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The Casual Vacancy
- Narrated by: Tom Hollander
- Length: 17 hrs and 51 mins
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Publisher's summary
When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early 40s, the little 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 at first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the town's 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?
Blackly comic, thought-provoking, and constantly surprising, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling's first novel for adults.
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Three women linked by their blood, their dreams...and their sins. From Leningrad in the '70s to America and London in the present day, Kimberley Freeman's new novel follows the lives of two sisters, Lena and Natalia, and their cousin, Sofi, as they move away from Russia and all they have known. Despite promising to always take care of each other, a pact to meet every winter is shattered as their lives change and long-held resentments begin to surface. Can that resentment turn to hatred? To murder?
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It's just not the same without Caroline Lee
- By Maria on 12-04-17
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The Things We Never Said
- By: Susan Elliot Wright
- Narrated by: Kate Lee
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1964, Maggie wakes to find herself in a mental asylum, with no idea who she is or how she got there. Remnants of memories swirl in her mind - a familiar song, a storm, a moment of violence. Slowly, she begins to piece together the past and the events which brought her to this point.
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Disappointing
- By Anonymous User on 01-18-22
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Are You Watching Me?
- DS Claire Boyle, Book 2
- By: Sinead Crowley
- Narrated by: Aoife McMahon
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Dear Elizabeth, I've been watching you. I hope to see you...soon. Liz Cafferky is on the up. Rescued from her dark past by the owner of a drop-in centre for older men, Liz soon finds herself as the charity's face - and the unwilling darling of the Dublin media. Amidst her claustrophobic fame, Liz barely notices a letter from a new fan. But then one of the centre's clients is brutally murdered, and Elizabeth receives another, more sinister note. Running from her own ghosts, Liz is too scared to go to the police.
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Fantastic!!
- By Brett McAteer on 03-06-19
By: Sinead Crowley
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Secret Smile
- By: Nicci French
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
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Miranda's sister Kerri has a new boyfriend. He's a handsome charmer who seems to dote on Kerri. But Brendan isn't the man he says he is. Miranda should know. She broke off her own affair with him just a few weeks ago when she found him reading her diary.
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I want my 9 hours back
- By Ashley on 07-19-23
By: Nicci French
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London Fields
- By: Martin Amis
- Narrated by: Steven Pacey
- Length: 21 hrs and 47 mins
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The murderee is Nicola Six, a "black hole" of sex and self-loathing who is intent on orchestrating her own extinction. The murderer may be Keith Talent, a violent lowlife whose only passions are pornography and darts; or the rich, honorable, and dimly romantic Guy Clinch. As Nicola leads her suitors towards the precipice, London--and, indeed, the whole world--seems to shamble after them in a corrosively funny novel of complexity and morality.
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Big chewy novel, excellent narration
- By Sand on 08-21-14
By: Martin Amis
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Honor
- By: Elif Shafak
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An honor killing shatters and transforms the lives of Turkish immigrants in 1970s London. Internationally best-selling Turkish author Elif Shafak’s new novel is a dramatic tale of families, love, and misunderstandings that follows the destinies of twin sisters born in a Kurdish village. While Jamila stays to become a midwife, Pembe follows her Turkish husband, Adem, to London, where they hope to make new lives for themselves and their children. In London, they face a choice: stay loyal to the old traditions or try their best to fit in.
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Complex but Compelling
- By Cariola on 04-14-13
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Until You're Mine
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Claudia Morgan-Brown finally has it all. Pregnant with a much-wanted first baby of her own, she has a happily established family of two small step-sons and a loving husband with a great career. But she is also committed to her full-time job as a social worker, and her husband travels often. So when Claudia hires Zoe to help her around the house in anticipation of the baby’s arrival, it seems like the answer to her prayers.
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Having trouble..
- By karen on 01-27-15
By: Samantha Hayes
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The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
- A Novel
- By: Deborah Moggach
- Narrated by: Juliet Mills
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
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When Ravi Kapoor, an overworked London doctor, reaches the breaking point with his difficult father-in-law, he asks his wife: “Can’t we just send him away somewhere? Somewhere far, far away.” His prayer is seemingly answered when Ravi’s entrepreneurial cousin sets up a retirement home in India, hoping to re-create in Bangalore an elegant lost corner of England. Several retirees are enticed by the promise of indulgent living at a bargain price, but upon arriving, they are dismayed to find that restoration of the once sophisiticated hotel has stalled....
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Screenwriters Changed it for the Better
- By Carole T. on 06-05-12
By: Deborah Moggach
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The Ghosts of Belfast
- By: Stuart Neville
- Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
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Fegan has been a "hard man" - an IRA killer in Northern Ireland. Now that peace has come, he is being haunted day and night by 12 ghosts: a mother and infant, a schoolboy, a butcher, an RUC constable, and seven other of his innocent victims. In order to appease them, he's going to have to kill the men who gave him orders. As he's working his way down the list, he encounters a woman who may offer him redemption; she has borne a child to an RUC officer and is an outsider too.
