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algaliarept's review against another edition
It felt forced and I was not interested in any of the characters.
ckeithjohnson's review against another edition
3.0
Rowling’s writing style is tedious. In Harry Potter it makes sense, we are dealing with children who oft need things spelled out. With that said, she still writes page turners, and once you sort out the characters in this one the story sucks you right in.
It feels a bit preachy at moments, but ultimately it delivers a tough story about the cost of generational poverty. I enjoyed it in the way I enjoy all difficult experiences, in thinking about it retrospectively.
It feels a bit preachy at moments, but ultimately it delivers a tough story about the cost of generational poverty. I enjoyed it in the way I enjoy all difficult experiences, in thinking about it retrospectively.
monkeyboystiff's review against another edition
4.0
Nicely written and a far cry from the Harry Potter books, incredibly amounts of profanity in places. Quite hard to get into as almost all the characters were repellent and the story was very slow but steady. Nothing too thrilling, just a deliberate character study of small town England.
mrbrownsays's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to finish it and it kept me reading. Rowling is still good at setting a story to make it interesting. Fun seeing her social leanings come out in a book. Very good account of local politics.
Spoilt a bit by a Shakespeare ending. Kill a couple of characters off because you can't think of anything better to do.
Spoilt a bit by a Shakespeare ending. Kill a couple of characters off because you can't think of anything better to do.
boattree's review against another edition
2.0
Not super strong. A decent read with some interesting characters.
fridde82's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
4.0
Ich habe recht lange gebraucht um zu merken, dass es sich nicht um einen Krimi handelt. Ansonsten ein packendes Buch, aber ich bevorzuge Happy Ends 😢
alivaster's review against another edition
1.0
I'm a huge fan of the Harry Potter series, however, this book from J.K. Rowling just didn't do it for me even though this was me second time trying to go through it. I tend to give books up to 150 pages to catch my interest, but I found myself bored even when I got close to 200 pages. There was slow development of plot and characters which ultimately made me lose interest.
astrireads's review against another edition
4.0
I finished The Casual Vacancy! The first parts of the book, honestly, bore me, that I wasn't sure if I could finish it - sorry JK Rowling! I made it to 200ish pages when I felt that uncertainty but I wanted to try reading it again. I mean, it IS a JK Rowling book! And so, I made small goals for myself, another 50 pages, til the end of the chapter, til the next part, and when I did that, the story got interesting and I couldn't put it down! ⠀
⠀
I felt like Joanne dedicated the first few chapters solely to describe the characters' personalities and the setting which are in incredible detail. I thought that those chapters were too long (but then again, I won't be going against an author like JK Rowling, and what do I know about writing, right?). As I got further in the story and watch it unfold - seriously, I can imagine every scene vividly that I feel like I'm watching instead of reading - I realized those long and descriptive chapters were necessary so that I could deeply understand the book. Humanity, with all its strength and weaknesses (the good, the bad, the truth, the lies, the politics, the addiction, etc.), and how our lives intersect, is brilliantly captured in this book.
⠀
I rate this book 4 stars, because I couldn't get into it for a while. I'm so happy that I was able to read the whole book! This book had me even more sure that JK Rowling is one of the best literary genius of all time. It's no wonder she's one of my favourite authors!
⠀
I felt like Joanne dedicated the first few chapters solely to describe the characters' personalities and the setting which are in incredible detail. I thought that those chapters were too long (but then again, I won't be going against an author like JK Rowling, and what do I know about writing, right?). As I got further in the story and watch it unfold - seriously, I can imagine every scene vividly that I feel like I'm watching instead of reading - I realized those long and descriptive chapters were necessary so that I could deeply understand the book. Humanity, with all its strength and weaknesses (the good, the bad, the truth, the lies, the politics, the addiction, etc.), and how our lives intersect, is brilliantly captured in this book.
⠀
I rate this book 4 stars, because I couldn't get into it for a while. I'm so happy that I was able to read the whole book! This book had me even more sure that JK Rowling is one of the best literary genius of all time. It's no wonder she's one of my favourite authors!
threegoodrats's review against another edition
4.0
My review is here.
"Krystal's slow passage up the school had resembled the passage of a goat through the body of a boa constrictor, being highly visible and uncomfortable for both parties concerned." p.58
"It was so good to be held. If only their relationship could be distilled into simple, wordless gestures of comfort. Why had humans ever learned to talk?" p.188
"Krystal's slow passage up the school had resembled the passage of a goat through the body of a boa constrictor, being highly visible and uncomfortable for both parties concerned." p.58
"It was so good to be held. If only their relationship could be distilled into simple, wordless gestures of comfort. Why had humans ever learned to talk?" p.188
petitestory's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75