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

No, it's not Harry Potter.

But Harry has moved on, and we can wish him well and do the same. I'm a (very) late vocation devotee of all thing Hogwarts, and would probably pay to read Ms. Rowling's grocery list if she published it.

Even so, The Casual Vacancy gave me everything I want in a great, chewy novel, and once I got inside it, I binged.

There are two worlds at play in the drama around replacing a member of the Parish council in a small village: the adult world, whose members each have his or her own strong reason to go forward, and the world belonging to their kids, who have stronger reasons to act.

The play between the two worlds, with both adults and kids who are strong, selfish, loving, damaged, courageous and tragic, culminates in a way that, for me, could only have been written by Rowling. What her first "adult" novel has in common with the Potter series is J. K. Rowling's great, shining heart.

OMG! I'm editing this review just after writing it because I just found out that JK Rowlings pseudonym is Robert Galbraith. The Galbraith books, the first of which is The Cuckoo's Calling, are some of the finest, complicated, character-driven mysteries you'll ever read! YESSSS!

I've read all three, and am pining for the next installment!

Jay Thomas

The Opposite of Inspirational

I honestly gave JK a blank slate, and latitude to write something completely different, but I was unprepared for such a depressing turn of events from an author who has brought me so much excitement and imagination. This book is not about moving a plot along anywhere, at all. Its all about how people think, feel, and act, and it is nearly enough to make you give up on humanity. Of the enormous multitude of characters that JK painstakingly (and SLOWLY) develops, you find yourself hesitant, at least for the first 2/3 of the book, to be rooting for any of these characters (who we are secretly afraid might have been meant to represent one of US), let alone hoping to find a hero among them.

The dark grittiness of the book was relentless. The intentionally crafted superficial, self-absorbed shallowness of most of the characters was disheartening and depressing. I'm not saying it wasn't very well written, or maybe a realistic look at the human condition, though I hate entertaining that thought. I have to admit, I couldn't put aside my subconscious expectation that JK would give us SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE along the line to really rally behind, that there should be something in the story that was bright and inspiring, even an injustice to right, that would gain momentum and build the reader up. Instead, every potentially positive or motivating aspect of the story was dirtied and marred by the narrow-minded, the vengeful, the selfish, or the ignorant actions of characters. The triumphs that are won along the way are important, but almost never the kind of clear victory you can cheer for, always being overshaddowed by the much greater, invasive and persistent losses.

JK has clearly made this Adult-Fiction by weaving all of the dirtiest kinds of adult material through the story, yet, the most likeable characters, flawed though they may be, were the teens. She did a remarkable job of typifying the teens into the most the different typical teenage stereotypes, then winding the unlikely lot together. Despite the offensive types of adult content (the junkie prostitue mother, rape, physical and psychologic abuse), it's a book I'd endorse my older teenagers read, as it is very insightful to the psychological etiologies of the "bad girl", the depressive-cutter, the disadvantaged, the abused, the cool, as well as the sometimes atrocious conditions and situation that seeming normal teens endure and evolve from. If you are appalled at the thought that I would want any teens to read this, the OLDER teens I have in mind know enough about such things from TV, movies, and unfortunately, High-School; I'm not suggesting thrusting such material onto naïve kids. I think one of the best illustrated points of this book is many teens know, or pursue, far more about adult subjects than their parents would care to admit.

Bottom lines:
- Very well written, but a slow moving story about human beings and their multitude of faults.
- A tragedy, more than a drama or black comedy, in my mind, for it's overall depressing nature. Though black comedy peeks through, I would qualify that as occasional relief, rather than the genre.
- The main inspiration gathered from this book is how NOT to be, an important, but slowly and painfully delivered message.

JK, I do love you, but please, oh PLEASE, give us something to cheer for next time.

Mixed feelings

What did you love best about The Casual Vacancy?

J.K Rowling's prose is wonderful. She has the gifts of creating the clever turn of phrase and weaving a complex, multi-layered story. This book is a far cry from the Harry Potter series, though. My teenage daughter wanted to read it, but I've asked her to wait a few years.

