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

chugged along

After having fallen in love with Harry Potter i had jigh expectations that this book did not live up to. It had a slow start but did end with a slight kick but it took 17hrs of book time to get there.

Masterfully told but dark

Masterfully told story with a strong, evocative, sense of place and character. Be prepared for a tragic story line exploring all the ways that parents let down their children and hurts travel the generations. Yikes! But glad I followed it to the...really wish there’d been other possible...end.

Not a happy book, but excellent nonetheless

What did you love best about The Casual Vacancy?

The detail JK Rowling puts into her books. She has a masterful ability to create a complete world and put the reader directly in the middle

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

The dinner party with Gavin, Kay, Samantha, Miles and Mary. Very real. It was difficult for me to listen to because it made me uncomfortable.

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

This is my first Tom Hollander performance. I thought he was brilliant.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I don't know what the tag line would be, but this book would easily be converted to a screenplay. I'm not sure I would want to be confronted with the difficult topics of the book visually, though.

Any additional comments?

This is not Harry Pottter and this is NOT a book for children. The author was very clear about this in her interviews prior to the book's release. This is also not a happy book. It discusses the haves and have-nots in society and all the ills associated with each. I don't normally read unhappy books because I have a job that confronts me with the ills of society daily. However, this book was excellent. I was amazed at the realism of the conversations and motivations of the characters, which made the book often difficult to listen to. Overall I am very glad I read it.

My only criticism is that I felt the end was a little drawn out and I didn't think all the events were necessary, but I may have been anxious to know what happened with the main characters.

Also, it is a very British book with British terminology. I watch a lot of BBC America so I knew some of the references, but I did have to look several terms up on the internet.

Need a main character - has too many main characte

This book has not just a main character it has many many main characters, it gets confusing following. After finishing the book I am relistening to it, because I know I missed something. There is no real clear plot. There is a great deal of details on all the characters in the book, but who is the main character? Not sure if it would have been better with a different narrator.

Not bad but not enjoyable either

Wow, what a bummer of a book full of petty, unhappy characters. It's too bad, I really love the Cormoran Strike books.

WORTH IT!!

Wonderful book. There are so many underlying themes...it's a perfect choice for any book club. Rowling's capture of these characters resembles the complex stagnation of flawed perceptions that we all have within us.

Hard to get into and leaves you with questions.

This book starts out extremely slow and very hard to get into. It took me several chapters to really understand the book and get into it enough or I would stick with it. But once I did I couldn’t hardly put it down it rolled along quite well except Jim from character to character was hard to keep up with. Once it started flowing and you realize how the characters were all connected it just gets more thrilling as the suspense build.

Powerful

I had to keep reminding myself that this was from the same mind that created Harry Potter. This characters were so flawed to the point that they became so real, so human. I wept for the innocent who could only find peace in tragedy.

such a sad commentary on society

A really heartbreaking view of how we look away at things that make us uncomfortable, taking action only after it's too late.

An underrated slow-burn of a masterpiece!

Having grown up with the HP series, I eagerly read Casual Vacancy when first published, Much of what made Rowling's HP series so enjoyable - well-rounded characters, clever, coalescing plot lines, and a humanitarian view towards individuals- likewise imbues this book.

In re-visiting the audio edition, I was once again struck by her deft skill at character development. The characters, certainly flawed, are developed and complex. Tom Hollander's dynamic narration aids Rowling's knack for description and by the end of the book the reader not only knows each Pagford resident, but can picture their faces clear as day.

The seemingly innocuous one-liner of the plot (a man's death leaves open a seat on a small town's council) may potentially turn readers away. However, don't be fooled by the simplicity of this conflict. Berry's death propels us into a community stewing with crippling addictions, sexual deviancy, mental illness, spousal abuse, bullying, and self-harm. These secrets lie at the heart of one major theme of the book: empathy vs. indifference.

As was the case with her HP series, Rowling's compassion is inspiring. Though some complain they don't "like" the characters, I think it's to Rowling's credit that she creates and respects flawed individuals. For example, Crystal Weedon is a 16-year old character suffering from crippling poverty and a heroine-addicted mother. Perhaps it would have made her more "sympathetic" if she didn't punch girls in the face, scream rude homophobic slurs, and let boys take turns feeling her breast. However, by describing Crystal's flaws as well as her strengths, Rowling not only breaths life into this character, she gives this complicated girl agency, sympathy, and respect.

I hope Rowling writes another hyperlinked book like this. Truly, I think it's an underrated, complicated, clever, tragic masterpiece!