January Book Club: The Casual Vacancy

For those of you who liked the book, I hope I do not offend you with what I have to say...

For me this book was a waste of time and money.  It was an expensive book and not at all what I had expected from J.K. Rowling.  I was a fan of Harry Potter and I went in to this book knowing it was written for adults and not going to be like Harry Potter, I didn't have a problem with that, but I was not in anyway prepared for what lay ahead.  

Almost from the first page there was Explicit descriptions of things not at all necessary to the plot.  Had I not read this for the book club I would never have continued reading it.  To me the story was not enough to redeem the language and unnecessary details.  The concept of the story was OK;  everyone likes a little small town drama.  But I truly feel that this could have been a good book had she taken the time not to shock us with extreme content but instead took the time to execute the story effectively.  

For my friends out there, I would say skip this one and use your time on something better.  This book had such a negative impact on me while I was reading it.  I didn't realize how much it was draining me until I stopped reading it.

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling (Sept. 27, 2012)

Barry Fairbrother dies unexpectedly at a young age in the small English town of Pagford.  The story follows the choas through multiple perspectives: the rich and poor, teenagers and parents, wives and husbands, teachers and students.  This town is not what it appears to be on the outside.  The story shows the power of politics and the struggles of those who seek power.