The Casual Vacancy

By: J.K. Rowling

Narrated by: Tom Hollander

Length: 17 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early 40s, the little town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils.... Pagford is not what it at first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the town's council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity, and unexpected revelations?

Blackly comic, thought-provoking, and constantly surprising, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling's first novel for adults.

©2012 J.K. Rowling (P)2012 Hachette Audio

A disappointment !

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

If this was the book JK always wanted to write, I am glad she wrote Harry potter first.

What was most disappointing about J. K. Rowling’s story?

It was very depressing. The characters seem to have no redeeming features, they were all terribly flawed with nothing to like about them. The story seemed pointless and sad

What does Tom Hollander bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I probably would not have finised the book if the reader had not read it to me while I could do other things

Do you think The Casual Vacancy needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No

Worth putting aside Harry

Where does The Casual Vacancy rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of my favorites

Who was your favorite character and why?

Couldn't pick just one

What does Tom Hollander bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The English interpretation and pronunciation adds to my understanding

Who was the most memorable character of The Casual Vacancy and why?

So hard to choose because all of the characters were so well written. I truly was drawn into their lives

Listen to it over and over

JK Rowlings look into the ripple effect that one man's death makes in small town England.

well written, very different from Harry Potter

Easy to read or listen to, Rawlings excellent style. I think that this was either therapy or trying to brake a type casting, definitely very different subject and language content then the Harry Potter series.

Brilliant, Beautiful and Captivating.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Casual Vacancy is a beautifully written work of art. Nothing has been missed in the story. No storyline was neglected. Every character and every scene is perfectly orchestrated to completion. Reading Casual Vacancy is like eating that perfect meal. It starts off with an explosion of flavor, akin to a beautifully prepared appetizer and from there Rowling guides the reader through a perfectly told story that is nicely sustained. A good story is one that the reader does not want to put down, but is not forced to rush through. It is a story that once over, its characters will be missed. And once completed, the storyline line and messages are still being contemplated in the minds of its readers. This is the brilliance of Casual Vacancy.

What about the bad reviews? What about all the readers who put it down out of what they said was disappointment and boredom? I was not dissuaded or discouraged when I read the very first publicized negative reactions to Casual Vacancy or heard from various friends and other reviewers, “My friend started this and was bored so she put it down”. Harry Potter had such huge wide spread appeal that it makes sense that many of her former fans would give this a try or think about giving it a try, but Casual Vacancy – while nearly perfectly written in my opinion – is not a book that will have wide spread appeal. Despite my opinion on this, Casual Vacancy does have staying power and it has its own beauty. The thing about Harry Potter is that all sorts of readers consumed it. And all sorts of non-readers read it. To please that type of audience would take something like, well the Hunger Games to satisfy everyone. But that is not being fair to Harry Potter and its fans, Hunger Games (in my opinion) while fun and very good, does not come close to the brilliance of the Harry Potter series (and if you have only read the first one or two in the series, then you have no idea what I mean … read the later ones!). My point – Casual Vacancy is not a repeat of Harry Potter in terms of having wide spread appeal.

At the risk of being confusing and contradictory – Casual Vacancy is very similar to Harry Potter. Whaatttt????

For readers of the entire series of Harry Potter, I am confident what remains with them even years after reading the books are the characters – the depth of the individuals developed, their struggles with moral dilemmas, the depiction of how absolutely horrible human beings can be to others when given the opportunity, their personal losses and their small victories. That is what I remember, more than any complicated mythology behind wands and horcruxes – I remember the characters. The Harry Potter books are immense in length and the story takes 7 books to tell, because it is the characters’ stories that filled the pages.

Casual Vacancy appears to be set in a nearly perfect setting: a small town where people know each other and have for generations. This is a town that is not war torn, is not fighting a famine or dangerous gangs and is not facing a spiraling out of control crime rate. This book does not have an external pressure affecting its characters or a complicated plot line each is struggling through. What this story comes down to is just the people appearing on the pages of the book and how people live their lives, how people treat each other, and what motivates them to act. The story is told from the alternating third person point of view a large number of characters. At first, keeping track of each character is task. I actually kept a cheat sheet. However, after about 10% of the book each character was solidly embedded and I no longer needed my notes. In the beginning of the story, it first appears that all of the characters are somehow involved with one main character that has died. And yes, while that is true they have that in common, that is not really the point – the point is not their connection but their own individual stories.

The characters in Casual Vacancy are each trapped in their own universe of interests, surrounded by their own self focused motives. They cannot seem to see beyond their own pain and struggles and because of this, they don’t see those who truly need help. There are heartbreaking scenes in this book, but they are essential to go through because it is a forcing of the reader to notice the pain of others – in a way that many of us probably do not in real life. This book provides an amazing lesson to each of us and is inspiring. Stop, open our eyes, help those around us, see people from their perspective instead of judging.

Who would enjoy this book? Readers that enjoy literary fiction, character studies or societal observations . This book is not an adventure tale nor is it a story with a beginning, middle and end. It is a window into the lives of a small town – the readers get a glimpse and then it is over. Readers looking for a tight resolution, a beautiful and satisfying end, and the triumph of good over evil should not attempt Casual Vacancy. They will be disappointed. This is not a book to be skimmed, but instead it is one to be immersed in and it takes awhile to get through. So patient readers are needed as well. I plan on re-reading this book and I anxiously wait for Rowling’s next effort.

Loved it

If you could sum up The Casual Vacancy in three words, what would they be?

Real, raw, engaging

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Casual Vacancy?

The end, but mostly all of the characters being so well developed. They feel like real people. After reading I felt like I read a true story about the tragic lives of some real people. Jkr is the master of crafting characters

Have you listened to any of Tom Hollander’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, I LOVE Tom Hollander and I wish he would narrate my life.

If you could take any character from The Casual Vacancy out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Crystal. Poor girl needs some guidance

Any additional comments?

I love the book, love the story, love the performance.

Good writing and characters but no one to cheer for

Setting in a seemingly idyll town with a seedy town next door. A story in being from “wrong side of the tracks” and those from privilege. Perhaps growing up with or without still has the same issues. The story and characters were well told and I was interested in reading to the end-However, there was no one to cheer for really. Surely there had to be a character to grow from the experience or one you could cheer for-and be rewarded but there really wasn’t so it leaves you sort of not effected or emotionally involved. So I give it a 3. It doesn’t meet my 5 requirements. (Humor, human, emotion, growth, learning)

I LOVED this book!

Was so sorry when it ended but it ended perfectly. . . . . .

Foul and explicit without warning.

Good story and well read. But not what I was expecting as far as the amount of swear words and content. I still enjoyed the way J.K. brings everything together and how well thought out the story and her characters were. Just would have been more enjoyable without the explicitly involved.

England Has Its Problems

I debated giving 5 stars, wanting to review with 4. The narration was great given the many characters portrayed in the story. Yes, it is one of those stories with what seems one character too many but fits the need to characterize the many inclinations and intentions of a human being in any given city. The haves and have not.

If one pays attention to the characters that build upon one another like a broken down church or weathered fence about to break the greater the appreciation of the story as it weaves itself into a wad of cloth.

There were times I would need to put the story into my headphones because the narration, the story, was loud and vulgar due to the characters coming to life through audible.

Now if you are someone who doesn't like to read books with multiple moving parts/characters you might want to pass it by. However, I being in that class of readers have come away remembering most of the human situations in the book as pieces around my own life and town, not easily forgotten.