Book Review / The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowling

A BIG NOVEL ABOUT A SMALL TOWN ...

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 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?




Published:     27th September 2012
Publisher:  Little Brown
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned

MY REVIEW

Being a HUGE Harry Potter fan I was so excited when this book came out in 2012 but after hearing mixed reviews about it decided not to purchase it until later on.  I decided it was time to pick up this book.  A 503 pages, it is quite a huge book but managable by my standards.  I already knew that I loved JK Rowlling's writing so that part I was excited about.  Honestly speaking, if this was written by someone else and just by reading the description itm might not be something that I would have picked up but I am so glad that I did!

I loved this book.  Right from the very first page I was immersed in the story and the lives of the many characters living in Pagford.  I always get uncomfortable when there are lots of characters in a story as with most that I read the more characters there are the more chance I will forget some of their stories at some point in the story.  This book was not like that.  Each character was memorable in their own way and I really enjoyed following each and every story.  If I have to pick one particular character and their story that I liked the most, I honestly could not do it.  I would have to put each character on the same level as each of their stories are no more important than another's.

Another aspect that I found interesting read is the fact that you have this little town which seems to be split between the rich side and the poor side.  Right from the beginning there is clear conflict between the two and now with Barry Fairbrother dead and there is a casual vacancy on the parish council the fate of the town seems undecided until that seat is filled.  

I loved this book from start to finish.  This is definately one of those books that I will keep on my bookshelf to re-read time and time again!  If you haven't picked this up yet or still have this on your shelf to read, pick it up now!  You need to read this book!