie and James were college sweethearts at Oxford. Now married, they have two adorable children; James is a successful junior minister; Sophie is the perfect wife, but they can’t escape the secrets of the past.

James is accused of raping his research assistant, Olivia. They were having a brief affair, but this time he didn’t listen when she told him to stop, or did she say it? Kate Wodehouse is a barrister who specializes in rape cases. She believes Olivia and hopes to make James pay the price.

The case goes to trial. Each actor in the drama sees their own version of the truth. No matter the outcome, it will affect their lives more than they realize.

The book is a legal thriller, but relies heavily on character development. The story is told in alternating chapters from the point of view of each character. Kate is a driven barrister who needs to win. She particularly needs to win this case. Although she appears hard-boiled, underneath she has a secret that keeps her isolated from emotional contact.

Sophie believes she has it all, lovely children, a handsome, successful husband, and wealth. She has always believed that she deserved what she has, but when her husband is accused of rape, she if faced with the uncomfortable fact that her life has a darkness underlying the beauty.

James grew up with privilege. He believes he deserves his life. People are there to help him and allow him to do what he wants. He charms them into becoming his enablers.

The is a brilliantly done study. The characters are real. I particularly liked Kate. She struggles with her secret, but is committed to the truth. Sophie is a weaker character. She wants to believe in the perfection of her life and has trouble accepting the fact that her husband is not who she believed he was. She wants to stand by James, but has trouble living up to her ideals.

James is not a likable character. He is self-absorbed and believes his charm should get him whatever he wants.

I highly recommend this book. It’s a good legal thriller, but the trial isn’t the end of the story. The characters must come to terms with the result and the twist at the ends is a surprise.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

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What a timely book this is! The subject matter is serious and a topic that is being discussed everywhere today. The tight and precise writing lend an edge to this legal thriller that keeps the reader engaged even after much of the mystery has been guessed.

An enjoyable read

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An Anatomy of a Scandal is a captivating read that could not be a more timely release in our current political climate. While reading it, I felt like I was reading a story that could have been taken straight from any of today's headlines with all the scandals and accusations occurring right now. In this case, it is not just he said-she said, but how much power, high profile, and prestige allows you to get away with. 

Sarah Vaughan has crafted a highly intelligent, well-written legal thriller that explores matters of privilege, high profile, the question of consent, secrets, lies, and intrigue. The writing is brilliant, and I cannot give enough credit to Vaughan for the intricate details in the book about the British judicial system, and it is here where her experience as a journalist and political correspondent truly shines with the authenticity of her novel. At times the legalize in the book was a lot, and I can see how that along with how procedural the book is could lose some reader's attention. However, since I love legal procedural books and television, I enjoyed it quite a bit, and I think the way she includes that information really set the stage for the entire premise of the story, which really felt at times like being right in the midst of a suspenseful, jaw-dropping courtroom drama. 

For you high octane thrill readers, this will likely not be the book for you since this is not a fast-paced suspense but a slow burning character driven novel. Instead of hard twists and turns, it teases and plays with the reader with many gripping reveals and stunning layers upon layers as each chapter is told in alternating perspectives from either Sophie, the wife convinced of her husband's innocence, Kate the Queen's Court barrister (lawyer) almost obsessed and determined to see James prosecuted and James, the Member of Parliament accused of raping the coworker with whom he'd had a brief affair. Then in flashbacks to James and Sophie's university days at Oxford, we hear Holly's POV, a friend of Sophie's who abruptly left school with no explanation. The multiple POVs and flashbacks from the present to the past are extremely well done and are not at all confusing like some novels with too many POVs or flashbacks. Instead, this way of telling the story pushes the character development and really helps you understand how everyone is affected by the accusations made against James and to what extent the lies have been told and the secrets been hidden.

While this book will not be for every type of reader, it certainly is a book you will not want to miss if you love a good drama, fabulous writing, excellent characters, and a plot that is very, unfortunately, relevant for today. I look forward to more from Sarah Vaughan in the future!

**Thank you, NetGalley, Atria Books, and Sarah Vaughan for an ARC copy in exchange for my fair and honest review.**

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A well written exploration of how an incident of sexual abuse impacted various women through out their lives. Some of the coincidences are a bit far fetched, but overall, the book is nuanced and the characters are well drawn. It's popular fiction with an important theme.

