January book club - Anatomy of a Scandal

Anatomy of a Scandal........what a read - thank you GN. Downloading was simple and I had left it until after Christmas to start; then I have been so absorbed I could not put it down. An intriguingly up to date scandal, told through the eyes of a number of players. Past and present events combine to make a continuous narrative and you need to read until the very last sentence!
Question for the author Could you turn this into a television drama or is it too near to the characters of present Members of Parliament?

Sarah, loved your book and hope my timely comment on Twitter about a typo enabled you to change. Well I had to find something didn't I?
And now the review.
Sophie, the wife of a prominent politician is living in the shadow of her husband, James. When the story breaks and James is arrested on rape charges their lives are turned upside down. The prosecuting barrister Kate is determined to bring him down. The story unfolds chapter by chapter, defined by dates, as the narrative does jump somewhat. Usually not a fan of this, but on this occasion it works – oh it works incredibly well. I empathized with Sophie and was delighted when her inner strength emerged to see her through these difficult times. Kate is formidable and I quite expected to dislike her but when her back story surfaces my heart and soul wanted her to emerge victorious. Ali also has a part to play, significant yet understated. By Chapter 15 I was prepared to skip meals or social get-togethers putting my Kindle aside reluctantly- and all this over Christmas.
The build up to the court case was tense, the situation scandalous, exciting to read. I found the last third a little rushed and although all was revealed it didn’t have the thrill of the first chapters. Maybe I was a little disappointed in the ending? But there was no doubt doubting its accuracy considering the subject matter.
The writing was masterful, flowed beautifully; the language stretched indulging my love of descriptive text. Sarah Vaughan will definitely be added to my ever-growing list of authors to follow.

Thanks to Sarah Vaughan for a thoroughly enjoyable read and to Gransnet for choosing it . I found this to be a real page-turner and read it in the course of a single day. The author’s career in journalism and as a political correspondent gave the novel an air of authenticity, with an eerie relevance to the current debate concerning the attitudes to and experiences of women in Westminster and beyond.
Anatomy of a Scandal examines how the perception of the truth can vary: alternating perspectives between Kate, Sophie and James, the novel follows the ensuing high profile trial, as we are privy to the characters’ inner motivations, rationalizations and self-delusions. The novel also alternates between 1993 Oxford and 2016 London. The author does an excellent job at both the alternating time and place narratives. As the novel proceeds, more secrets from 1993 Oxford turn up.
At its most basic, the idea of powerful and privileged men getting away with things while people turn a blind eye is nothing new, and neither are Conservative Party sex scandals. We’re also all too familiar with tales of the Bullingdon Club (with past members such as Cameron, Osborne and Boris Johnson), inspiration I assume for the Libertines, as it was for the Bollinger Club in Evelyn Waugh’s Decline and Fall. I also experienced a sense of déjà vu as I followed Kate: I had a picture of Maxine Peake in my mind, as she was in the BBC drama Silk, along with her clerk (Billy?) as Kate’s clerk Brian.
However, the way in which the author weaves the past and present together, allows the story to be seen through the perspectives of different characters, and gradually reveals the secrets from the past which impact the present make this a thought provoking read.
My question for the author is an obvious one, I'm afraid: is this likely to be made into a film or to feature on the radio or TV?

Sure to be a best seller, this novel is riveting and hugely enjoyable. A long time since a book gripped me like this one has. It would make a superb film or TV series. Thank you so much Gransnet for this brilliant prize.
Sarah Vaughan is to be congratulated.
Best book I've read for a long time. Highly recommended. Five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm another who couldn't put this book down. It was well written with a clever twist or two along the way and kept my interest to the end.

Although she was the heroine of the book, I really didn't like Kate and found myself quite glad that her unprofessional persual of James did not succeed. She should never have accepted the brief and if he had been convicted he would surely have had grounds for a declaration of a mistrial.

I would like to ask Sarah if she had ever considered a career in criminal law?

