Helpful Score: 8
This book is very slow for the first 200 pages or so due to overwhelming character development. I decided to power through and reserve judgment until I was done. And in the end I loved it!
This book is a dark and depressing look at what goes on behind closed doors in a small village in England. If you are reading this book solely because you enjoyed Harry Potter, you may be disappointed. But if you can look past the wonderful wizard and get into this story outside of the HP context, you may actually enjoy it.
This book is a dark and depressing look at what goes on behind closed doors in a small village in England. If you are reading this book solely because you enjoyed Harry Potter, you may be disappointed. But if you can look past the wonderful wizard and get into this story outside of the HP context, you may actually enjoy it.
Helpful Score: 8
I gave up on this book a little less than half way in. It's strange because I didn't necessarily dislike it, I just couldn't get motivated to keep going. Rowling's writing is beautiful and vivid but the wordiness made it a slow, difficult read. I didn't find any of the characters likable and couldn't seem to get invested in the story.
Helpful Score: 7
Despite the fact that this book was very bleak and dark, I really liked it. I think she has a wonderful writing style and I didn't mind the long list of characters. Please note that this is not at all like the Harry Potter books....it is very adult.
Helpful Score: 5
I was surprised to find the first non-Harry Potter book, by their author, offered by PBS. As an 82 year old reader, I enjoyed the movies so wanted to give this book a try. I found it long winded and trite, I'm sorry to say. It is a long book and I plodded along through it, thinking it couldn't get any worse. It did!
I would suggest that Mrs. Rowling stick to writing about little children riding on brooms instead of using her popularity to rope in readers because of prior popularity.
I would suggest that Mrs. Rowling stick to writing about little children riding on brooms instead of using her popularity to rope in readers because of prior popularity.
Helpful Score: 3
This book was a major disappointment for me. I was looking forward to it - not expecting "Harry Potter" - but looking forward to a good read from an author who knows how to write a good story.
It's rare for me to just give up on a book, but after 175 pages I still wasn't enjoying it. Too many characters, none of them likable. A slow slog through story development. I found myself dreading it. It's off to the next person wishing on PBS ... I hope you like it better.
It's rare for me to just give up on a book, but after 175 pages I still wasn't enjoying it. Too many characters, none of them likable. A slow slog through story development. I found myself dreading it. It's off to the next person wishing on PBS ... I hope you like it better.
Helpful Score: 2
As the reader, we get to see what goes on behind closed doors after the death of Barry Fairbrother. From his widow, best friend, close friend, those he mentored - as well as their friends, and even his enemies.
Small town somewhere in England, where (you guessed it) just about everybody knows everyone else. Not surprising that gossip is a major form of entertainment until "the ghost of Barry Fairbrother."
It would seem that all the children (or teenagers rather) hate their parents. Some have very good reasons! One is simply a selfish bully.
It would also seem that both teenagers and adults alike are either having sex or fantasizing about it. (So that is definitely a departure from the Harry Potter series - but do remember this book is for ADULTS!)
Another major theme (besides life) is the rich vs. the poor. Perhaps we can even throw in soft addictions vs. hard addictions.
A dark novel, hmnn...yes, I'm not sure if anyone in this novel is genuinely happy?!? No wonder J, K. Rowling ended it as she did.
~ * ~
On a more personal opinion: It was a slow read and most certainly not a page turner - but that is real life, no? Somewhere along the way you keep reading hoping it gets better for the kids. Maybe some readers even hope Bellchapel Clinic stays open too.
There is no pure good or pure evil in this book. There is no one side you are routing for 100% of the time. However, it was still a pretty good read.
Small town somewhere in England, where (you guessed it) just about everybody knows everyone else. Not surprising that gossip is a major form of entertainment until "the ghost of Barry Fairbrother."
It would seem that all the children (or teenagers rather) hate their parents. Some have very good reasons! One is simply a selfish bully.
