Sunday, December 4, 2016

Book 193: The Casual Vacancy

I was so excited when this book came out. I didn't read any of the articles about it; I avoided reading friends reviews. Rowling wrote a new book. How could this be bad?

It was flat. That's the best way I could describe it; flat.I'm not sure if this book was what I expected it to be. The story was compelling but depressing. The ending had an interesting twist. As a friend noted "I remember enjoying it while I was reading it but being left with the impression that it was just a decent book and nothing spectacular or worth rereading" 

Maybe we should reread it? Would it be worth it?  Even though some time has past I still don't know how to feel about this book. It sits proudly on the top shelf, which is the only one the large hard-cover would fit on; and I often look at it and wonder if it would have been different if I read it at a different time.

That being said, Rowling does weave a thoughtful prose and has well developed characters.   I give this book a seven out of ten. Does it deserve to be a five? Maybe. It's hard to say. It was difficult to read two disappointing novels by authors who were so beloved in my childhood right after one another.  

I don't think I would necessarily recommend this book to anyone. But if you are going to read it I would highly suggest not entering the book with any preconceived notions about what it's going to be able or how good it will be. It would only spoil it further.


A photo posted by Colleen Earle (@unphilosophise) on

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