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

I was impressed!!!!

If you could sum up The Casual Vacancy in three words, what would they be?

Intricate. Compelling. Powerful.

What did you like best about this story?

The Casual Vacancy is a simple, intricate and insightful peek behind closed doors in a small town in England (but it could have been written about any community). Without ripping the scabs from wounds it showed the bottom level of motivation and heart, or lack thereof. In delicate layers it revealed the deeper side of each character. It is hard to put into words but there was something intriguing and beguiling about reading about these characters.

Which scene was your favorite?

The funeral.

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

Miles and his wife being able to come together again after estrangement. One expected them to fall apart but they sucked it up and communicated. The teens learning there was a price for revenge. The growth of compassion among the characters.

Any additional comments?

I bought this because of the stellar review in Time and because I adored the Harry Potter series. She DID it! She transitioned to adult fiction and lost NOTHING. This is not Harry Potter but the optimism for growth and triumph over odds remained. I will not say this well, but I found this book so compelling I listened straight through and it lingered with me for days, even weeks. While portions dealt with serious life issues, disappointment, and dissillusionment, it was a shining example of faith in people, optimism and how she did that is beyond me. I was knocked out by this book. It deserves every single word of pre-publication hype and every excellent review. There is something special about this book, it pulses with life and it glows in your brain long after "the end". It has a gentle flow and progression so don't expect an action adventure. It is very much worth spending your credit on this listen. Brava JK Rowling. You wrote another hell of a good book.

Slow But Steady

Any additional comments?

Tom Hollander's performance is memorable and fitting. Although the book is overall pretty slow, it really weighs on you. I listened to this book for over a month, and Kristal Weeden popped into my mind fairly consistently. J.K. Rowling expertly writes about the human condition, and I look forward to her next book.

Slow to start but worth it.

People have been way too hard on this book. I admit for the first three hours I was not enjoying myself and I found the amount of characters hard to follow, especially since it was told primarily in third person. I had no idea how much I depend upon the narrator using different voices to tell characters apart!

Once you get used to the style and get to know the characters this is an engrossing book exploring how people can so easily hurt each other, especially their children, without ever realizing it. Each character was rich in detail and emotion and I loved how by seeing so many points of view you could see every angle of every situation and understand all the reasons people make the horrible choices that hurt the ones they love.

I am recommending this book to fans of literature and wonderful characters, but not to fans of happy endings and whimsy. That will not be in this story. But if you want to read something thought provoking and detailed, this is an amazing book. I feel that if this had been Rowling's first book it would be getting critical praise instead of the lukewarm reception it has received because of people's pre-conceived notions of who she is and her writing style.

Thought Provoking

Absolutely fantastic book! Terrific writing and a true departure. I was hesitant at first to pick up this book because I wanted more Potter books but I am so very glad I gave The Casual Vacancy a chance. It's a slow and steady burn that before you realize you are totally sucked into the lives of the characters.

I hesitate to say more because I do not want to give anything away, but I will say The Casual Vacancy is a thought provoking journey through society and translates weather you live in Pagford, UK Smalltown, USA or wherever you live, it speaks to parts of ourselves we like and hold a mirror up to the parts we wish we didn't see.

I don't like stories that go back and forward.

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

Yes, it was time well-spent. But as I said above I do not like stories that go back and forward in time. I lose the story line.

What three words best describe Tom Hollander’s voice?

pleasant, good dictate.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes, I would.

Gripping... A must read

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

This story is tied for first place for all the audio books I've listen to so far. The other book is "the Help".

What about Tom Hollander’s performance did you like?

He really brought all of the characters alive for the reader. And in this book, it was all about the characters.

Any additional comments?

While the story was gritty at times it was impossible to put down. It was a lot like going past a bad car accident... Impossible to look away from.

Exceptional, Profound, Addictive

This was the best book I have ever read. Every character has a complete arc, a foil, and the plot is wonderfully intricate and startling. This book occupies my thoughts, and feels so real, I swear I'd just come out of Pagford.
It is Rowling's masterpiece.

This is reality but not for everyone...

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

I prefer audible books because it breathes life into the characters and story...the reader of this book, Tom Hollander, was brilliant! From the narrating to the character's performed, he was brilliant! From somber, to anger - he gave this book the narrating it deserves. I'm not sure if anyone else would have done this book justice like Tom Hollander did.

What did you like best about this story?

This book challenged me into looking at the dark side of people's lives and the way we judge and are judged. This book takes a leering look into some very dark places and it really opened my eyes. J.K. Rowling is an amazing writer...I almost didn't get this audible book, but I am so glad I did. I am not a huge fan of Harry Potter, but this woman, J.K., knows how to write! Wow! To go from the fantasy world of Harry Potter to this very realistic view of how some people live and how/why they ended up the way they did - she is brilliant! I highly recommend this book!

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

he did a great job with ALL of the characters....

Engaging from the first page, does not disappoint.

Would you listen to The Casual Vacancy again? Why?

Absolutely. Tom Hollander's voice is like velvet, switching easily from one character to another without being too campy in various accents. The story was absolutely engaging from the first minute and I finished the book in record time. I lived in England for a short while, and as an American had a difficult time picking up on the subtleties of the British class system and it's changing topography. Rowling's book is an incredible insight into that murky world, and I learned just as much listening to her book as I did living for two years abroad. In the Harry Potter series, Rowling was able to show that she understood a growing 16 year old boy; and in The Casual Vacancy, she proved that she has the uncanny ability to get inside the heads of and describe the motivations, actions and thoughts of people from ALL walks of life. She treats the deepest darkest secrets of the conservative 50-something small-business man with as much care and consideration as she does the early-thirties single mom/social worker. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone interested interested in politics, the British social class system or psychology. However, be warned, if you are choosing this book because you loved the Harry Potter series, The Casual Vacancy is written with a much starker tone and deals with much darker issues and I would not recommend it for younger readers.

This is not Harry Potter

When I heard that J.K. Rowling was writing another book, I was overjoyed! Being a Harry Potter fan, I was anxious to continue in the fantasy of the wizarding world. Boy, was I taken by surprise! This is definitely a book for adults. I say this because there are such graphic scenes, that are so close to real-life events that could happen, it makes it unnerving. However, the story was entertaining enough to keep me engaged, after I realized this wasn't a fantasy story. Rowling does well at developing characters and their interactions with one another made me want to find out what happens to them all. I recommend this to anyone who understands that this is a separate genre than Harry Potter, but yet still keeps you wanting to listen to more.