REVIEW: Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

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Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
Publishing information: Paperback; 568pgs
Publisher: Sphere Books; 18 July 2013
ISBN: 9780751552867
Standalone
Copy: Out of pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Amazon

Synopsis: "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?"

I love the Harry Potter series not just because it is well-written, but it got a lot of children (and adults) into reading. As a educator, I can appreciate that. When Casual Vacancy was released it was under a pseudonym before finally being divulged to be the one and only Rowling. With that revelation I have always wanted to read the book and see what she can do in an adult novel.

Casual Vacancy tells the story of a small town that has quietly been at war over a low-income development that sits on the border with another small community, when one of the Pagford city council members dies it sets in motion a series of events as both sides of the dispute are set in motion to take over the seat and see their viewpoint come to fruition.

Casual Vacancy starts out fairly easy but it quickly moves into terminology that is distinctly British. As an Anglophile, I didn't mind it at first but then it started to be equal parts frustrating and chore. It didn't take long before I was regretting my decision to give this a shot as I had no problem keeping up with the plot but having to reread certain sentences so that I could fully grasp the meaning of the slang wore me down.

While there is little doubt that the book is well-written, I was over my head with the slang and lost interest in the book. By the time I finished it, I was glad that I was done and sad that it left such a sour taste in my mouth. I am disappointed as I was hoping to enjoy this as much as I have the Potter series but found myself baffled. Other readers may enjoy the book but I just couldn't

Overall 6/10
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