The Scandal of the Season

Secret ambition, hidden hurts, put-downs lobbed by the socially insecure; all of these appear... For anyone who enjoyed Shakespeare in Love or Dangerous Liaisons, The Scandal of the Season is a treat; rich and satisfying

Economist

Gee knows her period inside out, and recreates it with a kind of loving joy...shows us a society in action rather than merely describing it

Guardian

Sophie Gee has recreated the real-life scandal that inspired Pope's The Rape Of The Lock to clever, sexy effect, spinning a tale that will appeal to fans of Tracy Chevalier

Daily Mail

A clever and inviting piece of critical biography masquerading as a light comedy of manners

New York Times

Charming and witty...a thoroughly enjoyable submersion in early 18th-century London, when the wittiest writers feasted on the folly of aristocrats...The Scandal of the Season offers both charms and merit, an extravagant costume drama infused with the poet's [Pope's] incisive wit and moral insight

Washington Post

Gee writes with scholarly confidence, underpinning the racy intrigue of her account with a real understanding of the characters and their world

New Yorker

Everything points to an exceptionally stylish and well-researched first novel

Scotland on Sunday

Sophie Gee has brought bawdy, chaotic 18th-century London to life with verve

New Statesman

Based on a true story, Gee's novel is lively, amusing and highly evocative of a thrilling age. Who would expect less from a Harvard scholar whose doctoral thesis was on pollution, filth and satire in 18th-century London?

Tatler