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don't judge by its cover
- By connie on 01-05-13
By: Stuart Neville
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The Darkest Secret
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- By: Alex Marwood
- Narrated by: Beverley A. Crick
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
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Real estate mogul Sean Jackson is throwing himself a splashy 50th birthday party, but trouble starts almost immediately: His ex-wife has sent his teenage daughters to the party without telling him; his current wife has fired the nanny; and he's finding it difficult to sneak away to his mistress. Then something truly terrible happens: one of his three-year-old twins goes missing. No trace of her is ever found. The attendees of the party, nicknamed the Jackson Associates by the press, become infamous overnight.
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Wow
- By Christina on 09-14-16
By: Alex Marwood
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Great Rowling stuff, horrible introductions
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Harry Potter and History
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Harry Potter lives in a world that is both magical and historical. Hogwarts pupils ride an old-fashioned steam train to school, notes are taken on parchment with quill pens, and Muggle legends come to life in the form of werewolves, witches, and magical spells. This book is the first to explore the real history in which Harry's world is rooted. Did you know that bezoars and mandrakes were fashionable luxury items for centuries? Find out how Europeans first developed the potions, spells, and charms taught at Hogwarts, from Avada Kedavra to love charms.
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The breathing is unbearable
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Book 1
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Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!
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A great reading of the wrong book
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Taking an analytical approach to Hogwarts's irascible, protective Potions professor, author Lorrie Kim presents a closer look at how Dumbledore's double agent operates behind the scenes throughout the Harry Potter series. By examining the story from Snape's point of view, this in-depth exploration pierces the defenses of the wizarding world's famed Occlumens, revealing the man for who he truly is: one of pop culture's most memorable heroes.
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Too political
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Sang trouble
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Cormoran Strike est en visite dans sa famille en Cornouailles quand une inconnue l'approche pour lui demander de l'aide. Elle aimerait retrouver sa mère, Margot Bamborough, disparue dans des circonstances jamais éclaircies en 1974.
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Awful narration
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Harry Plotter and the Chamber of Serpents
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Austen comes to England knowing that as an American he'll stick out at his new school. But when an errant owl lands him at Hogwarts, he's in for more than he expected.
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Madly, Deeply
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From his breakout role in Die Hard to his outstanding, multifaceted performances in the Harry Potter films, Galaxy Quest, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and more, Alan Rickman cemented his legacy as a world-class actor. His air of dignity, his sonorous voice, and the knowing wit he brought to each role continue to captivate audiences today. But Rickman’s ability to breathe life into projects wasn't confined to just his performances.
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Save your time and your money
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By: Alan Rickman, and others
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Roverandom
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While on holiday in 1925, four-year-old Michael Tolkien lost his beloved toy dog on the beach at Filey in Yorkshire. To console him, his father, J.R.R. Tolkien, improvised a story about Rover, a real dog who is magically transformed into a toy and is forced to seek out the wizard who wronged him in order to be returned to normal. This charming tale, peopled by a sand-sorcerer and a terrible dragon, by the king of the sea and the Man-in-the-Moon, went through several drafts over the years.
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Delightful Magic from Tolkien and Jacobi!
- By Jefferson on 09-05-10
By: J. R. R. Tolkien
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Farmer Giles of Ham
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Farmer Giles of Ham did not look like a hero. He was fat and red-bearded and enjoyed a slow, comfortable life. Then one day a rather deaf and short-sighted giant blundered on to his land. More by luck than skill, Farmer Giles managed to scare him away. The people of the village cheered: Farmer Giles was a hero. His reputation spread far and wide across the kingdom. So it was natural that when the dragon Chrysophylax visited the area it was Farmer Giles who was expected to do battle with it!
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Farmer to King
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By: J. R. R. Tolkien
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Narrated by Stephen Fry)
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Stephen Fry brings the richness of these magical stories to life in the original British recordings, available for the first time in the United States and Canada. Treat your ears to a performance so rich and captivating you'll imagine yourself in the halls of Hogwarts. Wherever you listen, the unmistakable voice of Stephen Fry is guaranteed to guide you ever more deeply into this magical story and transport you to the heart of the adventure.
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The same great story, but with British flavor
- By t on 04-18-24
By: J.K. Rowling
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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Book 2
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Harry Potter's summer has included the worst birthday ever, doomy warnings from a house-elf called Dobby, and rescue from the Dursleys by his friend Ron Weasley in a magical flying car! Back at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his second year, Harry hears strange whispers echo through empty corridors - and then the attacks start. Students are found as though turned to stone... Dobby's sinister predictions seem to be coming true.
