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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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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.

Mixed feelings for a book with high expectations

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I've just read the review in the Guardian by Theo Talt, who coined the phrase 'Mugglemarch.' I had almost thought of that myself, and boy I wish I had. But George Elliot had kind eyes for some of her players and I could sympathise with Dorothea and Dr Lydgate, and (call me sentimental) I have to be able to love some of the characters in a novel, to find it worthwhile. Who is there to love in Pagford? So is JKR saying we are all selfish beyond redemption, get real? Please give me nobility in the novels I read, even if it does not exist in REAL life. But, to be fair, didn't put it down except to eat.

Well obviously it was going to be competent

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A fantastic story with wonderful characters. I finished it last night and now I miss Pagford.

I love the multiple perspectives we get from all the interrelated characters. In this respect it reminds me a little bit of Irving Welsh novels, but it is not as brutal.



Tom Hollander is the very best narrator I've listened to. More from him please!

Brilliant.

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Absolutely wonderful! So was Tom Hollander's narration. He made all the characters real to me. i could see them clearly.More please from both!

The Casual Vacancy

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I listened to it twice. Absolutely gripping. The narrator is superb. The story line complicated and sad, but full of human interest. Remembering who is who among the large list of well portrayed characters keeps your brain in trim. Not a story for children.

A great listening experience

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