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

A pretty good read

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

Getting to know all of the characters and how relationships, whether close or in passing, effect each person.

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

I don't really know

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

He is very talented. You could tell which character was which at any part of the story.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I thought it was pretty good.

Any additional comments?

In a way I felt that in trying to move from what was considered "kid's" stories, Harry Potter, she over used vulagar language. I am by no means a prude, but sometimes the vulgarity seemed forced.

Great Ending

The book wasn't exactly slow to start but it did seem to be filled with fluff and unrelated nonsense. The lives of the characters are quite interesting but not overtly so. The ending makes the story. Right when I was ready to give up on the tale it turned fascinating. I wish I could ignore the beginning of the book because the ending alone deserves five stars.

No wizards in Pagford...

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, would recommend for sure. The narrator is very talented, and really draws you in. The story is very adult. No kid themes here, which I think people may not expect from JK Rowling.

What did you like best about this story?

The character development was superb.

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

His accents were amazing. He switched between all the various British accents, male & female with ease. He really drew me into the story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Sukvindah's issue was very troubling, as well as the end for Krystle.

Any additional comments?

It's not action packed like Hogwarts, but this is definitely for an adult reader who enjoys character development and an unfolding story. Well done JK!

All about the muggles

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

Mr. Hollander's narration was wonderful

Any additional comments?

I was always going to get this title. As silly as it sounds I felt that I owed that to Mrs. Rowling for all the joy she gave me through the Harry Potter series. I knew it was going to be different and I went into it with an open mind. Midway through the book I had already forgotten who the author was and was just sucked into the story. There is no likeable character( think of a town full of Dursleys) yet the story was so well written that I didn't care.So if you can accept this book on it's own merits ( no Magic , plenty of Muggles) then I suggest you try it out.

Surprisingly Fantastic

Any additional comments?

Rowling's book was very well written. I enjoyed how she slowly unfolded the characters and each of their affiliations and complexities as the book progressed. It gave me an interesting glance of "family life". Fantastic!

Dickensian, Tolstoynik, Rowlingual?

New as I am to JKR because of my indifference to Harry Potter, it's only recently that I've enjoyed listening to a reading of her novel. Cuckoos Calling was a home run, along with Jo Nesbo. Launching a character that commands his own series is a big undertaking, and what I like about JKR is she does that sort of thing and still writes like a reporter for the Guardian. That is to say I like her prose a lot. I initially deferred an option to read this book in part because the reviews suggested it was boring. And the story starts at a sort of restrained pace.

JKR is a real good writer, and Casual Vacancy is a real good novel, and very listenable.

Dark and Complex

Not an easy book to pick up and put down. With more than 30 characters it is difficult to keep relationships straight. A cheat sheet helped me a lot. I felt like the author was compelled to cover a mix of family issues from rape to addiction poverty death infidelity and sexual identity. A lot and the book became too long.

Painful, Deep and Magical

Read JK Rowling's brilliant book "The Casual Vacancy"
It took me six months to get through it because of how painful it is, but now I have, I have to keep re-reading it because it is such a gem.
Her writing is as brilliant, intimate and broad as ever.
She drew me into her scenes with her wry perspectives. She made me care deeply about people I would probably never look twice at on the street, people I probably would have sneered at in my most shameless dark corners, people I have helped in my professional life but would never accept in my personal life.
She carefully, specifically made me share my humanity with her heroine, learn to look straight into my own weaknesses with compassion, and speak softly and with awe about how much we all truly must do for each other.

Absolutely fantastic.

I have seen a lot of people complain that there is "no magic in this book". This is absolute bull. The magic is in the reality of the story, the connection you make with these characters and the seamless effort of connecting multiply storylines into one book. J.K. Rowling is phenomenal, and I am so pleased that I chose this book as my first audible purchase. An absolutely touching story.

Surprisingly engrossing

I picked this up because, well, it's J. K. Rowling! What followed was am amazingly well written drama involving the complex strife of a small town, sobering depictions of some serious topics, and occasional whimsical distractions from the otherwise gritty and moving sorry.
I highly recommend this book.