What a brilliant read!
I too could not help imagining it on film or TV.

Yes gagagran I wasn't rooting for Kate either, my main sympathy was for Sophie.

I know that some gransnetters are not keen on sexual content but this only contains descriptions that are important for the plot and are not gratuitous. Very well written.

A five star read.

Just a teeny weeny question. Very early on, about page 5, there's a phrase that jarred - "my mahogany partner's desk' - surely 'my partner's mahogany desk' would be correct?
Unless she had a mahogany partner?
Just a trifle, I know, hardly worth a mention. The book is perfect.

Mrsmopp, I think that a "Partner's Desk" is an item of furniture not a desk belonging to a partner.

Really? Didn't know that. ? Just thought it sounded odd. Thanks for telling me. The book is now 100%perfect.

Me too, I felt it was a "roman a clef", wondering who they were - Bullingdon aka Libertines and all that!
Enjoyed the book very much - felt ambivalent about the three women; revolted by all the men, not one got my sympathy, although I do feel for these poor young men who are caught in the legal system, victims of vengeful women.

I loved this book .. could not put it down! Felt sorry for Sophie at first .. but as the story enfolded, realised it was Kate who had suffered the most. A brilliant start to my reading in 2018.

Another great read from GN. I really enjoyed the suspense throughout especially over James’ court case. As the storyline is the thoughts of three people, it helps to give a different perception as the case unfolds. They also show the past which also helps to explain the motives of the three storytellers and the reasons for their actions, especially Kate’s.
In today’s climate of innocent men being charged with rape and the failure of the police to provide certain evidence, this book has an air of authenticity.
I would like to ask Kate whether she based the storyline on a true event? That’s if she can answer without slandering anyone!!

Sorry that should be libel not slander, always get them mixed up!

We learn something new every day don't we!

'Anatomy of a Scandal' has a terrific plot, told over different time periods, with a very unexpected twist part way through. Events, past and present, are portrayed by several women who become involved in James' life, but we rarely hear from James himself. How opportune to have written such an up to the minute tale. I feel sure it will feature on many a best selling list in 2018.

I really enjoyed this book, which surprised me as I wouldn't usually choose this type novel to read, and avoid television programmes on this sort of theme like the plague! It's a while since I ignored everything else I needed to do, in order to finish a book.
The story is very contemporary ( I wonder how it will stand uptight passage of time), and extremely relevant considering the current news coverage ( such as the Golden Globes last night) However, the plot is cleverly constructed, but I was chiefly held by the way the characters were developed - I am not sure it would work as well as a t.v programme for this reason
I have read widely enough ( being a bit of a news junkie) to be familiar with the settings, and it was obvious that the author had used her own experience to good effect.
My question to the author is to ask where she will be setting her next novel, and does she intend to draw from her own experience again?

Slightly off tangent, my first novel from Gransnet was'The trouble with goats and sheep' by Joanne Cannon which I loved, and I am pleased to see her next novel is out this week. I think it is called 'Three things about Elsie'.

I too thoroughly enjoyed this novel, I found it intriguing the way it was written, I don’t usually enjoy books that go back and fore between people and dates, this was definitely different, and what a clever twist, I honestly couldn’t bear to put it down! I hope Sarah Vaughan writes more novels and that possibly Anatomy of a Scandal could be adapted to a television play.

I too loved this book and read it over a few days often late into the night. It is the best book I have read for a while. Great plot and believable storylines. I fear some of the high jinxs of Oxford university life may be true eg pouring champagne down the sink for the hell of it! Thanks GN for sending it to me.Will look out for other books by Sarah Vaughan.

Sorry I forgot about this as it was the e-copy link I received. Went to download it today from Netgalley and it was archived yesterday. So that's why I can't leave a comment as I always do when I receive a book. Sounds a good read though.

Try replying to the publisher's original email anniemac . They might still be able to send you the file.