The Casual Vacancy
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3.9 • 1.3K Ratings
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- £2.99
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
Missing the Point
The whole point of the book was to separate herself from Harry Potter. So people complaining about the different style are missing the point. I've read the sample and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the book.
The casual vacancy
This book, rather than being a farce, or a satire of contemporary England, seeks to deliver a cynical interpretation of modern life. Rowling savagely unveils the intricacies of the relationships in her imagined Pagford and this builds the drama with pace. This is a bittersweet read, but it is an undeniable page turner, I have to say my motivation to finish was loyalty to some of the characters to see it through and how far Rowling would twist the knife. Rowling's position in the literary world makes me wonder more than usual about the author's own views about the UK and the lens she uses to view people through. I don't think she likes us very much.
First class.
Brilliant! Don't expect Hogworts or magic; just raw reality. Could not put it down. Read in one sitting.