When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock.
Seemingly an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, what lies behind the pretty façade 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?
Blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults.
This is NOT Harry Potter But it is EXCELLENT
First of all, let me say THIS IS NOTHING LIKE HARRY POTTER so if you're expecting that, I wouldn't look for it here. This book has always been sold and marketed as J.K. Rowling's first adult novel, and that's exactly what it is. Anyone who read this expecting any kind of magical world is, quite frankly a bit of an idiot.
Ranting aside, this is an astounding literary achievement from Rowling who has created a book that is, in my mind, one of enduring significance and understated beauty. I fell in love with the Britishness of this novel and have never come across another book that weaves together a plot and characters so incredibly well. This book is PERFECTLY written.
I can't even begin to explain properly the intricate web that Rowling has woven with this book, the only accurate explanation would be that although it is slow paced and at times a chore to read, it is well worth the time and as a reader, I am extremely fulfilled for having read it.
This is not only an exploration of small town life, but a study of humanity in general and Rowling covers every aspect of it, from the upper echelons of society; it's well-to-do aristocratic heirs like Aubrey and Julia Fawley, those who want to be like them but end up annoying everyone; like Howard and Shirley Mollison and Maureen, those who would do anything to have another life like Colin and Stuart Wall and Andrew Price and Gaia Bawden, those who just don't see what's in front of them and plain to everyone else; like Kay Bawden, Tessa Wall, Terri Weedon and Parminder Jawanda all the way through to those who can't seem to sort their shit out lie Gavin and Samantha and Miles Mollison.
Rowling has everything in this book and there were characters that I both loved and hated, Samantha Mollison struck a chord with me, particularly as we share a first name I hoped she would be a favourite but it turned out she was one I liked least. I was frustrated by Kay Bawden and hated Gavin. Shirley and Howard are oblivious fools. But I loved Andrew Price and Sukhvinder Jawanda and even Krystal Weedon at some stages was an upstanding character.
I cannot say enough how surprised I was at my enjoyment of this book, it is well worth the effort it takes to read it, but anyone who loves all things Britain, who loves stories of reality and human nature and books of extremely high quality will enjoy this book.
Samantha, 09/02/2015
