Sometimes Even Great Authors Can Disappoint

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling.  The author of this book should sound very familiar.  Her books and movies are very popular among young adults and are being read and viewed around the world still today.  Of course I am talking about the Harry Potter series. Unfortunately, J.K. Rowling tried to appeal to the adult reading audience.  I'm not sure if this was her idea, or if someone talked her into it. The Casual Vacancy is not a very good book, and is certainly not suitable for young adult readers. I wonder how many young readers will recognize the author of this book like I did, and be curious enough to try and read it.  It will certainly be available at a discount price in garage sales and flea markets very soon. That's where my copy is going. I have to believe that Harry Potter fans will put this book down before the first chapter. Unfortunately, I didn't.



The story revolves around  the death of Barry Fairbrother, who passes away, but leaves an incredible hole in the community of Pagford, England. The battle over his parish council chair,  what to do with, "The Fields", a decrepit part of town, out of control teenagers, and out of control husbands and wives is the premise that divides this quiet historical community to the end.  It takes a tragedy to help bring the community back from the verge of social civil war.

I can't imagine how hard it must be for J.K. Rowling to live up to the status that her Harry Potter books have brought her. Perhaps that is the reason why she decided to write an adult novel.  In doing research for this blog, I found out that she has recently written another adult book, a murder mystery, called,  The Cuckoo's Calling. She wrote it under a mystery author's name (read the story).  I am still curious about her as a writer, and I will probably read The Cuckoo's Calling if it becomes available to me.  So far it's reviews have been positive. I can't be too hard on one of the best selling authors in history. I hope that young adult literature is still in J.K. Rowling's future, if only to give my students the motivation to read another good book.