Which character – as performed by Tom Hollander – was your favorite?

My favorite character had to be Krystal Wheedon, a troubled girl caught up in a cycle of poverty, sex, and drugs who, nevertheless, has the reader rooting for her. Rowling can see through the eyes of teens so brilliantly, and the teens in this book are no exception.

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

A film of this book would be way to depressing and would never sell in America, but it would probably be critically acclaimed in Europe for its unflinchingly honest look at the seedy side of life.

Any additional comments?

I loved the story for its grit and emotion, but I was left feeling, despite the surprising ending, that it was tied up a bit too neatly. Specifically, the parallel actions of the teenagers involved in the plot was a bit too coincidental. Overall, however, a good novel.

Phenomenal Performance but not an Inspiring Listen

Any additional comments?

It took me forever to finish this because there was very little that kept bringing me back. And this from the author of Harry Potter? There was not one character you could like, she was mercilessly critical of everyone and cynical of every situation she wrote about. The explicitness was a little disturbing coming from J. K. Rowling, but it's her prerogative to be as "adult" as she wants to since she is not writing for younger audiences in this book, but sometimes I think she went overboard.

However, it does get better towards the end. As the story lines come together, you keep wondering how it could possibly end and after hitting their lowest low, many of the characters stop being assholes. Finally, I could believe Jo Rowling wrote this, you know the author who based her entire life's work on the concept of love being the most powerful magic of all, and on the importance of having faith and trust.

And since this was an audiobook, I should add that the narration by Tim Hollander was phenomenal. He could do such a wide range of voices and voices that seem to perfectly fit the characters that you were never confused about who was talking and he could really keep you engaged.

Good story, but so depressing.

An interesting story but so sad and depressing. A bit hard to follow the characters in the beginning because there are so many of them. I enjoyed the book, but it is a very depressing story.

I’l

not what I expected

I've always loved JK Rowling . I even listen to her when she wrote under her synonym of Galbrath. Her books are entertaining , however this story was just the biggest downer. Her characters were very true to life . JK Rowling's understanding of human nature is astonishing. but the whole book just depressed me. So many times I just wanted to say forget it. That's all I can say .

Pleasantly Surprised

I am not a big Harry Potter fan, didn't dislike the books, just not a fan, so I was apprehensive about this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. The narration is excellent. The characters in the book are very engaging. I would have like to empathize a little more with some of the characters. It would have been nice to see some redeeming qualities in all of the characters, instead of just some. However, I did love seeing all of their recognizable flaws---pretty sure there was every deadly sin represented. So often I am disappointed with the endings in books, but I even enjoyed the end of this book.

Jo does it again

JK Rowling proves for the umpteenth time that her fame as a writer is no fluke. The Casual Vacancy is sardonic and unapologetically honest. It weaves together the lives of many deeply flawed and highly varied individuals, creating a vivid world of intrigue to house an otherwise inconsequential local election. I found myself both loving and loathing nearly all of the characters in equal measure. Tom Hollander's narration is dramatic and his voice makes for easy listening. I highly recomendar both the book and the audiobook.

Loved this story, loved the reader

Would you listen to The Casual Vacancy again? Why?

Yes, I really enjoyed meeting all the people in this small town. There are a lot of dynamics here and I felt I was really a part of it.

What other book might you compare The Casual Vacancy to and why?

I can compare it to Peter Behren's The O'Briens in that the characters are all involved with one another and there are complex relationships among them. Also, the way the story unfolds is similar.

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

I like the English accent very much. If I were reading it in my own head, with my own voice, I don't think I would "know" the characters as they were written.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I would if I could!

Any additional comments?

I hope JK Rowling continues to write for adult audiences.

Girl can write

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

Although the subject matter is pretty heavy and dark, the writing is extremely well done. Her characterization is awesome, I felt I really knew the characters. Her descriptions and settings are spot on. I can see it perfectly, but I'm not bored by pages of scene setting. She is an amazing writer, and I am not so explaining it is difficult. She does a better job of it with her writing.