Mah, mi è sembrata un po' un'occasione sprecata. Non c'è stato il tempo né il modo di approfondire i personaggi, e quindi non ho potuto più di tanto interessarmi alle loro vicende: non ho sentito affetto, preoccupazione, pietà, speranza per Arabella, non ho aspettato con ansia che Alexander ottenesse il suo meritato successo.
La storia è affascinante e avrebbe meritato molto di più - mi sono quasi più diverita a leggere la sorte dei personaggi nella vita reale alla fine del libro, e penso che qu More...

I bought this book on the strength of good reviews in the press, and was left disappointed. I too nearly put it down unfinished, which I have only very rarely done. A reviewer on Amazon asked why the book doesn't work, when Sophie Gee has a PhD in 18C literature and a clear passion for her subject - I think that's why. To me this book is an example of how not to turn an academic thesis and course of lectures into a novel.

Unfortunately, Ms Gee is intent on proving that this 'is not Austen' and to More...

I'm glad I persevered with this, although at one stage in the middle I did feel like giving up. The problem was that the pace was so very slow, and it seemed like nothing was happening...and really both these observationsa re true to the end. But it also had flashes of brilliance, a paragraph or two that described emotions perfectly, or created some lovely picture in the reader's head. Indeed the best part of the whole thing for me was the ending paragraph of the first chapter, an increadibly ef More...

his book was truly a wonderful literary historical fiction experience. I read The Rape of the Lock in my senior year of college, so I was glad the author included the entire poem at the end so I read that first to refresh my memory. I loved the author’s language in it. It was so rich and it really set the mood for the events that were happening. The characters were practically jumping off the page; I never had any picture of Alexander Pope in my mind, but now I do thanks to this book. Although t More...

You can read this review on my blog, here.

The Scandal of the Season
by Sophie Gee

They say one should never judge a book by its cover, but the cover art on the latest paperback release of this book just screams “bodice ripper,” and I couldn’t help but assume that its content would likely follow suit. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that not only did this book cover a wide range of historical figures, but also, it was very well written! Gee really captured the essence of 18th Century England: f More...

This book opens in 1711 when the idle rich were the focus of attention in England. It must have been ghastly to be among the idle rich since, for lack of a life purpose, they seemed to do nothing but make trouble for themselves.

The "scandal" involves Alexander Pope, a poet, and what prompted him to write the satire, The Rape Of The Lock. Annabella Fermor and Lord Robert Petre are the subjects of this satire which went on to make Alexander Pope famous.

As historical fiction, this book is interest More...

The Scandal of the Season is an account of the season Alexander Pope spent in London that inspired him to write "The Rape of the Lock," one of his most famous poems (that actually made him independently wealthy after being born without status, and therefore without a fortune).

The Scandal of the Season is entertaining reading. It's not heavy or deep, but it's a fun look into the lives of high society during that period in England (circa 1712-1714). It's full of intrigue and trysts, secrets and je More...

The saving grace of this book was that it included the text of "The Rape of the Lock" in the back, meaning I got to read it again, which was great, because it is awesome and hilarious. And it was fun learning a bit about the backstory.

Beyond that, though, that I found this novel's pacing and dialogue and, well, prose in general consistently awkward and affected. Way too much telling, not enough showing. I know that writing historical fiction entirely through the eyes of actual figures can't be More...

I liked this book...there was nothing earth shattering about it but then again, it doesn't promise to be anything but enjoyable.

What I like best is the dialogue...Gee writes her characters with such wit and with the exception of a couple of anachronisms, does a great job of capturing London in the 1700s. And with note that this story takes place about a century before Jane Austen and the somewhat "pristine" sexual culture of the nineteenth century, this book revealed a part of London's sexual mo More...

I listened to this on Books on Tape and the reader was superb. I didn't realize it at the time, but found out this book was written off of Alexander Pope's satiric poem The Rape of the Lock. Giving us the back story and inspiration of his poem. It was intelligently done. I enjoyed how the English was not dumbed down, as is often the case with historical fiction.

