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The Casual Vacancy

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The Casual Vacancy

By: J.K. Rowling
Narrated by: Tom Hollander
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About this listen

 When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, 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 Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction Satire Small Town & Rural World Literature Marriage War Funny Thought-Provoking
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Like some of the longer Harry Potter books, I found this a bit ponderous at first. But the characters, humour and the fantastic way J K Rowling has of drawing things together made for a final 3rd as addicting as any of her previous work. I greatly enjoyed Tom Hollanders reading and accents too. So stick with it if the first downloadable chunk doesn't grab you. I was very glad I did, this is the best book I have listened to this year.

I was sad to hear that some quarters of the Sikh community have been critical of the portrayal of one of the teenage characters. The same advice applies here too, stick with it - I think the treatment of Sikhism is actually very positive.

Stick with it

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A book I would definitely not of picked up if It been by an unknown author. I was surprised and pleased from the departure of that well known wizard. What struck and entertained me were the characters, how very un-pc and how the ugly side of human nature is exposed and laid bare - listening to the inner monologues of everyday people their pettiness, jealousies, weaknesses, lasciviousness, discriminatory views, etc etc . Young, old, rich, poor, bad and good, there is not one perfect character all follies and flaws are there for you to judge and cringe at. I can't say the book is amazing because of the subject matter, I found it sad and depressing but it's more than good hence the four stars. This novel and characters I will remember for a long time to come.

A very real insight into life, people and politics that is slow to build and dares strips away the human mask we hide behind.

I blubbered towards the end...

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Would you listen to The Casual Vacancy again? Why?

Well I have a policy not to read a book more than once - life's too short - but I just may listen to this again because the characters are complex and the author has crafted and captured each one so skilfully that it would bear getting to know them all again.

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

I can't think of one. To me, this is a one off. The story depicts many different families in the same small town and they are all connected in one way or another through the demise of a Parish Councillor as the central pivotal event. JK Rowling seems to have reached into the heads of all the characters, from various walks of life and ages. This is a very clever and enjoyable novel.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Sorry - too hard to answer that one! They were all so clear in my head - that awful scene at the river when everyone was doing something different around the town. Is that a spoiler?

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

Both. In fact the whole book was emotional on many levels.

Any additional comments?

Tom Hollander is extraordinary in the way he conveys so many different characters without 'putting on' a voice. You immediately know who is talking - but then that's the beauty of these professionally read audio books.

I had to write down the family trees as it was a bit confusing at first - but that's probably just me!?

Skilfully written - brilliantly read!

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I love this book despite finding it a bit of an uncomfortable read. The characters are brilliantly deep and not very likeable in the main. I’ve read it twice now and watched the TV show. Can’t put it down!!

Brilliant!

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I bought this book as I am a massive Harry Potter fan and wanted to see what this was all about. This book is not for children, although I'm not sure which age group the book is aimed at. I'm 32 and not a prude but I did find some of the language offensive, this was made worse by the fact it was an audiobook and my partner kept joking that I had downloaded the wrong book! The characters were well described and you felt you knew them and sympathised with them (at times). Not much really happens until the last few chapters but if you can get through it you might enjoy it. I'm still not sure if I did....

gritty stuff

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