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Abstract

amily having either a candidate to push or someone that they support.</p><p id="f0da">This does not sound like the most exciting plot in the world and its not. It is intriguing though and has depth.</p><p id="2913">Those who regularly lose themselves in a novel know how, at times, you look at your bookshelf, yearning to grab another read and at others, you cannot put the book down. The Casual Vacancy sits in the latter category. It did not hold my attention and was, at times, a struggle.</p><p id="7e46">The dystopian society is hard to believe. Rampant drug abuse, child neglect, domestic abuse, and mild racism. It is hard to stomach and believe that a so-called, peaceful town could contain all of this. Yet, as we all know, the world is not perfect and all of this does go on behind closed doors.</p><p id="c1a6">Looking at the Guardian review for the book, you can see that the author, reportedly drew on her own experiences for the setting.</p><blockquote id="0e41"><p>The Casual Vacancy has all the satisfactions and frustrations of this kind of novel. It immerses the reader in a richly peopled, densely imagined world. Rowling has reportedly drawn on her own mildly unhappy West Country childhood, in a village outside Bristol and then later outside Chepstow. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/sep/27/jk-rowling-casual-vacancy-review"><b><i>A Casual Vacancy, The Guardian</i></b></a></p></blockquote><h1 id="5257">Would I recommend the book?</h1><p id="e711">Yes, but I would not recommend reading over a classic novel such as 1984 or The Lord of the Rings, or The Hunger Games. A Casual Vacancy is a good book but it is not great. The engagement that you look for in other novels is not present. At times I did struggle for the motivation to continue.</p><p id="077d">The novel is thought-provoking though. There are many layers to society, wherever you choose to live in the world. This novel peels the curtain back and lets us peek inside as to the inner workings of a middle-class village. Here in this <i>‘idyllic location</i>’, residents work hard to maintain their boundaries and keep away those they co

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nsider unworthy. The rich vs poor divide is evident in this book as it is in society.</p><p id="8589">If you are looking for humour then I would look elsewhere. You can empathise with the characters and feel sorry for one of the central characters, Krystal, with her troubled childhood. It’s not her fault when you see some of the motivations that drive her towards actions that are not becoming of her. It's a novel for thought and not for smiles.</p><h1 id="df91">A better ending?</h1><p id="b19d">The ending is more suited than Harry Potter’s was. I wouldn’t say that the novel is better than the set of novels that create J.K. Rowling’s original universe, but the ending is better. It is better in the sense that it is not as sickenly predictable.</p><p id="cd50">This is an ending for those that prefer a little realism in their lives. I prefer realism to fantasy, which is ironic when my main source of television is Star Trek. The ending that J.K.Rowling commits to here is believable, hard-hitting, yet avoids being tragic. I would go so far as to say that the ending is the best part of the novel.</p><h2 id="7397">To conclude</h2><p id="e2f1">A Casual Vacancy is not an excuse for a new Harry Potter novel. That award was given to A Cursed Child. The Casual Vacancy is a big story of a small town. It is of class divide and social commentary, down to the oldest of battles, that between rich and poor.</p><p id="3419">I would recommend reading the novel as it is good but it is not great. If you have other novels sitting on your shelf such as The Hunger Games, then choose to read them first. It took me eight years and three attempts to finish it, even then it was a struggle at times.</p><p id="96b8">The best part of this novel is the ending. It is hard-hitting, in a believable manner and one that beats the predictable cheese that was Harry Potter. I recommend that you give A Casual Vacancy ago, but only if you have finished Harry Potter, or we're never going to read Harry Potter in the first place. You should also be over 15 to read, as there are some hard-hitting subjects that are covered here.</p></article></body>

How J.K Rowling Filled the Void Left Behind by Harry Potter

The thought-provoking “big story” of a small town

The end of exams and the end of Harry Potter. Such a personal connection could only be recognised by those leaving school in England, in 2007. My A-levels were behind me, University was ahead of me but I needed to know. I needed to know how it all ended and so this was the summer of Harry Potter.

