September 27, 2012
JK Rowling: The Casual Vacancy reviews – what the critics said
From The Telegraph:
As it hits the bookshops, The Casual Vacancy, JK Rowlings' first post-Harry Potter novel, is at the top of the bestseller lists with 2.6m copies sold on pre-order. But Rowling's first adult novel, which charts the aftermath of the unexpected death of a member of the parish council in the seemingly idyllic town of Pagford, has divided opinion. Here are excerpts from some of the reviews:
Christopher Brookmyre (Telegraph): "It quickly becomes clear that this is not the book we might have been expecting. Recently arrived social worker Kay’s first visit to a drug-addict mother of two at her home in the Fields brings us into the very heart of the world that the hawks on the parish council would like to simply wish away. It is a heart-in-the-mouth passage, taut with dread, invoking in the reader a vivid mirror of Kay’s own fear, revulsion, anger, compassion and sorrow. ... There is villainy, from domestic violence to sexual abuse, including a rape scene that is most shocking in its banality for both parties. Neither the victims nor their assailants expect justice from any external agency, and nor should the reader: There are few resolutions, and no promises of wish-fulfilment. This is undoubtedly where the book takes its greatest risks. One marvels at the skill with which Rowling weaves such vivid characters in and out of each other’s lives, rendering them so complex and viscerally believable that one finds oneself caring for the worst of them. However, upon hearing the cries of so many souls in pain, the more sensitive reader might begin to crave a leavening of hope, or to fear that Rowling’s own cry is one of despair."
Deepti Hajela (Associated Press): "So look, here's the thing: This. Is. Not. A. Children's. Book. If you're looking for what made Harry Potter magical – Wizards! Spells! Flying Broomsticks! -- you're not going to find it. If you're looking for what makes JK Rowling magical – emotion, heart – you will. ... [The] ability to bring her characters to their emotional life was a hallmark of the Harry Potter series – it didn't become a global phenomenon just because it was an exciting adventure, but because there was a real heart to it, characters who had both strengths and weaknesses, who struggled with their choices. That's what makes this book worth it, despite a slow start and sometimes too much of the descriptions and adjectives that added life to Harry Potter but at times tend to bog Rowling down here. That's what makes the book's ending scenes so heartbreaking – turning the page seems unbearable, but not as much as putting down the book would be."
More here.
Posted by Azra Raza at 07:31 AM | Permalink
Comments
Reviewing a writer whose books have made her close to 1b -- I am really surprised how moderate the criticism.
Posted by: Elatia Harris | Sep 27, 2012 9:24:47 AM
I don't see the connection, Elatia, unless you're suggesting that critics can be jealous !
Haven't read her myself.
Posted by: aguy109 | Sep 27, 2012 6:46:48 PM
Aguy109, I am indeed suggesting this is a time a critic would be loaded for bear. Whether because of jealousy or mere resentment that no other writer has yet earned 900m writing, who can say?
Posted by: Elatia Harris | Sep 27, 2012 7:56:33 PM
It's odd that none of the reviews (in the article) show any awareness that the theme of the book is class distinctions and snobbery, as Rowling explained in a recent NPR interview. She herself came from a lower middle-class background and maintains loyalty to her roots. Either her theme simply did not come through, or the reviewers did not read sensitively.
Posted by: Susan | Sep 27, 2012 8:13:31 PM
Um, Susan, did you read any of the reviews? Here is the first paragraph from the first piece cited:
"I don’t know whether David Cameron is a fan of Harry Potter, but he’d be advised to give The Casual Vacancy a bodyswerve, as he is unlikely to enjoy seeing his notion of the “Big Society” being so savagely eviscerated. As though playing on the secrecy and speculation as to what form it would take, JK Rowling’s first novel “for adults” disguises its own ambitions by posing as a storm-in-a-teacup tale of small-town rural folk, but instead of gently carving out a slice of life, it reveals in unflinching detail the fractures beneath the surface of modern Britain."
There is nobody in the UK that is not aware of Rowling's class background and the themes of this book (whether the accomplishment of _The Casual Vacancy_ be good or bad or foothills is a separate matter).
Posted by: Jesse | Sep 28, 2012 7:06:59 AM
Jesse, you are for the best of reasons so much more Brit-savvy than most of us. My old friends in London are old enough to be my parents and seem not nto be weighing in here -- I would guess they skip Rowling altogether. Would love to know what you hear about this if you have your ear to the ground...
Posted by: Elatia Harris | Sep 28, 2012 9:02:25 AM
Yes, Jesse, I read the reviews in the article. And no, I did not see any mention of (nor even an allusion to) class distinctions and snobbery. "Fractures beneath the surface of modern Britain" is a rather broad description. Perhaps I should have read more into the reviews?
Nevertheless, it's good to know that everyone in the UK is aware of the themes of Rowling's novel. Rather impressive, really.
Posted by: Susan | Sep 28, 2012 10:36:33 AM
Susan says: "Yes, Jesse, I read the reviews in the article. And no, I did not see any mention of (nor even an allusion to) class distinctions and snobbery."
And yet: "the small British village of Pagford,... tells the story of what happens after the unexpected death of a town official leaves a vacancy on the town's governing body. A long-simmering conflict over what the solidly middle-class village should do about the residents of a poverty-stricken, drug- and crime-infested housing project on the edge of town gets heated, interwoven with the personal lives and problems of Rowling's characters."
Susan asks: "Perhaps I should have read more into the reviews?"
No, just reading them would have sufficed.
Posted by: Jesse | Sep 28, 2012 1:39:01 PM
The fact that there wasn't a speck of Rowling's style in the dark-humored literary volume dearly anticipated by many, suggests one of having done an exceptional job at being an author. And to know that the fiction itself didn't disappoint; being put mildly, I absolutely adored every instance, character, scene and the final outcome gathered. Hats off to you, Jo.
My first badge of gratitude: our dear Flipkart. I received my order ON the date of release, which was more than I'd dared to expect.
Well, it might not be easy to lay down precise words to summarize all of which one can garner out of the terrific and colossal novel; ranged with a deep scrutiny into the life of not one but many characters. There's a deep insight into their lives and minds, which is an incredulous achievement in itself. To portray that many people with unperturbed justice....
And to top all of that, you know you've fallen in love with it WHILST reading, when you're dreading that it'll after all, come to an end.
One can only serve it with much deserved credit by reading it with absolute cognition. I can't begin to spell out how much I've been inspired and in so many ways. It's not Harry Potter, it's an entirely different bittersweet piece of art. Just read it.
Posted by: Amit | Apr 21, 2013 12:51:55 PM
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