A Very English Scandal
{{Short description|Crime non-fiction novel by John Preston}}{{About|the book by John Preston|the BBC miniseries|A Very English Scandal (TV series)}}
{{use British English|date=June 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox book|
| name = A Very English Scandal: Sex, Lies and a Murder Plot at the Heart of the Establishment
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| image = Cover of A Very English Scandal by John Preston.jpg
| caption = The front cover of the first edition (hardcover)
| author = John Preston
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| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
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| publisher = Viking Press
| release_date = 5 May 2016
| media_type = Print (hardback and paperback), e-book, audiobook
| pages = 340
| isbn = 978-0-241-21572-2
| isbn_note = (Hardcover)
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A Very English Scandal is a true crime non-fiction novel{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/30/books/review/notorious-mrs-clem-and-more-true-crime.html|title=New True-Crime Books for Fall|work=The New York Times|date=25 October 2016|first=Marilyn|last=Stasio|authorlink=Marilyn Stasio}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/books-a-very-english-scandal-sex-lies-and-a-murder-plot-at-the-heart-of-the-establishment-by-john-preston-cnxz9jvz3|title=Books: A Very English Scandal by John Preston|work=The Times|date=30 April 2016|first=David|last=Aaronovitch}} by John Preston. It was first published on 5 May 2016 by Viking Press{{cite web|url=https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/286746/a-very-english-scandal/9780241215722/|title=A Very English Scandal (official publisher's page)|publisher=Penguin Books|accessdate=25 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614151044/https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/286746/a-very-english-scandal/9780241215722/|archive-date=14 June 2017|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} and by Other Press{{cite web|url=https://www.otherpress.com/books/a-very-english-scandal/|title=A Very English Scandal (official publisher's page)|publisher=Other Press|accessdate=28 June 2018}} in the United States. The novel details the 1970s Thorpe affair in Britain, in which former Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe was tried and acquitted of conspiring to murder his alleged former lover, Norman Scott.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/may/09/very-english-scandal-jeremy-thorpe-john-preston|title=A Very English Scandal review – Jeremy Thorpe's fall continues to fascinate|work=The Guardian|date=9 May 2016|first=Chris|last=Mullin|authorlink=Chris Mullin (politician)}}
Synopsis
In 1979, former Member of Parliament Jeremy Thorpe stood trial over accusations that he hired a hitman to kill his alleged ex-lover, Norman Scott. A Very English Scandal chronicles Thorpe's early, secretive love life, at a time when sexual activity between men was illegal, and his subsequent public exposure. The novel also details Thorpe's trial and eventual acquittal.{{cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-59051-814-4|title=Nonfiction Book Review: A Very English Scandal: Sex, Lies, and a Murder Plot in the Houses of Parliament|work=Publishers Weekly|date=11 July 2016|accessdate=25 June 2017}}
Reception
Nicholas Shakespeare, writing in The Telegraph, gave the novel five stars out of five, noting that Preston "tells this complicated story of cack-handed assassins, buffoonish policemen, dodgy Home Secretaries and sozzled judges simply and with relish."{{cite news|last1=Shakespeare|first1=Nicholas|authorlink=Nicholas Shakespeare|title=How a murder plot was hatched in the House of Commons|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/how-a-murder-plot-was-hatched-in-the-house-of-commons/|work=The Telegraph|date=30 April 2016}} The Guardian{{'}}s Chris Mullin described the novel as "a real page-turner", adding that it is "probably the most forensic, elegantly written and compelling account of one of the 20th century’s great political scandals".
The New York Times{{'}} Marilyn Stasio agreed that "Preston has written this page-turner like a political thriller", but wrote that "no matter how hard he tries...his central character comes off as selfish, arrogant and manipulative". Meanwhile, The Spectator{{'}}s Andrew Lycett noted that "For all his pleasing authorial touches, Preston adds little to a well-bruited story."{{cite web|url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/05/jeremy-thorpe-gets-off-scott-free/|title=Jeremy Thorpe gets off Scott-free|work=The Spectator|date=14 May 2016|first=Andrew|last=Lycett|authorlink=Andrew Lycett}}
Adaptation
{{Main|A Very English Scandal (TV series)}}
The BBC announced a three-part television miniseries based on the book in May 2017. It was shown in the UK on BBC One in May and June 2018. The series was written by Russell T Davies and directed by Stephen Frears, with Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw starring as Thorpe and Scott.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/global/hugh-grant-reunites-with-stephen-frears-for-bbc-drama-a-very-english-scandal-1202439568/|title=Hugh Grant Returns to British TV for First Time in Nearly 25 Years|work=Variety|date=22 May 2017|first=Robert|last=Mitchell}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Very English Scandal, A}}
Category:Fiction set in the 1970s
Category:2016 non-fiction books
Category:British non-fiction books
Category:British novels adapted into films
Category:Books about British politicians