The answer to my question of how it would end could be summarised quite easily it turned out, disappointing. I was left with another, ‘It was solved by love style ending’. Doctor Who, The Matrix, Harry Potter, all of these entities have taught me that as long as I am good and love, I will be fine. Spells and aliens cannot harm me.

The ending left me wanting and so, when the Casual Vacancy, a novel promised for adults arrived, I was intrigued. This would help me to once again believe in J.K.Rowling.

The first hundred pages were read that first year, 2012, and then left on the shelf. Four years later and I tried again, with the same conclusion. This year and with the arrival of Covid-19 and lockdown, I succeeded in finishing the story. It was not what I expected, with an ending that was not happy but it was good and at least, realistic.

503 pages of social commentary

This is not a novel about how Harry and Ginny have a turbulent relationship and look to Magical Care for assistance. This is a story about an ordinary town, that behind the scenes has many dysfunctional and selfish families. All of these have connections to a local Parish Councillor who dies at the start of the story. This then leaves a Casual Vacancy, with each family having either a candidate to push or someone that they support.

This does not sound like the most exciting plot in the world and its not. It is intriguing though and has depth.

Those who regularly lose themselves in a novel know how, at times, you look at your bookshelf, yearning to grab another read and at others, you cannot put the book down. The Casual Vacancy sits in the latter category. It did not hold my attention and was, at times, a struggle.

The dystopian society is hard to believe. Rampant drug abuse, child neglect, domestic abuse, and mild racism. It is hard to stomach and believe that a so-called, peaceful town could contain all of this. Yet, as we all know, the world is not perfect and all of this does go on behind closed doors.

Looking at the Guardian review for the book, you can see that the author, reportedly drew on her own experiences for the setting.

The Casual Vacancy has all the satisfactions and frustrations of this kind of novel. It immerses the reader in a richly peopled, densely imagined world. Rowling has reportedly drawn on her own mildly unhappy West Country childhood, in a village outside Bristol and then later outside Chepstow. A Casual Vacancy, The Guardian

Would I recommend the book?

Yes, but I would not recommend reading over a classic novel such as 1984 or The Lord of the Rings, or The Hunger Games. A Casual Vacancy is a good book but it is not great. The engagement that you look for in other novels is not present. At times I did struggle for the motivation to continue.

The novel is thought-provoking though. There are many layers to society, wherever you choose to live in the world. This novel peels the curtain back and lets us peek inside as to the inner workings of a middle-class village. Here in this ‘idyllic location’, residents work hard to maintain their boundaries and keep away those they consider unworthy. The rich vs poor divide is evident in this book as it is in society.

If you are looking for humour then I would look elsewhere. You can empathise with the characters and feel sorry for one of the central characters, Krystal, with her troubled childhood. It’s not her fault when you see some of the motivations that drive her towards actions that are not becoming of her. It's a novel for thought and not for smiles.

A better ending?

The ending is more suited than Harry Potter’s was. I wouldn’t say that the novel is better than the set of novels that create J.K. Rowling’s original universe, but the ending is better. It is better in the sense that it is not as sickenly predictable.

This is an ending for those that prefer a little realism in their lives. I prefer realism to fantasy, which is ironic when my main source of television is Star Trek. The ending that J.K.Rowling commits to here is believable, hard-hitting, yet avoids being tragic. I would go so far as to say that the ending is the best part of the novel.

To conclude

A Casual Vacancy is not an excuse for a new Harry Potter novel. That award was given to A Cursed Child. The Casual Vacancy is a big story of a small town. It is of class divide and social commentary, down to the oldest of battles, that between rich and poor.

I would recommend reading the novel as it is good but it is not great. If you have other novels sitting on your shelf such as The Hunger Games, then choose to read them first. It took me eight years and three attempts to finish it, even then it was a struggle at times.

The best part of this novel is the ending. It is hard-hitting, in a believable manner and one that beats the predictable cheese that was Harry Potter. I recommend that you give A Casual Vacancy ago, but only if you have finished Harry Potter, or we're never going to read Harry Potter in the first place. You should also be over 15 to read, as there are some hard-hitting subjects that are covered here.