Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This is most definitely not a book to be judged by either its cover or first chapter. On the face of it a story about relationships between teenage girls in a boarding school, it develops into something much darker and has a lot to say on a wide variety of subjects. I nearly gave up during the first chapter, not seeing how rich self-obsessed teens could relate to me, but kept going because I have read a number of Scarlett's other novels, all of which were excellent. Very soon I was knee deep in a narrative which was fascinating, disturbing and humorous. I would not want my own daughters to read this - it is not, in my opinion, aimed at teenage girls, despite being populated by them. Nevertheless, thought-provoking and well worth checking out.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. An interesting novel by a new author in my personal reading-sphere! I am sure others would enjoy it too. Good character portrayls, descriptive setting and gripping plot.

Content warning: eating disorders and suicide

This is a fascinating, disturbing book, and it wasn't really what I expected. Although it is written in the third person, it read very much like a stream of consciousness that really delved into the main character's thoughts. The content makes this quite a difficult read at times, but it's also a wonderfully realistic portrayal of its characters and feels very current. A very compelling read!

Really enjoyed this quirky book. Full of black humour and impossible to categorise. Despite the setting - a girl’s boarding school somewhere in England - this is not your typical, or traditional, school story. It deals with a number of modern topics, ranging from international corruption and the murky side of big business, to eating disorders and misguided therapy, From reading many reviews it’s clear this is a Marmite book - in this instance, I’m a lover, not a hater. Must read more by this writer.

‘The joy in eating went a long time ago, of course, but now there is not even joy in starving’.

Natasha is the daughter of a Russian Oligarch, sent to a boarding school in England. Her new group of friends are shallow, interested in anorexia, boys and fashion – how well can she fit in?

I’ve never read any of Scarlett Thomas’ other work and from reading Oligarchy I’m not really sure I have been inspired to do so again. I found the entire thing to be so confusing - we are told the main character is Natasha but we skip narrative perspectives frequently and as all the characters are really similar it makes for an odd read. I had no idea what was going on for most of the story; the blurb had penned it as a kind of murder/thriller type genre but then when someone dies no-one seems to particularly care and the perpetrator is found out almost by accident. There was a weird folktale about a lake and a pearl which Thomas had tried to shoe-horn into the main story but I didn’t really understand the connection.

There is a strong theme of eating disorders here as well which is actually quite triggering in places. The school seem to do nothing about it but the school in general isn’t focussed on very heavily, we don’t really learn anything about the building, lessons, teachers or other students outside this very shallow group of girls.

I didn’t find the writing style very engaging although thankfully it is a short read. I found myself powering through it to try and get to the end and work out what was the point of the story. A few parts of the writing annoyed me – the continued misuse of the word ‘fluorescence’ was jarring and combined with the jumbled perspective changes and the continued jumps of time and location just made it feel like a mess. I also didn’t really feel like I sympathised with any of the characters – they all just felt silly and shallow and boring.

Overall Oligarchy was certainly not for me – the writing style, characterisation and poor plotting made for a pointless read. Thank you to NetGalley & Canongate for a chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

With teenage protagonists, this will always have a YA flavour about it. A Russian girl at a bitchy English boarding school is fighting her new identity as an oligarch's daughter but the school is more than just bitchy, other things are happening too and the truth is sinister. Somewhat missed the mark for me, held more promise than it delivered.

Natasha is a young Russian girl sent to an English bording school. Eating disorders are rife and one of her friends disappears and the girls are told that she has died. There's a bit of mystery around this but the main point of the story is about the eating disorders and a kind of coming of age plotline. It all sounds a little grim but isn't. Worth a read. I enjoyed other books by Scarlett Thomas and this one was a little different but still good.

Though this book is set in a boarding school and is about teenagers, it's definitely literary adult fiction. The writing is stunning and I devoured this book in a day.

It has an air of the Secret History to it, but with the added tension of cult-like eating disorders. It's a haunting study of the female psyche when you put large groups of teenage girls together in isolation. Even though it's contemporary, it almost feels dystopian.