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Anatomy of a Scandal is a timely book (privilege, abuse of power, scandal, ego) and got a fair amount of pre-publication hype. While I expected the story to be fascinating, the telling of it fell flat. It reads easily, but is predictable and lacks subtlety and nuance in the serious issues it addresses. Every character is a cliche. By the second half, I was skimming just to see what would happen (nothing particularly interesting did).

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Unfortunately, Anatomy of a Scandal did not work out well for me and I will not be posting a review to my blog site or on social media; it could have been an issue of timing on my part, perhaps I was unable to focus, but I had a tough time staying engaged with the story line and did not continue reading after the 55% mark. I think that Vaughan's writing is great; the story fell flat after the beginning and I found myself less and less attracted to the prospect of picking up this book to find out where the story would go.

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Sarah Vaughan's ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL is stellar - brilliantly written, utterly compelling, and completely timely. This is destined to be one of the best books of the year and is particularly impressive coming from a debut. I absolutely cannot wait to see what Vaughan has in store for us next.

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"Anatomy of a Scandal” is a remarkably timely story of an alleged rape, the victim, the perpetrator, the wife and family and several other closely involved people. It deals with the troubling issues of privilege and power, and how they can lead to abuse. This book could have been titled #metoo, as Sarah Vaughan takes a unique perspective on a “he said”/“she said” legal case.

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3.5 stars -
The great thing about a well written suspense novel is that you get into all the twists and turns. This book is broken into different points of view as well as different time frames.

We meet the characters in present day and at college years in the past. We get involved with them and learn all of their secrets that are eeked out, a bit at a time.

The author did a very good job developing her characters and creating personalities that caused us to make a decision whether we like them or not. Whether are they were believable to us or not. Whether other people believe them or not.

I’m not sure what it was about the story, but I was not overly connected to any one character. I was also looking for more to the story, especially surrounding the attorney. I’m not going to give any spoilers here, but I just wanted more.

This is a solid read with a good amount of suspense and a well thought out plot. I love the legal aspect as it was interesting and engaging, but I felt like a great opportunity had been missed as far as turning the tables one or two more times.

This is the first book I have read by Sarah Vaughan and it was quite enjoyable. I would definitely read another by her.

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This was a solid mystery/suspense novel. It started a little slow for me and took me a bit to get into as I started to get used to the author’s writing style, as well as some of the legal language since it does take place in London. Once I got into this book though, I couldn’t put it down! I really wanted to know the true connection between the present time and the flashbacks to 1993, and what the end of the case was going to be. I would definitely consider picking up other books by this author.

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This book held my attention completely. The husband was a true cad but felt badly for his family.
It also was a lesson in how the English judicial system works.





the English judicial system.

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Well done! There's a neat twist about half way through this legal thriller that will upend what you've thought was going on. James is on trial for the rape of a woman who worked for him at Parliament. He's always been a golden boy and, until now, his wife Sophie thought so too. Kate is a tough prosecutor with a single friend, Ali. Keep in mind that this is set in the UK so the legal terminology and procedure are a bit different but the ethics are not. The story is told going back and forth in time - Oxford in the 1990s and London in 2016. All in all, it's a very good read. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. (and btw, LOVED James' mother's name :).

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Sophie has been married to James for years. He’s a successful public figure. She stays at home and cares for their two children. On the outside, they live a charmed life, as part of Britain’s elite society.

Until James is accused of a horrible crime.

Sophie has protected James since college, and is determined to stand by his side as he faces the lies hurled at him now. Then Sophie realizes James’ story doesn’t quite add up, leaving her to question her husband’s version of the truth.

Kate is the lawyer prosecuting James. She knows the only way to win a case is to win the argument. And Kate is determined to win this argument. She believes James is guilty, believes it with knowledge born of experience, and she will stop at nothing to make the truth known.

Anatomy of a Scandal is told in alternating viewpoints and times, with the present-day storyline entwined with the relevant events from college. I have to be honest: while I felt sorry for Sophie and Kate both, I didn’t actually like any of the characters in this novel. James is horrible: elitist, privileged, arrogant. I knew I wouldn’t like him. But I expected to feel more than sympathy for the female characters. The unfolding of the trial and the college-era timeline was very well-done, but my dislike of the characters colored my perceptions of the book. This is definitely a personal preference, and not an indicator of the book itself.

(Galley provided by Atria Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

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Anatomy of a Scandal is such a relevant book with all of the sexual misconduct scandals going on in the world right now. This book is set in London with alternating views between mostly Kate (a lawyer) and Sophie (the wife). Sophie's husband James is accused of raping Olivia, a woman that he had been having an affair with. Sophie is torn and isn't sure whether her husband is guilty or innocent, but as his wife, she wants to stand behind him as much as possible, mostly due to their 2 kids and protecting them from the scandal their father has brought on.