Arabella and Lord Petre are the most sought after of the London Season in 1711. They soon embark on an affair that will have tragic outc More...

Sophie Gee, an English professor at Princeton, brings 18th-century England to life in The Scandal of the Season, part literary biography and part comedy of manners. Alexander Pope makes "a rather unconventional hero, but he's a deeply sympathetic one in this kinder, gentler characterization of a man who regularly skewered and slew his enemies in print," notes The Washington Post. Critics voiced a few complaints about some of the flat characters (including the precious Arabella) and the odd blend

More...

I listed to the audio version of this book. It got off to a very slow start in my opinion. Based on the basis of the story, the poet Alexander Pope and his writing of the poem The Rape of the Lock, I was hopeful this would be a a very interesting historical account of said event. It got a bit better half way through but it never got to the point of really good.

More than once I contemplated moving this to the "unfinished" shelf but since I was listening to it while doing a good bit of driving I More...

This was a wonderful and satisfying read. The book follows the life of author and poet Alexander Pope as he goes to London to find his fortune. It's a fictionalized (but well researched) account of how he came to write the poem that made his name "The Rape of the Lock." The book also follows Alexander's friends Martha and Teresea who too have come to London to make matches, as well as Arabella Fermor and Lord Petre, (the principals in "The Rape of the Lock" who go by the name of Belinda and The More...

A decent book but one that may have taken a few too many liberties with the social conventions of the time to make an interesting story for us. With any book of historical fiction, I am constantly distracted by the question of how accurate the book is to the time and events it portrays. Some ring truer than others; this book falling into the latter group. Sadly, I'm not in a good position to do my own research, though what little information I could find about the actual events that inspired "Th More...

If you like period pieces and Dangerous Liasons the movie you will love it! Even better, it is based on actual events of the early 1700's. The poem "The Rape of the Lock" was written about this same set of events by Alexander Pope - a character in the novel. At the end, the author sums up what happens to the actual people.

La storia del poema Il ricciolo rapito

Protagonista di questo romanzo è Alexander Pope, lo scrittore che è al terzo posto fra i più citati della letteratura inglese, dopo Shakespeare e Tennyson. Il libro — ricostruendo l’ambiente storico in cui si muoveva Pope, con accuratezza di dettagli — narra i primi passi del poeta nel mondo della poesia e la genesi del suo celeberrimo poema satirico Il ricciolo rapito (Rape of the lock 1712), in cui Pope descrive con stile epico — il poeta è noto anche per More...

I did enjoy this listen(audio)and the ending was definitely worth it. I didn't realize it was based on true events or even that it was the story behind the story of Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock". So at first it was quite confusing as it seemed the author couldn't decide whether she wanted it to be an almost romance/erotica type of book, or a mystery/suspense about the clandestine Jacobite supporters of the time. She did an excellent job on the erotica part, I give her that. There wasn' More...

Wonderful first book for Sophie Gee. Set in London, 1711, she takes the lines from "The Rape of the Lock" by Alexander Pope (published in 1712) and makes all the characters come to life! Arabella, Alexander and Lord Petre.....my, oh my. The observations wonderful; the characters both naive and hopeful In the end, life does and does not work out the way the main characters wish. A great read if you are a lover of historical fiction. You might not remember Jacobites, ten mile laws or papists, but More...

This was a very clever novel. Like many first time authors I've read, it did take me a while to adjust to Gee's style of writing, which invokes the era pretty well. I also applaud Gee for attempting to write a novel on the premise of a famous poem, which is harder than one would think. The story is of young lovers Arabella and Robert. She, a commoner of uncommon beauty and he a young nobleman. All placed among Queen Anne's England with an underlying current of Jacobite drama.
What is the meat of More...