Oligarchy first drew me in with the lovely set up of a modern day Russian "princess" at an English boarding school. It sounded like a fun read, but Scarlett Thomas digs much deeper than one might expect from the blurb. Oligarchy ended up being a read that really got me thinking. Thanks to Canongate and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In Oligarchy Scarlett Thomas does something seemingly impossible, making the reader feel sorry for privileged young girls at a boarding school. Theirs is a life of opportunity and no consequences and yet they're starved. Not just of food, but also of affection, healthy relationships, support and, oddly enough, education. A bit of a trigger warning should probably accompany this book, since it is full of diets, starvation tips and the glorification of thinness. Although all of these are shown negatively within Oligarchy, they could still be triggering for those dealing with eating disorders or body dismorphia. I myself was intensely uncomfortable at times as I felt myself being sucked into the minds of these young girls. This is where the power of Oligarchy lies, but also where the danger lurks.

Oligarchy starts out fun as Tash tries to adjust to her new life of sudden wealth and possibility. With access to a black Amex card and far away from everything she knows, she becomes part of the elite and finds she doesn't always fit in. There is alcohol, crushes on boys, fancy cars and run down city centres. Oligarchy's story meanders a bit once it establishes Tash and her surroundings, partially by switching between genres occasionally. On the one hand it is a coming-of-age novel, as Tash has some hard lessons to learn. It is also a mystery novel once Tash's friend disappears and there are more questions than answers from the adults around her. At its heart it is a novel about teenagers, teenage girls in particular, but it does get lost in itself. Oligarchy is a quick read, and an enjoyable one, but it will leave you with a lot of questions and thoughts to which the novel offers no answers or hints.

Oligarchy also strongly picks up on our society's fetishistic obsession with young female bodies. They're ethereal, otherworldly, and oh so thin. Whether it's school deans, Weight Watchers or men on tubes, everyone is obsessed with the physicality of the slowly starving girls. There seems to be no one in Oligarchy who has a healthy relationship with their own body or the bodies of these girls. The people brought in to help them only make it worse. The people meant to look over them would rather look away in case they're tempted. At times I wished Thomas would be gentler with her own characters. They're already getting judged with every step and even Thomas can't avoid being mean to them. For me it felt like there was a layer of awareness missing there, where Thomas could have gone deeper and made more of a statement on the toxic nature of body obsession.

Oligarchy is an enjoyable read with a deep hurt at its core. It is not an easy book, even if it is sometimes 'laugh out loud' funny. For those ready to confront eating disorders in this way, I'd definitely recommend Oligarchy. Just be aware and prepared.

Russian teenager Natasha is about to get her first experience of English boarding school life and it’s nothing like the Enid Blyton books. Thrust into a world of complicated social hierarchies and peer pressure which manifests itself in fad diets and extreme eating disorders, Natasha finds herself having to navigate a school which is highly dysfunctional at best and murderous at worst.

Scarlett Thomas has written a biting and astute novel here. The school is an odd mix of an old fashioned boarding school that’s trying to stay in the past while it’s filled with girls who are desperate to keep up with their Instagram feeds. There’s a precious hour of internet time a week where everyone tries to consume as much social media as possible in that short space of time and then spends the rest of the week obsessing over their findings. Natasha’s Aunt, Sonja, acts as a guide for her through this social minefield, furnishing her with a precious phone and important nuggets of advice.

This is a really interesting and original book. It’s very different from what I expected but it’s good to be challenged and surprised by what you’re reading. Scarlett Thomas is an excellent writer who never really sticks to one genre and always comes up with interesting stuff. This book is no exception and if you’re looking for something a little bit different I’d certainly recommend this.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair review.

I love Scarlett Thomas and I love books about Russian culture and ideas. this book was perfect for me. I loved the writing style and enjoyed the book a lot, although I found myself occasionally getting a little bit lost in some of the story elements and plot points. It was totally worth a read, loved it.