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Jim Dale is wonderful!
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By: J.K. Rowling
What listeners say about The Casual Vacancy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Christopher
- 10-14-12
Excellent reader. Dark book
I'm sure, (in the way that someone who has never met or spoken with the author can be sure) that J.K. Rowling was trying to write a book that was as far from Harry Potter as she could get. She had to show that she could do something else. She has certainly succeeded. I don't think that this was supposed to be a light hearted romp at all. It is not. This book is dark and brooding. If you are waiting for the uplifting moment, it never comes. The other side of that is that she wrote this book very well. Part of what makes it dark and disturbing is that she is good at description and she is excellent and setting a scene in small towns in England. I didn't really like the book but I was engaged with it to the end.
The reader knocked this one out of the park! I think that part of what made the book so engaging was that he was reading it. I hope this book lands him a big stack of contracts to perform other books. He needs to do more!
I didn't like the story but it was well crafted.
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14 people found this helpful
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- p
- 10-02-12
it was just ok and not much more
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
not really - I missed the 'darkly comic' aspect, its was interconnected characters all mired in their own misery and downloading it onto others around them, I found none of the characters redeeming, at best you would pity one for a while and then just be frustrated with their actions, not one seemed to have a bit of common sense. It just became annoying.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
The outline was interesting - it presented as a story with potential. What made me lose interest quickly was that chapter after chapter the events were circular and outcomes became predictable, its was like reading a documentry on the welfare system. The book was too long for the story to be told.
What three words best describe Tom Hollander’s voice?
He worked well with the material but the nature of the book lead to the narration coming across as flat and monotonous
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
no
Any additional comments?
I recoginze the author is out to break away from past novels that were fantasy based, but in all honesty I found this book devoid of life, there were more realistic characters, flaws and all in the Harry Potter books.
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10 people found this helpful
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- T. C. Pile
- 10-10-12
Rowling Conjures a Tale for Adults
No one can say that J.K. Rowling cannot conjure up a good story, and the Casual Vacancy is most certainly a good story. The plot is every bit as intricate and twisted as any of the Harry Potter books, the characters are fully drawn and believable, and the action keeps you in suspense, waiting for the multiple threads of narrative that Rowling lays out to align and spontaneously combust. You can feel that explosion coming early in the book, as layer after layer of the peaceful veneer of small-town life in the English countryside is peeled away to reveal the simmering cauldron of anxieties, neuroses, overblown egos, class and racial tensions, and suppressed rage that lies beneath.
This is most definitely a novel for adults, with sex, drug abuse, profanity, rape, suicide, and difficult adult situations replacing the wands, brooms, creatures, and spells of the Potter series, but I suspect that there is much here for the 18 to 20-somethings who grew up on Potter to dig into. Much of the action revolves around and is driven by several teenagers coming to terms with adult feelings and adult responsibilities while struggling to deal with adults in their lives who are at their mildest somewhat whacky and at their worst very dangerous. Guess who turns out to be the heroes?
This was an engaging and thoroughly enjoyable listen, made all the more so by the skillful and sensitive narration of Tom Hollander.
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- Toby
- 09-16-14
This could be called any small town in US or UK
Would you consider the audio edition of The Casual Vacancy to be better than the print version?
I cannot answer as I am too blind to read pint books.
Who was your favorite character and why?
This is difficult, but I suppose I really liked Teassa and Samantha and Andrew. Perhaps because they seemed to the ones with whom I most identified. It was easy to loathe some of the others.
What does Tom Hollander bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
I liked the reading, but didn't like that the voice raised so much and that the sound was not uniform. Meaning, it would disturb my husband when there was shouting and I had to turn the volume down.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes. I read it in two day.
Any additional comments?
Despite some negative and mixed reviews, I loved this book. It was also scarily real as the forces of development and gentrification are universal in these capitalist-driven times. Money and racism and class make for bad bed fellows. I thought the ending was near perfect. Would love a sequel.
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- BumbleBee 456
- 02-19-13
Abandon Rowling expectations: an ADULT masterwork
All is not right in the Muggle world. Or so I thought with annoyance as I listened to the first chapter. The gritty, profanity-laced small town England Rowling has created here and populated with bitter, ineffective, or downright destructive characters feels more like a screenplay by Guy Ritchie than a novel of the most beloved children's books of our generation.
But then I left my own prejudices behind and got drawn into the story. Those unpleasant characters have backgrounds, those angelic characters have nuances, that society of interlocking stories is bolstered by shared small-town history and weakened by private secrets. Once the politics of the "casual vacancy" - a vacant town council seat caused by a casualty, or death - is established, the story comes alive with concerns and machinations of myriad characters. Even the smallest characters are more than sketches, but fully fleshed out in a brilliant combination of internal monologues, regard by other characters, and external descriptions.
