Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was interested in reading what JKR had to say as an adult novelist - my kids grew up along with Harry Potter, and although I loved those books, I thought that a writer of her prodigious talent would probably be able to pull off a non-Potter adult novel with ease. I was so wrong. Dear God, was I wrong. The novel began with a sharp step off the curb and never regained its footing, staggering on through hundreds of pages of misery, not just for the characters in the book, but also for the eager reader, whose enthusiasm hit rock bottom at about page 100. I only persevered because my mama taught me not to be a quitter. It's hard to know where to begin, but it's probably best to start with the many, many characters (the plot doesn't matter - it was as dull as a bowl of oatmeal), not a single one of whom is admirable or even slightly likeable. It's not just that they're flawed, because who wants to read a book about perfect, adorable people who always do and say perfect, adorable things? (If that's the sort of novel you like to read, I'd like to point you toward Jan Karon's gooey Mitford series.) No, this novel doesn't have one single sympathetic character: You pretty much hate them all from first to last. The only way to distinguish among them is that some are worse than others. It's as if Rowling said, "I want to write an adult novel with adult themes, so how's about I throw in some pedophilia? AND some mental illness? AND a rapist? AND a sadistic, revolting teenager or two? AND some adultery? AND a crack whore? AND a self-mutilator? AND an abusive husband/father? AND wives who are hatefully contemptuous of their husbands? AND some husbands who act more like children than men? AND about a thousand f-bombs? AND some ugly sex? AND...AND...AND..." Do you get my point? This dystopian novel contains barely a shred of kindness, mercy, selflessness, family solidarity or, I don't know, LOVE. Everyone is locked into miserable relationships, everyone is suffering, everyone is mean, everyone is selfish. This was probably the most depressing book I've ever read and if Rowling thought the sad, anti-climactic ending there at the church with the pink coffin and the little, tiny white coffin in any way shone the light of redemption on the previous four hundred and some pages, she was sadly mistaken. This book was horrible. After a while, it went from being disturbing to just being ludicrous; does any novel have a larger cast of characters, none of whom have any depth other than loathsomeness of one kind or another? It's one of those novels that I wouldn't even want to donate to Goodwill - why would I want to inflict this awful story on anyone else? Oh, for one multi-faceted Severus Snape, with his venomous tongue and his doe Patronus! Oh, for a many-layered Dumbledore with his upright heart and his murky past! Why do the kids get all the fabulously-drawn characters with their wrongs and their rights, their petty hatreds and their monumental graces, and we adults get landed with a novel full of nothing but Dursleys? This novel was a major disappointment. My recommendation, if you feel you absolutely must read it, is to borrow it from your public library. Do not spend the money on this one. Edited to add: My continuing thought on this book is that Joanne Rowling definitely has a voice as a writer, it's just that, with this novel as an example, I don't think her voice is one for adults. Maybe her true niche is writing outstanding young adult fiction - heaven knows the world could use more solid writing in that genre, and there's certainly no shame in writing books that entertain, instruct and enlighten the YA crowd, which is exactly what she did with the Potter series. I am hoping that The Casual Vacancy is just an aberration, a hiccup in her career, because this book doesn't even seem like *her.* JK Rowling is an author who knows how to flawlessly develop a character. She's brilliant at it. She's better than this book, SO much better. The second piece of advice I have to add to this review is that if you haven't read the Harry Potter series, go do it right now and see what this talented woman is truly capable of. Read Harry Potter with your adult sensibilities, not just allowing the plot line engross you, but also to observe the manner in which the imperfect characters grow into grace with their strengths, weaknesses, failures and triumphs. It should be an able antidote if you read The Casual Vacancy.