Like many poems, with the possible exception of anything by Coleridge, I knew a bit about The Rape of the Lock without actually having read it. So I came into it barely-informed and very intrigued. But this book drew me in in places and then spat me out in others, because the love story at the centre is not directly observed by Pope, and the points of view wander such that it's hard to stay enraptured the whole way through. Which was a bit disappointing, because I was absolutely primed and ready More...

Loved it! Below is a description of the invisible spirits on the Thames. It is one of the reason I so enjoyed Sopie Gee's "The Scandal of the Season."

Some to the sun their insect-wings unfold; waft on the breeze, or sink in clouds of gold. Transparent forms, too fine for mortal sight - their fluid bodies half dissolved in light. Loose to the wind their airy garments flow; thin glittering textures of the filmy dew, dipped in the richest tincture of the skies, where light disports in ever-mingling More...

This is a journey to the 18th century England and a look at the strict standards between the classes and the tension between the Catholics who were just ousted from power and the newly empowered members of the Church of England. It's told through a character that walks in both worlds- a crippled but talented writer. I liked the story because Sophie Gee, the author, did a great job immersing me back in time and giving each character dimension. This has one or two scenes that are rated PG-13, you More...

This book, while charming in subject, moves with a great deal of self-consciousness and awkwardness in both its dialogue and prose. One senses the authoress is not entirely confident in either her research or her talents. The book feels aspirational in its Georgette Heyer qualities, failing to lay a strong claim to an original style as Rose Tremain did more successfully with "Restoration." Nonetheless The Scandal of the Season is also a harmless and fairly entertaining summer read - as welcome a More...

This book may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it, having a long-seated passion for 18th century England. Having spent quite a bit of time in the Tudor period, and all the religious upheavals that came out of that, I definitely enjoyed seeing what came out of that. Anti-Catholic sentiment had died down by then, but was still present.

This is an opulant, peaceful time in English history, and it is interesting to see the lifestyle the author describes. This is a book about writers and w More...

Pprésentation de l'éditeur :

Dans le Londres mondain du début du XVIIIe siècle, trois personnages tentent le sort : la belle Arabella Fermor cherche un mari mais aussi - risque fatal - l'amour ; l'énigmatique Lord Petre séduit comme d'autres boivent (du champagne) et complote tout autant. Quant au troisième, un jeune homme affamé de gloire, débarqué de sa campagne et nommé Alexander Pope, il mise tout sur un hypothétique succès littéraire. Lequel des trois tirera son épingle du jeu ? Eblouissant More...

I give this three stars because the author really nailed the language of the 18th century, at least from what I can tell of Fanny Burney and Henry Fielding. But the characters were lamentably wooden, particularly the main couple, a young nobleman and the wellborn girl who inexplicably (in an age when the appearance of maidenly virtue was vital to one's prospects) embarks on an affair with him. The story is apparently based on a true story (Alexander Pope, one of the characters, based a famous po More...

According to the Author's Note at the beginning of the book, England changed from a Catholic to Protestant country in the 16th century when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries and stripped the Catholic Church of its wealth. Catholicism, however, was never quelled; even though the official religion of England was Protestantism, vast numbers of Englishmen remained true to Catholicism. The Catholics resented the Protestants for taking away their wealth and privilege and the Protestants feared a Ca More...

I bought it because it was in the bargain bin at B&N. I've stumbled upon a great many finds that way, but alas, this time I got what I paid for.

For one, it all seemed trivial, and none of the characters really seemed to have depth. The only character I even really liked at all was Martha, a minor character at best. Everyone seemed flat.

For another, the story seemed to revolve all around pomp and circumstance, high fashion and society and those trying to be a part of it. That's all well and f More...

Gee's book tends to defy categorization. It's part mystery (really understated, however), part romance (again, understated), and mainly historical fiction. Set in early-eighteenth century London, it focuses on the aspiring writer Alexander Pope and his observations, aspirations, and private hopes. However, it focuses as well on the subjects of the poem that would eventually make his fortune, The Rape of the Lock, and how complicated, intricate, and fraught with disappointments the courtship proc More...