The Casual Vacancy

By: J.K. Rowling

Narrated by: Tom Hollander

Length: 17 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Shortlisted for: UK Author of the year – Specsavers National Book Awards 2012

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early 40s, the 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 facade 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 first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish 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?

A big novel about a small town, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling's first novel for adults. It is the work of a storyteller like no other.

©2012 J.K. Rowling (P)2012 Hachette Digital

Its ok

This book is definately not as well written as the Harry Potter series. The large amount of characters made it really difficult to keep up with which story line was being presented. Became clearer towards the end so may need to listen to it twice to fully understand the complex story line. Similiar outlay to Maeve Binchy's books who also follows the life of a vast array of characters but just doesnt do it as successfully.

J.K.Rowling's Soiree into adult fiction

A typical small town with it's small town politics and it's seedy underbelly. You will find small communities like Pagford and The Fields all over the globe.

A Ripping Yarn ….

The characters in this book, most not particularly likeable, were just complex enough to grip you with interest yet not feel that they were unreal. I really liked the dialog - again some shy from the coarse language but this is the way people talk. The way people curse tells a lot about the character.

The Ripping yarn I believe comes from the interweaving of the many characters, shades of Ken Follett, relationships horizontal and vertical, is up and down the generations and across community.

The narration was really excellent, even, flowing and subtle with each character. The story though not much fun, kept me intrigued as to wanting to know what was going to happen next - to me it was an audio page turner .

A story with guts, some humour, intrigue, an I felt immersed and absorbed in the world of the the English midlands.

Weepingly Poignant

This is the most beautiful and confronting book I have read this year. The narrator is simply perfect. The story is heart-breakingly lovely. So sad to say good-bye to these characters. I did not want the book to end. An absolutely brilliant book. Brava!!

Good listen!

Would you listen to The Casual Vacancy again? Why?

No, as it got a bit tedious in parts

Who was your favorite character and why?

Teenage boy with acne!

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

No, I had to get away at times.

Unhappy Story but incredibly engaging.

What did you love best about The Casual Vacancy?

I actually didn't like the story,it was quite sad,however, I couldn't stop listening ! It was extremely well written and the characters were very well developed. An excellent story but very sad. I think if it were a movie, I would have been crying like a baby at the end.

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

I have never read a book like this. i only bought it because it was JK Rowling.

What about Tom Hollander’s performance did you like?

Some narrators are awful, Tom did a good job. Voices were good.

If you could take any character from The Casual Vacancy out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Crystal Weedon, I'd like to be her friend and help her get out of the life that is so dreadful.

Any additional comments?

It's worth buying, but read the synopsis first so you know the story line.

An accurate depiction of social inequality.

Reviews where others find this boring or upsetting through portrayal of intimate misery, are a proper reflection of society's shallow and frivolous understanding of reality.
Thoroughly recommend it. The narrator is outstanding as well.

New JK Rowling not up to Potter standard

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

I listened to this book because I was keen to see what JK Rowling's novel for adults was like. Overall, I did not enjoy it. It just didn't grab me. It was slow to begin with and had too many characters to try and keep up with.

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

Tom Hollander did a great job reading the novel.

Any additional comments?

Towards the end of the book, it did have me hooked so that I wanted to keep listening and see what would happen next. It is full of twists and turns which were interesting.

Wow !

So what does a person who never need work another day in her life write just for the sheer joy of writing ?

This book is gritty. It is about death, drug addiction, poverty and the fears of the middle class.

I loved it, so well written and gripping.

worth a listen

Any additional comments?

It look me a few goes to get into this book but not sure why. After a few "starts" I got to know the characters and then I was totally hooked. I think it helped to have heard the interviews that JK Rowlings made to promote the book because it helps to understand the background and the reason why the book was written.