⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Anatomy of a Scandal is another one of those books that is rather hard for me to review. While I did like the book, I found myself wanting to skim a few times. The writing was impeccable, and you can tell that Sarah Vaughan really knows her stuff (I can't even imagine how much research she had to put into this book for all the legal jargon alone). However, this read was a bit procedural for me. It's definitely a slow burn, character-driven plot, so don't expect intense thrills and chills. However, it was done well and held my attention fairly well. It is also very in line with the current times, and is the perfect contemporary novel.
The novel is set in London and all the terms for the legal system (among other things) over there took me a bit to get used to. For instance, I had to figure out what a parliamentary researcher is. I have to admit I am very in the dark when it comes to how other countries work. That is me though, and in no way affects how I felt about this novel. I was just continually impressed with how much detail Vaughan went into.
It had a very TV courtroom drama vibe to it, only with lots of backstory (as I said, it is very character driven). I felt that the characters were all very well fleshed out and you really get to know most of them as the story pans out. I also liked seeing how Sophie ended up growing as a person and Kate started to really come into her own.
Anatomy of a Scandal does switch between a few different points of view throughout the book. At first it was just Sophie, Kate, and James; but then you also get introduced to the viewpoints of Holly and Ali (Kate's friend). I'm a sucker for multiple POV's, I just don't like when there are too many and they get confusing. I didn't have any of that confusion with the 5 viewpoints; plus Ali and Holly aren't mentioned as often as the rest.
I also liked that the novel switches between time periods as well as viewpoints. The novel jumps between past and present which was very intriguing (and helpful for character development). I liked that it was how we got the story of Holly, and James' and Tom's big connection.
Unlike a few other reviewers, I didn't mind how the novel ended. I don't think it was tied up that neatly, and it didn't feel any more detailed/procedural from the rest of the book. I also liked that even though this was a very serious subject matter, there were still a couple funny lines in this book. I always think it's nice when an author can incorporate some sort of humor into a very heavy book.
Final Thought: I really don't want to say anything else about the plot, but there were a couple of surprises that threw me a bit. Overall the book was just a bit too procedural for me, and was a little slow, but I couldn't give it any less than a 4/5 because of how well it is written. If you like slow burning, character driven novels then you should definitely check this out. It kind of reads like a courtroom drama at times, which I actually kind of liked even though I don't actually watch those shows. I will definitely be willing to check out more from Vaughn as well.
Anatomy of a Scandal is another one of those books that is rather hard for me to review. While I did like the book, I found myself wanting to skim a few times. The writing was impeccable, and you can tell that Sarah Vaughan really knows her stuff (I can't even imagine how much research she had to put into this book for all the legal jargon alone). However, this read was a bit procedural for me. It's definitely a slow burn, character-driven plot, so don't expect intense thrills and chills. However, it was done well and held my attention fairly well. It is also very in line with the current times, and is the perfect contemporary novel.
The novel is set in London and all the terms for the legal system (among other things) over there took me a bit to get used to. For instance, I had to figure out what a parliamentary researcher is. I have to admit I am very in the dark when it comes to how other countries work. That is me though, and in no way affects how I felt about this novel. I was just continually impressed with how much detail Vaughan went into.
It had a very TV courtroom drama vibe to it, only with lots of backstory (as I said, it is very character driven). I felt that the characters were all very well fleshed out and you really get to know most of them as the story pans out. I also liked seeing how Sophie ended up growing as a person and Kate started to really come into her own.
Anatomy of a Scandal does switch between a few different points of view throughout the book. At first it was just Sophie, Kate, and James; but then you also get introduced to the viewpoints of Holly and Ali (Kate's friend). I'm a sucker for multiple POV's, I just don't like when there are too many and they get confusing. I didn't have any of that confusion with the 5 viewpoints; plus Ali and Holly aren't mentioned as often as the rest.
I also liked that the novel switches between time periods as well as viewpoints. The novel jumps between past and present which was very intriguing (and helpful for character development). I liked that it was how we got the story of Holly, and James' and Tom's big connection.
Unlike a few other reviewers, I didn't mind how the novel ended. I don't think it was tied up that neatly, and it didn't feel any more detailed/procedural from the rest of the book. I also liked that even though this was a very serious subject matter, there were still a couple funny lines in this book. I always think it's nice when an author can incorporate some sort of humor into a very heavy book.
Final Thought: I really don't want to say anything else about the plot, but there were a couple of surprises that threw me a bit. Overall the book was just a bit too procedural for me, and was a little slow, but I couldn't give it any less than a 4/5 because of how well it is written. If you like slow burning, character driven novels then you should definitely check this out. It kind of reads like a courtroom drama at times, which I actually kind of liked even though I don't actually watch those shows. I will definitely be willing to check out more from Vaughn as well.