velvetsreader's review
3.0
J.K. Rowling is a solid story teller. She paints a gritty portrait on the behavior of humans. The Casual Vacancy held my attention strongly up to 250 pages. I kept asking myself where the hell was this going. The character build up was to long and mundane for me at 200 pages the book should of moved a bit faster. Wish I would of liked it better but I feel like I wasted my time with this one.
fionab_16's review
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
viljaneito's review against another edition
4.0
Mietin vielä kolmen ja neljän tähden välillä.
Nyt se on sitten viimein luettu, ainakin vuosi meni aloittamisessa, itse lukemiseen kaksi päivää... :D Huomaa, että tässä tehdään selkeää pesäeroa Pottereihin, välillä kirja tuntui melkein ihnorealistiselta. Loppu tuli aika puun takaa ja vähän on järkyttynyt olo. No, en minä tämän ruusuinen odottanutkaan olevan. Tykkäsin paljon, Rowling vaikuttaa osaavan kirjoittaa ihan mitä vain.
Nyt se on sitten viimein luettu, ainakin vuosi meni aloittamisessa, itse lukemiseen kaksi päivää... :D Huomaa, että tässä tehdään selkeää pesäeroa Pottereihin, välillä kirja tuntui melkein ihnorealistiselta. Loppu tuli aika puun takaa ja vähän on järkyttynyt olo. No, en minä tämän ruusuinen odottanutkaan olevan. Tykkäsin paljon, Rowling vaikuttaa osaavan kirjoittaa ihan mitä vain.
ms3194's review
1.0
I couldn't finish this book; I stopped after reading 55 pages. It's a shame because I really wanted to finish it even though reading each page felt like a chore.
The main problem with the book were the characters. All of them are so annoying, which is a major defect because this book is basically a character study of the people of Pagford. It's so weird that J.K. Rowling, the woman who gave us Harry Potter and a world filled with vulnerable, deep and such real and meaningful characters would fail at this, but she she does. I went in with expectations of a town with amazing,conflicted people I could relate to but all I got was an irritating bunch who hate each other's guts.
Another thought I had was that Rowling was trying too hard to make it a novel for adults.
I'm only reading another one of her books if it has anything to do with Harry.
The main problem with the book were the characters. All of them are so annoying, which is a major defect because this book is basically a character study of the people of Pagford. It's so weird that J.K. Rowling, the woman who gave us Harry Potter and a world filled with vulnerable, deep and such real and meaningful characters would fail at this, but she she does. I went in with expectations of a town with amazing,conflicted people I could relate to but all I got was an irritating bunch who hate each other's guts.
Another thought I had was that Rowling was trying too hard to make it a novel for adults.
I'm only reading another one of her books if it has anything to do with Harry.
wayfaring_witch's review
2.0
J.K. Rowling continues to write vibrant characters with vivid descriptive writing. Unfortunately, I didn't care about them. This book was a snapshot into an ordinary town and we got to see the squabbles and drama of their everyday life. What was missing was a strong protaganist or focused plot. We were thrown into this mess of a town without someway to organize all the drama around us.
I bought this the day it came out and read 14 books before finally being motivated to finish it. I can see why Rowling enjoyed creating this book as she created a dynamic town, but unfortunately she didn' write it in a way that captured readers as well.
I bought this the day it came out and read 14 books before finally being motivated to finish it. I can see why Rowling enjoyed creating this book as she created a dynamic town, but unfortunately she didn' write it in a way that captured readers as well.
evadis's review against another edition
3.0
Nicely written, love the characters. Three and not four stars because there is not enough action in the middle and too much in the end.
nanceoir's review
3.0
I'd really call this a three-and-a-half star book, to be honest. I enjoyed it, particularly the vast array of characters, who are all incredibly realistic, sometimes amusingly so, and sometimes horrifyingly so. It was sometimes hard to remember who everyone one, exactly, but I got better with them as the book progressed. I'm not sure that it's a book I'll revisit often, though; it's kind of an emotional workout, and it can be a little too uncomfortably real for what I tend to reread a lot. Still, though, it was definitely worth the time.
flobeulah's review
4.0
I loved every single Harry Potter book, so when I saw this one, I had to try it.
It’s very different in style that what you’re used to in Harry Potter, but just as addictive.
The story is so complex and it has so many unexpected twists and little details that come a long the way .
It’s very different in style that what you’re used to in Harry Potter, but just as addictive.
The story is so complex and it has so many unexpected twists and little details that come a long the way .
cdomin2's review
2.0
This was a horrible book. I had such high expectations. I loved the Harry Potter books and I knew this wouldn't be anything like it, but I still believed it would be something great.
I wish I didn't waste my time reading it. All the characters were unlikable. The ending was depressing. Wait, let me take that back, the WHOLE book was depressing. The plot wasn't a page turner. The only reason I finished the book was that I kept hoping that it would get better. But it never did.
I wish I didn't waste my time reading it. All the characters were unlikable. The ending was depressing. Wait, let me take that back, the WHOLE book was depressing. The plot wasn't a page turner. The only reason I finished the book was that I kept hoping that it would get better. But it never did.