Casual Vacancy

O my dear friends. How very much I want to tell you how much I loved JK Rowling’s new book The Casual Vacancy, but alas I never finished it. Rowling, as I’m sure you all know, is the author of the Harry Potter series. Rowling wanted to venture outside of the children/teen book sphere to a new arena…ADULTS! Thus she wrote her first adult book The Casual Vacancy.

 The town of Pagford recently lost of member of its council. Barry Fairbrother died leaving the town in shock at his untimely departure and a spot open on the council. Pagford, supposedly a lovely little town, is now undergoing a war with itself. Who will get the spot on the council and change the fates of Pagford?

 What I expected was something sort of cutesy. A small town life with some cranky neighbors shaking their fists at each other, but still baking pies for the neighborhood bake sale. O no, no. Silly me. Rowling is a real writer. Although I did not finish the book, I can tell you that she holds strong and proves that she can certainly make the leap from children’s to adults’.

 Pagford is thought of as an idyllic hamlet by some of the people who live there. It’s tucked away behind hills and has a monastery to boast of. But the town is divided. Real life has intruded on the picturesque surroundings and low cost housing developments have driven in some not so savory new neighbors. There are those on the council who want nothing more than to kick out these loafers and see their town restored to its former glory. Yet others, like the late Barry Fairbrother, don’t want to kick out a whole set of people just because they don’t meet certain standards. The story is complicated and Rowling outlines, underlines, and sheds light on her characters in all their glory and ugliness. Rowling shows the humanness of these people and gives the reader an almost objective look at the lives of the townies. Rowling does not back off from the ugly aspects of life and the human psyche. No one is a saint because there are no saints in life. People can be mean and bad, even if they have a smiling face and friendly demeanor.

 I did not get through this book because it is a tedious read. Capping in at 512 pages, the book was not picking up for me after the first 100 pages, so I decided to let it go to patrons who were waiting for it. I like a book that is character-driven, but that felt like all this book was, driven by characters. Nothing else was happening. Maybe it picks up, but I hit my wall and backed away. Again, if you like character driven books and you’re not afraid to put some time in and be confronted with reality, please, please, please read this (then tell me what happens).

 Sorry to disappoint with a non-fully read review, but I still wanted to state my opinion on the piece.

A Wolf in Gentlemen's Clothing

Well this book took me far too long to read. I blame school, but it was also a dense book.

My first real review in quite a long time is on "Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantel. This 600 page book is not of the action packed variety, but if you like historical fiction, this is a good read for you.

The story focuses around Thomas Cromwell, the lowly born son of an alcoholic blacksmith who rises to the top and becomes Henry VIII's right hand man. It took me a while to get into this book. Ms. Mantel often doesn't tell you who is speaking, and the different characters can get confusing to juggle, but she provides you with a list of players reminiscent of a playbill at the beginning of the novel. It's like she knows.

None of the characters became my hero of the book, even the center character, Thomas Cromwell, though I don't think he is exactly supposed to be. I would root for him to make it throughout the book and I didn't dislike him. He is a common man who is smarter and more cunning than the current advisers to the king and he proves himself, which is a great, classic story.

The way Mantel writes makes this story feel realistic. She sets aside the pomp and circumstance of court life and gets down to the real happenings, the behind the scenes policy making, back stabbing, and relationships. Cromwell is a man who came from the gutters and fought his way to the top, but he did it through business and tactics. This is a book about the day-to-day politics of Tudor England, while working for Henry VIII. It's about the things that are said between words and the silences that weigh more than monologues. It was subtle.

At the end of the novel, one quotation summarized what I felt most of the novel was about.
"The fate of people is made like this, two men in small rooms. Forget the coronations, the conclaves of cardinals, the pomp and processions. This is how the world changes: a counter pushed across a table, a pen stroke that alters the force of a phrase, a woman's sigh..."

This book is for the serious reader. I mean that as far as those who like serious reads, are alright with denser books that are more about talk than action. My suggestion is don't read this before bed. Not that this is a gruesome read or anything that will give you bad dreams, but it always made my mind wander.