The politics of the small town serve as a framework for clashes and alliances among the factions fighting to either preserve or destroy the vision advocated by Barry Fairwater, the man whose death causes the vacancy, and whose shadow hangs over a surprisingly large portion of the town. Within this framework, Rowling explores the effect that grownups have on their children, and the lengths to which people will go to feel significant. Although I was put off a bit by the frequent, lacerating profanity, I have to concede that this book is a masterwork of fiction.
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- Laurel Hostak
- 09-21-16
Quiet and compelling tragedy
Rowling's first book for adults paints nuanced and elegant portraits of a panoply of characters, shedding light on the ugly and untold corners of the human mind, while invoking a universal empathy for even the most seemingly unpleasant characters. Her uncanny ability to capture the angst and anguish of teenagers is most memorable--she flexes her Harry Potter muscles in this way, but with more freedom to explore body images issues, sexual awakenings, and adolescent self-loathing.
The whole thing feels at times Dickensian--with small-town intimacy, Rowling's distinctly-drawn characters meet their daily lives and disappointments. The death of one man on the parish council sends ripples that amplify throughout the community. But it also resembles a classic Greek tragedy, as our unexpected heroes and loathsome villains crawl forward on an unbreakable, pre-determined path, bound by destiny, unable to wiggle free from the constraints of race, class, and social status.
It's not an uplifting book, but it's fine storytelling, and Rowling's picture of an English town and its immensely complex inhabitants is a hard one to put down. Perhaps because Rowling's attempt to unearth the shame they all carry deep within is so poignant and easy to identify with. Tom Hollander's performance is lovely. Overall, magical in its own way.
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- Jen P
- 04-13-17
Brilliant and Devastating
What made the experience of listening to The Casual Vacancy the most enjoyable?
As an avid reader, I wasn't sure I'd like having someone else read a story to me, but I have a long commute and it certainly made that hour home enjoyable for me each day.
What about Tom Hollander’s performance did you like?
I really appreciated the distinctive voices he used, and his command of the accents, especially Howard, whose voice brought him to life and rang so true and real that it was easy to picture him vividly.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Not until the end, I must say. I had about 4 hours left in the book and began listening to it everywhere, instead of restricting it to just my commuting time.
Any additional comments?
This is by no means an easy book. It's magnificently written - the characters are well-drawn and very recognizable, the intertwining stories very interesting, a bit gritty, heartbreaking, and all too real. It's unusual, too, as it doesn't seem to have a principle protagonist, unless you count the one character whose absence not only filled every crack and crevice of Pagford, but was also the lynch-pin for everything that followed his departure. I spent the better part of the first half, maybe, wishing there was someone, any single one person for whom I could feel even a hint of sympathy, and I spent the last third or so of the book nearly overwhelmed with it. One part specifically was particularly difficult to listen to aloud, I found, as hearing it made it a bit more real - it haunted me for a while and I wished I hadn't chosen that section to start listening to it more frequently, subsequently on my way to work, rather than home. But on reflection, I can see that the single horrible act depicted was the spark that led to the denouement, and so was awful and necessary for the rest to play out the way it did. My being haunted by it all day was neither here nor there. It is a masterfully written, sometimes horrifying, and just plain devastating story that isn't for the feint of heart.
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- John
- 09-10-13
Beautiful but not simple
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would recommend this book to SOME friends, but not all. The story is about a town, not a protagonist. Like in HP, Rowling weaves many characters together in a compelling, multi dimensional story. Some people might be frustrated by the nebulousness in such a story. Others, like myself, see this as a reflection of real life.
What does Tom Hollander bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Hollander brings a british authenticity that brings the story to life for a Yank like myself. His tone, tied with Rowling's british stylings, drench this book in a beautiful modern british feel.
Any additional comments?
Rowling doesn't create stories. She creates human, relatable characters and sets them loose in the little town of Pagford. While this is elegant and natural, it may not satiate some reader's need for good/evil.
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- ELLEN
- 11-14-12
Thought provoking
What made the experience of listening to The Casual Vacancy the most enjoyable?
The narrator was exceptional. He really gave the characters their personalities.
What did you like best about this story?
The lives of the characters were intricately interwoven and really gave an example of the complexity of human relationships, within a family and within a community.
Which character – as performed by Tom Hollander – was your favorite?
Howard Molleson. You could just picture this huge, full-of-himself character.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Too long for one sitting. I certainly wanted to get back to it as soon as I could to see what happened next. I think it is good to absorb the social implications after a couple hours of listening before listening to the next part.
Any additional comments?
I highly recommend it.
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- Shana D.
- 07-23-20
great story; "meh" performance
I followed along in a physical copy. I don't think I could have simply listened to this one. The performance is rather dull and it would have struggled to keep my attention without the book in my hands. The story, however, is quite moving.
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