I don't have much to add to the above and agree with the various criticisms. I certainly learned a few things along the way, not least that homosexuality attracted the death penalty until (from memory) about 1855 or so. I find that horrific.
The hypocrisy of society in supposedly finding Fanny and Stella so disgusting, depraved etc and yet being avid for every salacious detail revealed during the trial is far more disgusting to me than anything they were doing. After all, it was all between consenting adults. But I suppose this is still the case when you consider what sells tabloid newspapers - it's just that the topics these days are probably slightly different.
McKenna is obviously a journalist spinning a story and it shows in his writing style, which I certainly wouldn't describe as literary. One example from page 263 of the paperback:
Quote:
|
Inspector Thompson permitted himself a rare smile of satisfaction, gazing out of the window of the train as it chugged northwards through a landscape of soot-blackened red-brick factories and chimneys belching forth giant clouds of mephitic vapours.
|
I rated it with three stars.