It would also seem that both teenagers and adults alike are either having sex or fantasizing about it. (So that is definitely a departure from the Harry Potter series - but do remember this book is for ADULTS!)
Another major theme (besides life) is the rich vs. the poor. Perhaps we can even throw in soft addictions vs. hard addictions.
A dark novel, hmnn...yes, I'm not sure if anyone in this novel is genuinely happy?!? No wonder J, K. Rowling ended it as she did.
~ * ~
On a more personal opinion: It was a slow read and most certainly not a page turner - but that is real life, no? Somewhere along the way you keep reading hoping it gets better for the kids. Maybe some readers even hope Bellchapel Clinic stays open too.
There is no pure good or pure evil in this book. There is no one side you are routing for 100% of the time. However, it was still a pretty good read.
Helpful Score: 2
Unbelievably dreary plot, miserable characters and not even well-written. Hard to believe this came from the creator of Harry Potter.
Helpful Score: 2
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was certainly disappointed. I felt Rowling seemed to be trying to prove something in this first "adult" novel. There were so many sexual innuendos and shallow characters, like a misguided, depressing "Peyton Place". It is hard to believe this is the same writer who gave us the wonderful characters of "Harry Potter"! If this book was her debut, I don't think any of us would know who she was. I kept waiting for it to get better, but in the end, I just didn't care.
Helpful Score: 2
I could not finish this book. Was so long and truthfully it was boring. Hard to keep the characters connected.
Helpful Score: 2
Characters are very well-developed and the book makes a solid point but it moves at an excessively slow pace with very little action. I really had to want to work to get through it.
Helpful Score: 1
I wish I had read the reviews here before ordering this one. I am 180 pages in and I quit. I started reading this several weeks ago and then got busy. Now I find I don't even want to finish it. There is not ONE character (of the TOO TOO many that are in here) that interests me enough to want to pick it back up again. I couldn't care less about what happens to any of them. So, it's going on the shelf for the next person to read.
Helpful Score: 1
Rowling should stick with children's books. The HP series and subsequent "spin-offs" were excellent and there is great character development in this one, but the overall story moves extremely slow. By the third or fourth chapter, one would expect the plot to get interesting but that isn't the case with this book. I found myself sticking with it just to finish it rather than any desire to find out what happens. It took a lot of concentration just to get through it. I was very disappointed.
Helpful Score: 1
Although the book is very well-written, I cannot say that I loved it. It is a snapshot of small town life, with everyone in it a member of a severely dysfunctional family. The book did not feel as though it had much of a point until the tragedy and triumph at the end of the book. I thought it was OK, but nowhere near as satisfying as Rowling's other works.
Helpful Score: 1
Hated it!
I liked this book a great deal. Yes, it is not anything like the Harry Potter series ( and I consider myself a Harry Potter fan). Yes, it's a departure from what JK Rowling has previously given us. This book is well written, dark and gritty. I found it intriguing.
Not a children's book is I think the best statement one can make about this book. I heard someone say she had moved from Potter to Pottymouth...which just about sums it up. It's a decent story - starts slow and builds....to a dramatic conclusion. It's a book worth reading...just not for anyone under 16, I'd say.
Sort of a soap opera type story, lots of self absorbed people manipulating each other for their own purposes, or trying to avoid being manipulated. I read the first 100 pp and then the last 75, and avoided the unending middle details of all the angst. I rarely jump to the end of a book, so that is an indicator for me... For those old enough, kind of reminded me of Peyton Place, or Dallas I. I never was a soap fan. Not my genre. To each his own.
JK writes beautifully laid out books with amazing character development. That is hard to fit into one "tiny" book, by her standards. I had a hard time keeping everyone straight until the second half of the book. Please be aware there is a rape scene that could be triggering. I did not plow through it like HP books, but I was not disappointed either. It's hard to live up to your own reputation.
