Book Review: Ladies of the House by Lauren Edmondson

This was an absolutely delightful reimagining of the Sense and Sensibility concept set in the modern day cutthroat world of DC politics.

I lived and worked in DC for a decade. This was a while ago, but everything about Edmondson’s story resonated nevertheless. It’s an unusual town, in which optics were the name of the game long before social media took over and made them so for the whole world.

Edmondson did a marvelous job capturing the frenetic feel of the political game while never losing sight of the fact that it is people who are caught up in it – both as perpetrators and unwitting victims. The characters are sympathetic and likeable (even the rakes and scoundrels!) and the pacing was spot-on. The plotting was well-managed and utterly believable – even in its most absurd- and over-the-top-seeming moments. Politics really IS that ugly… The story is very easy to fall into and made for an exceptionally entertaining read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.