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

Surprise. It's really quite good.

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

Like all audiobooks, the ability to multi-task whilst "reading".

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

The Ghost of Barry Fairbrother...because he isn't.

Any additional comments?

If you're picking this up whilst mourning the end of Harry and Hogwarts, hoping to find some hidden referential nugget, walk away now. Divorced from the HP series, as a stand alone novel: about a group of self-fixated English villagers within a loose narrative framework of Council government, it is an an absorbing, well-paced listen. A bit sad. Intriguing character study. Rowling proves her abilities as a writer, with much less obvious reliance on adverbs, and "...hearts beating tattoos..."

The Casual Vacancy...Gritty and painful life!

Would you listen to The Casual Vacancy again? Why?

This book its narration and above all its character development stands among one of the most gritty and painful examinations of life. Of lives really, of many intersecting and diverging lives the pettiness of rivalry, perplexing social situations of a youth and the dark turmoil of living and repeating poorly though out life decisions based on false hope and misinformation. Few authors these days try to expose life, J.K. Rowling has left her previous works with children, this story composes what a mature author and reader seeks and is afraid of. Yet it sucks you in with all the promise of one night stand but actually fulfills your appetite for self destruction and groundless hate and general lust for what you cannot have. Bravo, even as an American reader I was able to quickly relate to the scenes well crafted they blur the line of what is real and what is real enough it could be what has happened to you or friend you know.

What did you like best about this story?

The savage use of common everyday language and the depiction of life unvarnished and painful to relive as the helpless by-standing reader is what drew me into the story and kept me there.

What does Tom Hollander bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

Tom evoked the crass nature of these characters and the common kind of beautiful that is dangerous to listen to. Tom was able to balance the mechanics of the writing into the portrayal of humanized characters.

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

Common is Dangerous.

Any additional comments?

Well done J.K. well done!

AWESOME

Tense, awesome, character-driven psychological drama which haunted me for weeks after listening. The narration is outstanding.

If you're looking for a book with an action-driven plot, look elsewhere. The action is nearly all internal--in character interactions, character development, etc. J.K. Rowling is incredible at taking you inside the minds of her characters, and forcing you to see things from even her most unlikable characters' points of view. Rich, complex characterization makes this one of my favorite books of 2012.

Simply Terrific!!!!

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

After having listened to many, many books Casual Vacancy may be one of my all time favorites.

What did you like best about this story?

Casual Vacancy has much same genius of the Harry Potter series. J.K. Rowling has a wonderful talent for creating very rich, three dimensional, worlds. The characters in Pagford and are so fascinating, colorful and tragic. I was hooked!

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

Hollander is an inspired storyteller, he gets the tone of every character just right.

stop complaining!!!

Would you listen to The Casual Vacancy again? Why?

yes and i did

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

the red house

What about Tom Hollander’s performance did you like?

great, and funny

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

no it take a little more listening to figure out out the characters

Any additional comments?

this also goes for the host by Stephanie meyers. STOP ASSUMING that their next book is suppose to be like the last. Deal with it.

Good for JK to branch out and do something different.

If you go in expecting a masterpiece, then you will most likely be disappointed. Just start it with an open mind and be prepared to enter a world full of entertaining people. It's a funny read. I loved the character development.

This certainly must capture modern life in a small British community. I am hardly an expert on that, but, lets face it, J.K. Rowlings certainly is. It matters little, though, where the story is set. Needless to say there is many secrets and scandals hidden in this ordinary town. There is sexually explicit parts in the book , and violence, and sexual violence towards children, drug abuse, self harm etc etc.

slow to start, but really intriguing insight

I admit, as I started this book, I wondered what I had gotten into. It is nothing like the style or content of her other books (and yes, I've read everyone). In The Casual Vacancy, the realism of small town life and politics hits home. I did have a hard time getting into the book at first; however, I stuck with it and became engrossed in the lives of the characters - just as many of us are fascinated to hear the local gossip about people in our own small town or neighborhood - I had to keep listening. Once you start, you'll want to stay with it to the end.

One of best novels I've ever read

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

It gains momentum as it goes along...Complex characters, lots of truth and moral implications about our society to consider such as how we demonize certain people without considering how they became the ay they did. Lots of wry observations about people. Really entertaining as well...

Big disappointment

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

There were many times I just wanted to give up on this book but I felt anyone who wrote such wonderful other books wouldn't let me down.The book was an extremely intimate portrait of characters I really didn't care about. It got a little better at the end because I better understood the relationships between the characters. All in all, a real disappointment.

Has The Casual Vacancy turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

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

I thought he did an admirable job of portraying all the charaters. Sometimes the accent was a little hard for me.

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

No. It was painful enough the first time.

Just intense !

I've never felt so strongly confused whether to like the characters or despise them but feeling either ways very intensely throughout the book ! Unexpected from my favorite childhood author !

heart wrenching

loved it even tho it put my heart into a blender. a well rounded story with a horrifying feeling of relatability to many of the characters. I saw a bit of myself in almost every character and I think if you stop to look inward you will too as the daily lives of ordinary towns folk is slowly peeled away chapter by chapter. and how important the choices we make in life have effects of ourselves as well as the people around us.