The Casual Vacancy

Having read all the Harry Potter stories, I was looking forward to reading this book written especially for adults. I thought the story line looked promising and interesting but the constant and unnecessary bad language really spoiled my enjoyment of the story and means that I would never recommend it to anyone

J K Rowling is an amazing writer but why pick a small town and it's relentlessly petty, mean, sad characters for a novel? There appears to be no plot and the people are so awful that you actually feel no sympathy for any of them and therefore no desire to see if they succeed or fail in life. To be scrupulously fair, the characters are so well drawn they make you wince because I am sure all of us will have met at least one of these types but I'm afraid I just did not want to hear them. I actually did not listen to the end.

I expected better coming from such an author, but nethertheless, it was a 'good' book. a little slow to start but came to a very good ending. Worth reading, but don't expect anything as good as harry potter, it's good book though

A cast of characters that are beautifully contstructed and developed. Non of them are angels and all have their demons. It is a hard hitting, no punches pulled description of life in the UK for many.



I had no idea where the story would take me & the climatic ending had been exclaiming out loud. A darned good read.

J K Rowling has excelled herself with the Casual Vacancy, proving she can write for the adult world. Straight from the start I was engrossed with the goings on in Paggford and the neighbouring Fields. Starting the book with the death of Councillor Fairbrother, J K Rowling had the tittle tattle of the community to a T. But as the book goes on the story unravels troubled family lives of a teenager who is desperate to keep her mum off drugs so her 3 year old brother does not go in to care, a teenage boy living in a violent family and a mixed up adopted boy whose father has serious mental problem, to name a few. But it is J K Rowling's descriptions that make this book so good and credible. She describes the hovel of the drugged up mother's house, who has sold all her furniture to buy drugs, the dirt, the grim, the scruffy furniture, it just conjures up great images in your mind. J K is such a brilliant author. She deserves an award for this book, it is absolutely fantastic!

Found this book very disappointing. One-dimensional characters and stereotypes throughout. This book left me feeling depressed after every listen.

Interesting enough storyline, but it seemed to go at such a slow pace I almost gave up several times! Had I been reading the book , as opposed to listening whilst driving or doing my chores :-), it would still be unfinished on the bookshelf. The ending was very disappointing.

This is quite the best book I have read in years.

Dont be put off if you are not into politics. It is parish pump stuff and only a framework for the brilliant characters involved.

Each character is beautifully drawn and the 'story' moves on at a cracking pace. Even though she leaves one character to delve into the life of another, it all seems to fit.

It will make a good film as all the tedious detail will be glossed over. The end is very dramatic and ties up all the various story lines. If you get to the end, you will think about people more openly than before.

She can be a bit of cheesy writer in her use of language, but it works by God. She is a brilliant plotter, and uses language to create exactly the effects she wants - which is what you want from a novelist. I find some of Dickens' stylistic conventions irritating but it doesn't stop him from being a great writer. I have never read Harry Potter, though I dislike the Stephen Fry reading of it when I've heard any of it,. Anyway, clearly JK needed to get kids out of her system so she's written the most adult book imaginable. I love the realism, the dark humour, the plot line - it is totally compelling. I was so surprised since I was expecting to not like it after reading the snotty reviews. Well done JK and the excellent reader.