I'll admit, I read this for all the reasons people say not to read it but my curiosity wouldn't let me not at least try to read it. I went in with eyes wide open and the full knowledge that this was indeed not Harry Potter, so I was not deceived in the least. However, the story line was not something I am into and the charters were ranged from boring to appalling for me. So needless to say this ended up on my DNF list and I do not see myself going back to give this a second shot.
Like many other readers, I was delighted to hear awhile back that JK Rowling had an adult novel for usadult like it was written for adults, not that it was going to be some erotic romance or anything like that. I preordered a copy the day it became available, and lamented the fact that I couldnt pick it up as soon as it arrived, since I was traveling overseas at the time. Meanwhile, as reviews started popping up around the internet, I was disappointed to read that people seem to have quite mixed opinions about this novel.
After reading the entire thing, I can see why people have these mixed feelings. This novel is nothing like Harry Potter in the story elements, the chief among them being that this is set in the actual world without any magic, no true heroes or villains, and no one overwhelmingly charming or likeable. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the only character in this novel who isnt mildly repulsive in some way is our deceased gentleman, Barry.
To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog.
After reading the entire thing, I can see why people have these mixed feelings. This novel is nothing like Harry Potter in the story elements, the chief among them being that this is set in the actual world without any magic, no true heroes or villains, and no one overwhelmingly charming or likeable. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the only character in this novel who isnt mildly repulsive in some way is our deceased gentleman, Barry.
To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog.
Don't expect Harry Potter, because it's not.
What The Casual Vacancy IS is a novel full of deeply flawed characters interacting with each other and trying to live up to expectations (of themselves and of society). When town councilman Barry Fairbrother dies unexpectedly, a mad scramble for his vacant seat ensues and brings up years of prejudice and greed. Motivations are laid bare, and it's not pretty.
The most sympathetic character is Krystal Weedon, a poor teenager with a junkie mother and a bleak future. Of everyone, however, she's the one with the most hope.
This book is a modernized Peyton Place - really more about the environment than the people in it.
What The Casual Vacancy IS is a novel full of deeply flawed characters interacting with each other and trying to live up to expectations (of themselves and of society). When town councilman Barry Fairbrother dies unexpectedly, a mad scramble for his vacant seat ensues and brings up years of prejudice and greed. Motivations are laid bare, and it's not pretty.
The most sympathetic character is Krystal Weedon, a poor teenager with a junkie mother and a bleak future. Of everyone, however, she's the one with the most hope.
This book is a modernized Peyton Place - really more about the environment than the people in it.
I liked this book both more and less than I expected to. For one thing, I never expected to love Jo's work with anything less with my whole heart, and I certainly didn't love this book that much. On the other hand, I did a good job of lowering my expectation's based on the early reviews and the apparently uninteresting plot and this definitely exceeded the expectations I set for myself in that regard.
Barry Fairbrother drops dead and sends the town of Pagford into a whirlwind of small-scale, catty political intrigue. A rainbow of characters, such as the Sikh, doctor Jawandas, their shy, bullied daughter and the Mollison family, including the enormous first citizen, his brusque business partner, and his catty wife. In the end, this is a character and all of them are real and beautiful and easy to hate and to love. Although I could tell that Jo was definitely leading the reader to think certain things about certain characters, I don't think I was always distracted. Some of my favorite characters included Andrew "Arf" Price, a nervous, love-struck and abused teenager. I also loved Gavin, one of the characters I don't think I was supposed to care for. He's mousy, selfish, fearful and generally a jerk, but he seemed honest and afraid and acted the way he did out of blind selfishness rather than malice. And in an interesting twist on the back of Draco, the bad guy who everyone loved despite what Jo wanted, we met the amazing Krystal the bad girl who I certainly loved, clearly in accordance with Jo's intention. I love the way she was carefully made and carefully shown to us so as to really make us love her as opposed to assuming we loved her already and moving forward. The reader's interest in Krystal was crucial to the reader's interest in the entire book. A character of that type, especially a female character of that type, is very hard for me to love. I often find that writer's grossly overdoes them. Krystal is tough! Krystal is street smart! Krystal is protective and mean and aggressive! But it's okay because she's ~tender on the inside~. Jo did this beautifully. She created a perfect tough girl and made us love her without ever once shoving her down our throats. I also enjoyed Howard, who everyone within the novel seemed to hate, but who I found well-meaning and kind, underneath the obnoxious bravado. A character who I think I was meant to like but had no sympathy for was Stuart "Fats" Wall. He seemed needy, whiny, childish and malicious. I just was unimpressed.
