The Casual Vacancy
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4.0 • 785 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
As huge Harry Potter fans, we weren’t sure what to expect from J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults, but the bestselling author doesn’t disappoint. The Casual Vacancy takes a caustically funny deep dive beneath the surface of a seemingly idyllic English village. When a spot opens up on Pagford’s town council, the hamlet’s residents bare their fangs, exposing dangerous ambitions and hidden passions. Playing with a broad, interwoven cast of characters, Rowling delivers a dark and entertaining tale of love, lust, back-stabbing, jealousy and class warfare. Throughout it all, Rowling’s compassion for her highly imperfect subjects shines through.
Customer Reviews
Not what I expected but pleasantly surprised!
Didn't know what to expect - but this was a great read...couldn't wait to see what happened to the myriad of characters in this story. Took a while to get them all straight as there are so many interconnecting story lines but it was a fascinating glimpse into racial and class interactions in a small town. Well worth reading.
A Big Novel about a Small Town
Beautifully written and filled with delicious dialogue to utilise J.K.'s unique style of narrative. Captured from the very first pages, you can't help but keep reading, The Casual Vacancy is an amazing story full of twists and turns through a Town at War.
JK Rowling shows some more of her ability...
The first novel released after the brilliant HP series of books illustrates and presents the depth and ability of a growing literary giant. The ability of J.K. Rowling to deliver stories on multiple levels was obvious with the progression of HP, and "The Casual Vacancy" leaps into another realm for an entirely different audience. The sample hooked me, and I just had to buy the book. JKR has delivered an insightful look into the supposed idyllic lifestyles of a place welded to its history, but is still full of humanity and all its foibles...