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

J. K. Rowling's Does It Again!

What made the experience of listening to The Casual Vacancy the most enjoyable?

The reader was great, but truly the plot lines and foreshadowing were brilliantly done!

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

The most memorable part of the work was how it made me step back and think that perhaps people behave in a certain way because of things going on behind closed doors of their homes. Even the happiest of facades hides some skeletons!

What about Tom Hollander’s performance did you like?

His cadence was great and his reading of dialogue really made you love or hate a character!

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

The end - I am still teary!

Any additional comments?

Great work - when is the next work coming out?!?!

Warning: Never Aspire To Be Rowling's Neighbor

What made the experience of listening to The Casual Vacancy the most enjoyable?

Rowling has an amazing ability to distill people's characters in a few crafty sentences. Everyone is flawed and she is unapologetic and quite blunt about it. The most mundane person in your neighborhood gains a kind of power from her intense interest in them and interpretation of them and we the readers see the people around us in sharper detail. We might not be entirely sympathetic to them but I for one feel like minding my p's and q's in case she is observing me.

Totally exceeded my expectations

Would you consider the audio edition of The Casual Vacancy to be better than the print version?

They are two completely different experiences.

What did you like best about this story?

The story grew and grew. The characters were really genuine.

What about Tom Hollander’s performance did you like?

Terrific

Slow to start but a good story.

What made the experience of listening to The Casual Vacancy the most enjoyable?

There were lots of different characters and the narrator was excellent.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cristal Whedon because I had hope for her.

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

No.

Darkly beautiful...but not for everyone

I didn't want to read any reviews before reading this book. I wanted only to have my own impressions first. During the first third of the book, I wondered where Rowling was going with this story. But like a train, the book picked up speed as it went along. When I reached the end, I went back to the beginning and read it again--just in case I had missed something.

This is certainly not a book for those who thought that HP Book 4 was too dark. This one is often dark, grim and gritty. Most of the characters are not really likeable--at least not at first. Then you get to know the back story...or you see a flash of tremendous courage in a person who seemed weak and useless. And slowly, you begin to see these people in a different light. It is as Sirius Black said, "The world isn't divided into good people and Deatheaters." (Or something like that.) The world Rowling created is complex and difficult and many people are not what they seem.

We don't get to know Barry Fairweather very well in the first few pages of the book. He dies right at the beginning of the story. (This is not a spoiler--his death creates the "casual vacancy" in the book.) It is only after the fact that you really get to know this man--through his friendships with the people who survive him.

There are not enough books which reveal real, 3 dimensional characters--people who come to life and remain like old friends in your head. Maybe for all your life. Rowling has incredible insight into teenage angst, marriage, addiction and love. The book is beautifully written. As you can see from the widely different reviews, it isn't for everyone. But I am among those who feel it is extraordinary.

Compelling!

Really enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator was phenomenal. Perfect read of the book. Great character delineation and accents. Can't recommend highly enough. Buy it!!

Started out slowly, but couldn't put it down later

Great book, really enjoyable and sad. Good portrayal of teenage minds and small town living.

Great sophisticated book

Rowling is at peak performance. A myriad of complicated characters, each eliciting sympathy in a unique way.

Absolutely brilliant

How JK Rowling has managed to so beautifully and objectively portray the perspectives of so many disparate and opposed characters, I will never absorb, but never, either, will I forget this book and Rowling’s incredibly fair treatment of everyone in it. Humbling.

Hollander is Everything

This book is an all-sides encapsulation of the human condition; fabulous in its anti-dogma. J.K. Rowling exhibits her unrivaled ability as an author to saturate the reader in the story and Hollander does her justice as the teller. A MUST.