All in all, I agree with the vast majority of reviewers here. It was a good novel, not stunning. I would recommend it to a lot of people, but not everyone. If you don't like character studies, slow-paced, simmering novels, this is not the novel for you. The first couple hundred pages might be hard to get through if you aren't interested in this kind of story. If you dislike this kind of story, you will likely never get through this at all. Personally, I loved it.
Barry Fairbrother drops dead and sends the town of Pagford into a whirlwind of small-scale, catty political intrigue. A rainbow of characters, such as the Sikh, doctor Jawandas, their shy, bullied daughter and the Mollison family, including the enormous first citizen, his brusque business partner, and his catty wife. In the end, this is a character and all of them are real and beautiful and easy to hate and to love. Although I could tell that Jo was definitely leading the reader to think certain things about certain characters, I don't think I was always distracted. Some of my favorite characters included Andrew "Arf" Price, a nervous, love-struck and abused teenager. I also loved Gavin, one of the characters I don't think I was supposed to care for. He's mousy, selfish, fearful and generally a jerk, but he seemed honest and afraid and acted the way he did out of blind selfishness rather than malice. And in an interesting twist on the back of Draco, the bad guy who everyone loved despite what Jo wanted, we met the amazing Krystal the bad girl who I certainly loved, clearly in accordance with Jo's intention. I love the way she was carefully made and carefully shown to us so as to really make us love her as opposed to assuming we loved her already and moving forward. The reader's interest in Krystal was crucial to the reader's interest in the entire book. A character of that type, especially a female character of that type, is very hard for me to love. I often find that writer's grossly overdoes them. Krystal is tough! Krystal is street smart! Krystal is protective and mean and aggressive! But it's okay because she's ~tender on the inside~. Jo did this beautifully. She created a perfect tough girl and made us love her without ever once shoving her down our throats. I also enjoyed Howard, who everyone within the novel seemed to hate, but who I found well-meaning and kind, underneath the obnoxious bravado. A character who I think I was meant to like but had no sympathy for was Stuart "Fats" Wall. He seemed needy, whiny, childish and malicious. I just was unimpressed.
All in all, I agree with the vast majority of reviewers here. It was a good novel, not stunning. I would recommend it to a lot of people, but not everyone. If you don't like character studies, slow-paced, simmering novels, this is not the novel for you. The first couple hundred pages might be hard to get through if you aren't interested in this kind of story. If you dislike this kind of story, you will likely never get through this at all. Personally, I loved it.
The book is chock full of well drawn out and complex characters. You may have to take notes at first to recall who is who, but then the story really picks up and all of the characters and their stories are finely woven into the tapestry that is the small town of Pagford.
On the outside Pagford is a beautiful tight knit English community. The reader soon discovers the town is founded on deceit and betrayal. None of the characters are what they seem to be. It takes one tragedy to bring all of their most inner secrets and lies to the surface. But will another tragedy help the people of Pagford finally come together as the tight knit community it claims to be without any hidden agendas?
The issues presented are so raw and real. I know this book got a lot of lukewarm reviews and I am glad I did not bother reading any of them as I found The Casual Vacancy to be, as one reviewer put it, a surprisingly powerful piece of storytelling, which forces us, by stealth, to care.
On the outside Pagford is a beautiful tight knit English community. The reader soon discovers the town is founded on deceit and betrayal. None of the characters are what they seem to be. It takes one tragedy to bring all of their most inner secrets and lies to the surface. But will another tragedy help the people of Pagford finally come together as the tight knit community it claims to be without any hidden agendas?
