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

Overall Just ok

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

Yes. It was very nice to listen to the book in the English accent. I think it added something to the story that a print book would not have given.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

All of the characters in the book.

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

This was my first Tom Hollander's performance. I thought he did an excellent job with the bok.

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

The lives of a small town

Any additional comments?

Overall I though the narrator did a great job. At the beginning of the book, I felt like there were way too many characters to follow but it was masterfully how Rowling linked the lives of all of the characters together. The storry is a sad and a little dark.

J K Rowling excels

What did you love best about The Casual Vacancy?

A well developed plot which combines humour and hardship in a thought provoking social commentary.
A must read.

Reminds me of Hemingway ... but better

Reading Hemingway, I always find myself waiting for the story to end. I finish the book thinking, "well that was pointless". Then I can't get the story out of my mind and over years realize how insightful/powerful the story was.

With The Casual Vacancy, I struggled in the beginning and middle, but then began to get into the story. This will stick with me forever.

I do recommend this.

The narrator fit the story well.

Not my cup of tea

What could J. K. Rowling have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

This is a deep, dark, story with little redeeming value. The level of emotional and physical violence is more than my taste can take. Also, the parts about crew were annoying because I don't think Ms. Rowling did her research. Rowing is about leg strength not arms.

Any additional comments?

I read this because of the author not the story. The story is slow and there is quite little to the plot.

A new genre

If you enjoy books on tape or as they are called now, audible books, this is an engaging listen. If you liked Rowling's writing style and the English accent I highly recommend the audio version. It's similar to radio theater. Casual Vacancy audio book is however is an interesting title that misleads its audience that more supernatural elements will be in play (thanks to her Potter series). Unfortunately, to my disappointment this is not a story from Rowling's more familiar genre.

Sad

I like a "Happily ever after" and this is the opposite. so very, very sad 😔

Unlikeable characters and difficult story

I love Ms Rowling and have read all the HP books as well as all the Robert Galbraith books and loved every one. This book, however, was a disappointment. I had to struggle to finish it. One or two of the characters had some sort of redeeming qualities but for the most part they were all rather despicable. For the most part it was difficult to care about them. The last chapters seemed to be a rush to tie up loose ends. It is too bad. I will eagerly await another Robert Galbraith book instead

Enjoyed very much

The characters are very compelling and I found myself completely wrapped up in this story. I think she does a good job capturing the complicated cycle of family trauma. I hated to finish.

This is Briliiant

A great listen with the expected ending from a great storyteller. Rowling's English village is packed full of fun, nasty, politics, sad and just plain life.

Holds the attention

This is a slice of life, true to life. The story held my attention from beginning to end. The performance was excellent.