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I really wanted to like Based on a True Story by Sarah Vaughan, but it ended up as a three-star read for me. It just didn’t quite hit the way I think it was supposed to.
The story focuses on Dame Eleanor Kingman, a 70-year-old woman who gathers her family around to mark her birthday. She’s surrounded by people who dislike her, even her own children, and she knows that they tolerate her to some degree.
However, this is a woman who has built a publishing empire. She has her expectations, and why shouldn’t she?
Only she did it with secrets in the closet. Those secrets are about to come out, but she wants to get to the bottom of who is emailing her from an anonymous address. She needs to figure it out before her world comes crashing down, at the time when there is a television crew documenting her life.
Based on a True Story Didn’t Quite Become the Intriguing Story I Thought It Would Be
I was intrigued by a story about secrets and lies. We are never our true selves in front of other people. Everyone sees a version of us, but at the heart of those versions, they see us.
However, Eleanor has spent her life lying about who she is. And we’re quick to learn that truth.
That’s part of the problem. We go along the journey with Eleanor, and that means we learn about the secret that she is trying to keep. Part of me thinks that maybe the secret should have also been kept out of the story as well.
This would have helped with the mystery. As around 35% of the way into it, I realized, I just didn’t care. There wasn’t the pull to find out more or the care to figure out who was blackmailing and threatening Eleanor.
There needed to be something exciting happening at strategic points. Eleanor needed to start developing her suspicions earlier. Instead, we were just constantly reminded of the emails she was getting, and that was it. I sometimes felt like the book should have been an email, although, I admit that that’s a bit harsh.
None of the Characters Really Stood Out as People Who Mattered
Then there was the fact that none of the characters were even likable. I don’t mind flaws, and I don’t mind a lead character who isn’t all that nice.
I loved Yesteryear, and that book has a lead character we’re supposed to hate while we go on the mystery with her. However, Based on a True Story* didn’t have a lead character who made me wish I knew more.
She was spiteful at times, and when she wasn’t, she didn’t even admit that she was doing anything wrong. It wasn’t like she was oblivious to what she did, as she really wanted to keep her secret, but she only wanted to keep the secret to protect herself.
Just her thoughts that her daughters could have done it made it clear that she cared about nobody around her.
Then when it came to finding out more about the daughters, the ex-husband, and others in Eleanor’s life, they all blended into one. Sometimes, I had to go back to the start of the chapter to remember who’s POV I was reading.
I don’t know if it’s just me. Based on other reviews for Based on a True Story, I think part of it was me. There are some four-star reviews on Goodreads, as well as some five-star reviews. So, that’s why it’s three-star. I don’t think I gel with Vaughan’s writing style.
Based on a True Story* is available to buy now.
