J K Rowling has done it again!

This is a long way from Harry Potter. We enter the world of ordinary people and their humdrum lives and concerns, but under the surface things are not always what they seem. J K Rowling covers some uncomfortable subjects, including child neglect and self harm, with great skill and has an amazing insight into the human condition. Some of the press reviews after the launch were very unfair. It takes a bit of concentration to get to know each of the characters, but it's worth persevering. The brilliant narration by Tom Hollander adds to the enjoyment of the book.

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fab read

loved it from the start to the end, and what an ending! really great read.

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Slow starter

Found the first half a struggle, couldn't see where it was going and found it quite boring if I'm honest! I persevered and quite enjoyed the second half.

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not to bad

I was e bit pot off by reading the reviews but while not deserving rave notices it was quite acceptable.My only complain is where have all the decent people gone.

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Great story

Made me cry, really strong characters with enough detail to bond with them and really unexpected twist. Well worth a listen

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The plot and characters a reader will not forget.

After over a year from liatening I still remember the plot and the characters are still dear to me, if that makes sense.
This is not an easy book, certain parts are deeply disturbing and a part of me wants to stay oblivious to the injustice and daily struggles some of the characters (society) have to deal with however I think it is important that we know.
Listening to this book the characters that on the first glimpse you would condemned become very dear to you, and you understand what made them who they are. The book shows how many women still suffer domestic abuse. How this impacts the families.

Long story short, if you are young Harry Potter fan and want to read another JK Rowling book DO NOT READ THAT ONE! Not until your ready.

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Great story let down by the narrator

I was very excited when I saw this book was narrated by Tom Holland, a fine actor in my opinion. What a treat, I thought.

Unfortunately, while the story is brilliant and very well written, the narration is mostly monotone and dull and I very nearly gave up. The second half was a little better, mostly due to there being more dialogue and Mr Holland’s ability with different accents.

I suppose being able to act on screen doesn’t equal being able to read aloud. Terrible shame as this book is a super depiction of small town life and human interactions.

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JKR Brilliant

JKR is an absolutely magnificent story teller and writer. I have read a lot over the last eighteen months and I can honestly say JKR is a cut above.

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Mixed feelings for a book with high expectations

A Review by the Audible Staff Book Club:
About the book:

The Casual Vacancy really got us talking, we were expecting a lot from Rowling, and had mixed opinions about the results. Set in a small town, peopled with a large cast of not-terribly-likeable characters, we thought the world she created was detailed but unforgiving. Unlike Harry Potter, where her world could be fantastical and wonder-ful, Pagford was realistic, almost brutally so. We all agreed that while JK Rowling is a good prose writer, the size of the cast, though interesting individually, made the thread of the story a bit difficult to follow in audio. As she was so detailed about painting the picture of the individual lives in this small town, we felt like the action dragged somewhat, and all felt like it was a long slog. Rowling’s observations were brilliant, we agreed that she can hit the spot with a poignant one-liner, but overall we felt the book itself - if not by Rowling - would be deemed by many more as mid-tier – nothing extra special or out of the ordinary.

Narrator:

All of us were initially surprised that the narrator was male, though we discussed whether he was chosen as the voice of Barry Fairbrother… Our general opinion of Tom Hollander was that he did a good job, especially as we felt the characters as written were a little caricatured. He did not fall into the trap of performing stereotypes, especially in regards to female characters - always difficult for the opposite sex to strike the right balance. If we were able to rate separately for narrator, he would have got 4 stars.

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37 people found this helpful

she's lost none of her touch

You couldn't get further away from Hogwarts if you tried, yet the same strain of storytelling genius runs through-that's about the only similarity I can find. JK could have easily decided to hang up her typewriter forever and rest on her HP laurels-good for us she didn't. This woman can't half tell a yarn.

Mills and Boon this isn't-I'd be putting at least a 15+ rating on this book.

Hope she's started the next one.



btw, really surprised about the number of one star reviews-maybe they're from people who are struggling with the book because they haven't seen the film yet?

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13 people found this helpful