The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling

I would have called this the most recent J.K. Rowling book, but last week she revealed herself to be the author of The Cuckoo's Calling, so I can't wait to get my hands on that! I plan on rereading the entire Harry Potter series this summer too, because I have only read the series once. Shocking, I know, but I figured if I claim to be a Harry Potter fan, I need to read the series a few more times before I reach true fandom status. Anyways...

Novel: The Casual Vacancy, written by J.K. Rowling

It's Like: Hmmmm usually I have an easy time with this part, because I'm constantly comparing different books, movies, and TV shows to each other. I guess it's just too different from anything I've read before, or at least remember off the top of my head.

Summary: Someone (who shall remain nameless...) said that I should write the summaries instead of giving links, because apparently it is too much effort to click on a link while reading a blog post. To this person, I say fine, I shall write a summary, but it shan't be easy!

The novel starts with the death of Barry Fairbrother who is a Parish Councillor of Pagford. His death leaves a seat empty on the council, which is important because the council is currently evenly split on an important issue that has been hotly debated for over forty years: whether or not "The Fields" (a neighborhood consisting of mostly poor people who survive on welfare) should continue to be a part of Pagford or be taken over by Yarvil, the neighboring city. The novel follows not only the election of the next Councillor, but the lives of those that were directly and indirectly affected by Barry's death, showing how one event can change a whole town.

What I thought of....

• The Plot: I found the plot to be lacking, unfortunately. It really pains me to say anything bad about J.K. Rowling, but I'm going to have to through the rest of this review. The plot for the majority of the book was interesting and thought-provoking. It made me realize that one person's actions, even the small things, can help people and communities in large ways. The problem was that there didn't seem to be any direction. There was no final resolution; the focus of the novel kept changing and by the end I felt like there still was a lot left to be discussed, even though the book was almost 700 pages.
• The Characters: There were very few characters I actually liked, but it isn't necessary to like characters in order to like a book. I could sympathize with the majority of characters, which is more important to me anyways. It was certainly not like Harry Potter, where you can root for the main character, because there really was no main character. At times, especially at the beginning, it was difficult to keep track of them all. I think the changing character focus affected the plot's focus, which led to the poor ending resolution.
• The Style: Unlike the plot, I think the style improved as the novel progressed. The beginning writing was kind of awkward and involved a lot of repetitive description. I kept getting frustrated because she kept mentioning the crumbling monastery on a hill and I couldn't figure out why it was so important! Until a few chapters in when she flat out said that it represented the division between Pagford and Yarvil. *headdesk* Rowling, if you're going to say what a symbol means, at least say it at the beginning so the reader doesn't have to wonder why you keep bringing it up! What was even weirder was that once she explained it she didn't really ever mention the monastery again...

Miscellaneous: It was really, really, REALLY weird reading an adult book by J.K. Rowling. Because it's an adult book. With adult stuff. And sadly, no wizards. After writing seven books that all take place in the same universe that follow one story, it must have been weird to write about something completely different, and you can tell that it was strange for her.

Recommendation: If you're a huge Rowling fan, then read it. If you don't care when a plot has no direction, then read it. If your goal in life is to read every single book, then read it. But otherwise I wouldn't really suggest this book. And if you cannot handle "adult themes," then just forget it.