Then we also see Kate's perspective as they prosecuting lawyer in the case against James. It appears Kate somehow has a personal connection to the case, which is slowly revealed.

This book is slow, but I felt engaged with the characters and all the drama happening in their lives. I didn't like any of the characters as they were all flawed in some ways, but I enjoyed how the author was able to draw the reader into their lives from each perspective. I don't think anything big was truly revealed at the end, but it definitely shows how a scandal can be portrayed by different parties, as well as the media. This was a good read, however, not a nail biting thriller like I really enjoy.

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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.

My Thoughts: Eager to read this story that could have been grabbed from today’s headlines, I began Anatomy of a Scandal with some idea of what would unfold.

Our alternating narrators take us from the present to the past, to a time when youth and bad choices set the tone for what would come next in the lives of these elite characters.

Setting in the past: Oxford University, with entitled students, mixed in with a handful of scholarship recipients. 1993 was a year that stood out for a number of reasons, and those secrets will stay in the past until something that happens in the present yanks them forward.

Did James rape his colleague? Or was it a misunderstanding between two lovers? What long term pattern of being “flexible” with the truth might be relevant in the present? What will Sophie realize about her husband, and how long will she stay loyal?

What, if anything, is the past connection between Kate Woodcroft, the barrister in James’s case, and James and Sophie? How will Kate handle the delicacy of her situation? What will Sophie finally acknowledge? How does the longstanding friendship between James and Tom, his boss, inform the dynamics in the present?

Issues of consent are basic to the case before the Court and to this story…while the existence of secrets, lies, and a feeling of being untouchable will ultimately change the course of all their lives, since nothing stays buried forever. 5 stars.

***I received this e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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High expectations can, just sometimes, bring disappointment – but my goodness, most definitely not with this one. It takes a very special book to make you live entirely within it for the days that you are reading – when the situations and characters become totally real to you, when you turn on the TV news expecting the day’s events to be one of the night’s opening features. The impeccable research – the court processes and procedures, life in the palace of Westminster, the privileged lifestyle of rich kids at Oxford in the story’s earlier timeframe – is used quite perfectly, breathing life into every scene. The characters are real, people you recognise – the politician with his supreme self confidence and ready smile (and the host of other expressions to fit the circumstances), the loyal wife at his side (or maybe slightly in his wake), the manipulators of people that surround him. James dazzles at his every appearance – magnetic in the way he draws your eye, but also repulsive in so many other ways.

But it’s the women in this story that fascinated me the most. The barrister, Kate, is a wonderful creation – you share her public and private moments, and really feel for her as she bends her every effort to bringing down a man she knows in her heart to be guilty. And James’ wife Sophie – her journey is compelling as she moves on from the initial betrayal to absolute belief in her husband’s innocence, then through agonies of questions and doubt, all in the public eye. Lesser female characters are superbly drawn too – James’ accuser Olivia (particularly in the witness box), her loyal friend who urged her to initiate proceedings and is just magnificent in her court appearance, Kate’s friend and her moral dilemma, even the opposing counsel.

I loved the book’s construction – the interspersing of the back story might, at times, drag you reluctantly away from unfolding scene in the court room, but every scene is integral to the plot, and the slow reveal (with its shocks and surprises) is just magnificently handled. The book’s moral issues – and the personal issues that underlie them – are very current, and as you read you find yourself constantly questioning the rights and wrongs, and debating internally exactly how you might act in similar circumstances. And I haven’t mentioned the writing itself, have I? The contemporary story is illuminated by its small details – the facial expressions, the tapping of a pen, the small exchanges, the careful use of words – and the whole thing makes absolutely compelling reading, simply perfect.

I’ve enjoyed Sarah Vaughan’s writing before – but this one moves her into a totally different super league. It might be barely January, but this will – without a shadow of doubt – be one of my books of the year.

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I enjoyed this book very much! Even if it started off slow at first, I began to see how it all tied in. I was hoping to see James prosecuted for his dirty deeds. He was such a narcissistic tool and deserved to pay for his crimes. I was glad to see Sophie get a spine and leave him. And I also wanted to see some healing for Kate. This was a very compelling read. I voluntarily read this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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This was poorly written, disjointed, and all around unpleasant to read. Super disappointing!

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Unfortunately this book did not hold my attention enough to finish.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Atria Books and Sarah Vaughan for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

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