The Opposition…

The Casual Vacancy

J.K. Rowling

Discussion: 2012-Oct-Nov-Dec

Why we're reading this: October 15, 2012
[close] October 15, 2012

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2012-Oct-Nov-Dec

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* December 2012
By Tiffany , WristStrong · 1 post · 23 views

last updated Dec 14, 2012 05:18PM

* November 2012
By Tiffany , WristStrong · 1 post · 23 views

last updated Dec 02, 2012 04:34PM

What Members Thought

Dec 17, 2012 judy rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction

I knew after a few chapters that I would not like this book. A little too raw and grubby for me. I thought about closing it--almost every few pages. Somehow, I never did. Eventually, I reluctantly admitted to myself that the book was extraordinarily well paced with characters so finely drawn that I would know them anywhere. Did that mean I had to keep reading even though I still wasn't enjoying the story? I never answered that question because Rowling kept moving me along so smoothly that I neve ...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Melissa added it

Well...I was super excited for this book but after reading the reviews I think I will have to pass. I am sure the book is well written (Rowling is an excellent writer) but I am just not interested (I am not the right reader for this book) especially after the comment about Thomas Hardy (that is about my limit of depression and if this is worse...?)

Part of the review from NYT...
This is definitely not a book for children: suicide, rape, heroin addiction, beatings and thoughts of patricide percolat ...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Celeste rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

I bought this book on my Kindle because, like so many others, I loved the Harry Potter series.

I had heard that Rowling couldn't be judged by those books against this one, but what reader can really separate bias like that? I tried.

Here's what I thought: she was trying too hard. In an effort to make this book "adult," perhaps by comparison to her children's literature, she peppered it with curse words, sex, and dark issues. I don't have a problem with these things in a book if they serve a purp ...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Renee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: coming-of-age, gritty, parts-are-hard-to-read

I read this book almost a year ago, exactly. In fact, this was the final book I purchased before going on a Year Without Buying Books, which ends this Saturday.

I loved the book.

So imagine my surprise when I realized I'd never got around to writing a review, a situation I hope to rectify now.

The Casual Vacancy may have been written by the author of the beloved Harry Potter series, but I can't think of a further cry from the world of wizards and muggles than this book. In a small British town a ...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Courtney rated it it was ok

I'm gonna do it...I'm gonna use the b word here...this was boring. This was clunky, and I had to MAKE myself pick it up everytime to start reading again because by God, I was going to finish it. There is no doubt that Rowlings can right, but this book needed some editing. ...more

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Dec 25, 2012 Natalie rated it really liked it

Sad and depressing, but firmly grounded in reality. One of my favorite things about Rowling is how she lets her characters grow and change, both internally and externally. Her ability to write in the voice of a 16 year old and describe how they view the world is dead on (at least, how I remember it!). And the worlds she builds for her characters to inhabit, with opportunities to experiment, make mistakes & shine. Ok I just love Rowling.
All that aside, this book would be worth reading even if it ...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Megan rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction

2.5 mostly because it started off way too slow and had a lot of backstory I felt was unnecessary. Once it picked up half way through it was pretty good. I did like how it ended. I have a feeling that if this was a (well done) film, instead of a 500 page book, I would have enjoyed the story more.

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Oct 28, 2012 Jennifer rated it liked it

As I read this I kept wondering if I would like it better if Rowling had written this under a different name - call me weak, but I just missed Harry! That said, I read this in two days and have no complaints. Kind of odd and definitely depressing, it gave me some things to ponder in my everyday life, about the things and situations that may have shaped the people I interact with every day.

*How awful it was, thought Tessa, remembering Fats the toddler, the way tiny ghosts of your living children ...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Lori rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This started very slowly but quickly gained my interest. I felt like I was reading a Dickens novel set in modern times. Compelling story. The characters were very well developed. The narrator did a great job. I will be thinking about these characters for a long time, which is always the sign of a good book for me.

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