The issues presented are so raw and real. I know this book got a lot of lukewarm reviews and I am glad I did not bother reading any of them as I found The Casual Vacancy to be, as one reviewer put it, a surprisingly powerful piece of storytelling, which forces us, by stealth, to care.
I loved this book! Rowling is at her all time best With the small town politics of this tiny village! You must get through first chapter. Her writing is so witty and spot on. She describes things in just the right length, she uses just the right words, and her characters radiate realism. In one scene, when a woman has some gossip to share, she describes the moment someone has something juicy to tell so humorously she had me laughing out loud. It may be a hard read if you do not like books that make you appreciate making characters full flesh. There are small town know-it-alls and the local townies who are just trying to get through the day. You must understand sarcasm and what her characters say are how you know the real situations. I thought it was fantastic!
I couldn't finish this book. Obviously I didn't expect it to be Harry Potter, rated PG, but her use of obscenities and the fact that I couldn't think a positive thought about any of the characters just depresses me. I didn't get very far, only 40 pp, but I have too many books TBR to spend time on something so negative. The characters thoughts were all generally mean-spirited and the people ugly. Too bad because she is a marvelous writer.
A very enjoyable book for JK Rowling's first adult novel (i.e. non-Harry Potter book). The characters are memorable and the storyline is fantastic. About the goings-on of a small town which needs to replace a council seat left by a death. The resultant tales, both about replacing the individual, as well as about the townspeople whether they are involved with the seat or not makes for really great reading.
OMG boring and tedious beyond words. On the book one reviewer wrote 'Deeply Moving'--are you kidding me? I fought to finish the book page by page thinking it's got to get better. It doesn't.
Not Harry Potter but interesting English story.
Had a hard time reading this book. It wasn't very enjoyable and had no real story behind it.
It is very slow, and doesn't have a very interesting plot. There are way too many people, and it is very difficult to keep them all straight.I stuck with it until the end because I am a fan,but I hope she doesn't write another book like this. It was almost like it was a totally different writer.
I wonder if Rowling consciously emulates Charles Dickens. She's mentioned him a couple of times in interviews, and for most of The Casual Vacancy, I couldn't help but think of Dickens' huge casts, his wordiness, and that thing he does a lot where he shares characters' observations, in their own voices, but with just enough dry, detached formalism to it to make the whole thing ludicrous. Oh, also the social criticism thing.
Then the last fifty pages were like an early John Irving novel, which is a very dangerous place for characters.
Speaking of characters, she certainly feels them well - male as well as female, young and old, rich and poor. And she tells stories in that way that's visual but reading it is effortless.
I'm a fan.
Then the last fifty pages were like an early John Irving novel, which is a very dangerous place for characters.
Speaking of characters, she certainly feels them well - male as well as female, young and old, rich and poor. And she tells stories in that way that's visual but reading it is effortless.
I'm a fan.
Ok, the spelling and grammer are perfect. Harry Potter it is not. I'm sure there's a market for books about boring, self obsessed, small minded people out there somewhere, but I'm afraid I'm not part of it. None of the characters are sympathetic and they're all so sterotypically neurotic that they make my head hurt. Please, JK, try again! I'm sure you have some more great stories in your head.
Was only able to wade thru 55 pages. Very disjointed and boring w/no action. should stick with harry potter.
Not a children's book. Should not be compared with Harry Potter at all. This book starts out with about 20 characters (I didn't count) but they all have nicknames. So you end up trying to keep track of 40 people! At one point I almost stopped to make a note of who is related to who, but then decided to just let it wash over me. I found it really didn't matter. The book was...ehh okay. Not much different from British soap operas. I felt like I was reading an episode of Eastenders! I'm pretty sure I continued reading to the end, not because I was captivated with the story, but because it was Rowling. We were all waiting to see how she would do, weren't we? I doubt I will be as eager to read her next adult book.