A thoroughly enjoyable novel from this author, previously unknown to me.
A Russian teenage girl is deposited at an unknown private boarding school near Stevenage, and is immersed in group of rich rebel girls, re-inventing herself while she tries to make sense of the world she has left behind her, while befriending a previously unknown aunt in London., who tries to educate her niece in experiences beyond her age group.

There is a gripping portrayal of the terrible school, where gradually more and more girls fall prey to anorexia, and the school’s attempts to reverse this are highly questionable and - at best- extremely inept.

Fighting her way through her school experiences armed only with a black unlimited AMEX credit card, the main protagonist Tash battles with unexplained disappearances and even deaths of friends and teachers,, but her conscience enables her to save one person during the disastrous events that unfold.

Written in a fantastically gripping style, I made time to read when I normally have none, and devoured this novel. I shall be looking for more by this author. Would thoroughly recommend.

I was expecting something more experimental given the author. Not for me but I'm sure it will appeal to a YA/contemporary readership. DNF

I was delighted to read a new novel by Scarlett Thomas, who is one of my favourite authors. This new story may be read by adults or teenagers in my opinion, and there is a lot to enjoy. Tash is sent from Russia to an English boarding school, where the girls are obsessed with Instagram and ways of getting (very) thin. Social media is portrayed as an opiate for this group of impressionable young women, who are all receiving extra attention from the headmaster. Tash and her friends are all competing with one another to appear happy whikst managing what they think us expected of them by society. It is sharply and oftentimes hilariously written. The story takes a dark turn, when one of the girls mysteriously vanishes overnight. The school does not feel like a safe place, and parents are nowhere to be seen.

This reads as an in-depth character study.
Sort of a 'what goes on in the head of a privileged 15-year old girl's mind?'
The book addresses some extremely dark themes around eating disorders, suicide and sexual abuse.
It's not light or holiday reading but it does have a very quick pace and was readable and accessible.
Overall, an easy and worthwhile read that deals with complex issues for teenage girls today.

The consistent thing about Scarlett Thomas novels is that they are unpredictable and without a doubt quite unique. Not always pleasant reading, but always a must-read. Oligarchy is no exception. Primarily about public schools, eating disorders and elitism. Not traditionally enjoyable topics, but when written well as in this case, it makes for a good read.

Oligarchy by Scarlett Thomas follows Natasha, the daughter of a mysterious Russian oligarch as she experiences life in an all girl boarding school. Natasha is newly rich, and grew up with her mother in relative poverty before being swept away by her immensely wealthy father and shipped off. As well as adjusting to her new school life with its numerous rules and difficult to manoeuvre social pecking order, she has to come terms with her new family. As she begins to understand and develop friendships with her new schoolmates, she is drawn into a world where social media is key and dieting and eating disorders are the tools to use to move up that pecking order.
This is a dark book that pulls no punches when it comes to looking at the importance young girls and indeed the world in general puts on appearance and the need for perfection, even when that perfection is impossible to attain. When one of the girls is found dead in a lake on the school grounds , it seems that there is more to the school than initially meets the eye, and as the mystery unfolds the reader is pulled into the dark and almost claustrophobic atmosphere. The characters are sharply observed and well written.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

My thanks to Canongate for an eARC via NetGalley of Oligarchy by Scarlett Thomas in exchange for an honest review.

Natasha (Tash), the daughter of a Russian oligarch, is sent to an all-girls English boarding school where she is introduced to its strict pecking order. She soon becomes part of a clique obsessed with sex, celebrity, food, and dieting.

When tragedy befalls a classmate, the atmosphere at the school darkens and there is a cascade effect that changes the lives of all involved.

This novel was a delight. It was very original; with Thomas’ wicked black humour playfully subverting the tropes of the boarding school novel while making important points about body image, entitlement, and peer pressure.

Thomas’ quirky style grabbed me from the opening page. This was an intelligent, thought provoking, coming-of-age novel that I just adored. It made me keen to read more of her work.

This was a fun, quick read but one which surprised me with its style: it seemed to be written more like a synopsis or report of action, instead of that action being written on the page. Having said that, Thomas has beautifully captured the irreverence and intensity of teenage girls in an environment like a boarding school. That was very, very well done