The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

The Casual Vacancy

by J.K. Rowling

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.

Reviewed by angelarenea9 on

5 of 5 stars

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I was pleasantly surprises with how much I liked this book. It is not the type of book I generally like but I enjoyed the Harry Potter series so much that I wanted to give it a chance and I'm so glad that I did because this book was amazing. It was so insightful into the lives of suburban people and utterly unapologetic about it. Jk Rowling easily gets in the heads of an entire town and makes a wonderful statement about society. It was a beautifully written book that I recommend to any adult especially people who live or grew up in a small town. I don't recommend that children read this book though due to adult concepts and strong language.

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  • Started reading
  • 27 March, 2013: Finished reading
  • 27 March, 2013: Reviewed