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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 five star book with a 10 star narrator, well done Tom Hollander, you made a great book even better.

I have read so many reviews and as usual they are very mixed, all I can add as both a parent and a 'foster carer' this book is so true to life it will hopefully open peoples eyes to the reality of life for so many kids whatever class or creed they come from. We neglect our children at our peril, thank you

for pointing this out to the vast majority that hide their heads in the sand.

This book will be around for a long time to come.

'The book to listen to'.

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I don't probably have to comment on the mastery of the undisputed "Queen" of fiction's ability. This is undoubtedly a masterpiece. But, here, my comment is on the narration and the narrator. Tom Hollander is just the icing on the cake crafted by Rowling. His reading is wonderful, a la-carte, music to the ears. I hope all narrators use this as a "classroom" lesson on narration. I am glad Audible has added this to their collection (I am sure they would not have missed). For the first time I felt listening to the book is better! Highly recommend. Although I must say, I did not see the point in so much swearing, was it a necessity or somebody out there was trying to prove a point?

Fantastic Read!

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You couldn't get further away from Hogwarts if you tried, yet the same strain of storytelling genius runs through-that's about the only similarity I can find. JK could have easily decided to hang up her typewriter forever and rest on her HP laurels-good for us she didn't. This woman can't half tell a yarn.

Mills and Boon this isn't-I'd be putting at least a 15+ rating on this book.

Hope she's started the next one.



btw, really surprised about the number of one star reviews-maybe they're from people who are struggling with the book because they haven't seen the film yet?

she's lost none of her touch

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At first I thought this would be similar to books by Joanna Trollope focusing on the minutiae of village life. However, this book is harsher in its depiction of family-life in all stratas of society. It starts by introducing sets of characters from different social classes that ultimately become embroiled in a contest to fill a vacancy in a council committee after the death of a popular local man. The characters come vividly to life in this engaging story that subtly incorporates questions of morality and social responsibility in a cracking good tale of the rivalries between two factions vying to swing the balance of power on the committee. At times the book reminded me of Danny Boyle's Trainspotting in its depiction of the harsh realities of dis-functional lives, but leavened the gloom with humour at the antics of the protagonists.

Tom Hollander does a great job dramatizing the story.

Impressive debut

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Would you listen to The Casual Vacancy again? Why?

Probably not, because the story line was very slow.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The last few chapters were the most interesting because something finally happened. The least interesting part was the beginning, it was quite tedious in parts.

What does Tom Hollander bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Tom Hollander was the saving grace of The Casual Vacancy. I would have never made it through to the end if I were reading for myself.

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

Some parts of the ending were tragic, but I wasn't engaged enough in the story to cry.

Not what you'd expect from JK Rowling

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