The Casual Vacancy

J. K. Rowling

Sep 2012 · Sold by Little, Brown

About this ebook

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?

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.

Ratings and reviews

It was a great novel. Very well written and the characters morals grew each chapter. I loved how 'real' it was to everyday life. I do agree though, it had an awful beginning (slow) and then half way wasnt to fast either but after that, it got really I interesting. She has definitely broke out of her harry potter shell.

I was expecting more from Ms. Rowling, but this book is not that exciting new work we were expecting and wished for. The premise of the story was mildly interesting but the characters and interactions were anything but. I would have much rather read a fantasy epic involving Pagford and Yarvil instead of some town stuck in its ways. A Casual Vacancy feels more like Ms. Rowling had a bone to pick with a former residence than anything else. I will buy from Ms. Rowling in the future but this is a pure miss.

After reading Mr. Richard Denney's review it makes me wonder what type of person might read this novel. His language is appalling and it doesn't make me want to go out and buy a novel someone so uncouth would read. Fortunately, Ms Rowlings is a proven author and deserves better. Shame on Goggle Play for printing a foul language review. Let's hear from some intelligent readers as it is a known fact that those who curse lacks knowledge and can't come up with the proper word.

About the author

J.K. Rowling is the author of the bestselling Harry Potter series of seven books, published between 1997 and 2007, which have sold over 450 million copies worldwide, are distributed in more than two hundred territories, have been translated into seventy-three languages, and have been turned into eight blockbuster films. Shehas also written two small volumes, which appear as the titles of Harry's schoolbooks within the novels. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ageswere published by Scholastic in March 2001 in aid of Comic Relief. In December 2008, The Tales of Beedle the Bard was published in aid of the Children's High Level Group, and quickly became the fastest-selling book of the year.

As well as an Order of the British Empire for services to children's literature, J.K. Rowling is the recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees, including the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord, France's Légion d'honneur, and the Hans Christian Andersen Award, and she has been a commencement speaker at Harvard University. She supports a wide number of charitable causes through her charitable trust Volant and is the founder of Lumos, a charity working to transform the lives of disadvantaged children.