J.K. Rowling's 'Casual Vacancy' Debuts: The Reviews are In
J.K. Rowling has finally released her highly-anticipated novel, "The Casual Vacancy" following the popularity of her beloved "Harry Potter" books. A range of reviews have hit up the web all of which are a mix of good and bad. The big question is: Was Rowling's move from the magical world to the mundane life of sex, drugs and human drama worth it?
Here's a quick breakdown of what all the big shots in Hollywood had to say about J.K. Rowling's newest novel which talks about a "miraculously unguarded vagina" and about the boy's "ache in his heart and his balls."
According to The New Yorker, "The Casual Vacancy will certainly sell, and it may also be liked. There are many nice touches, including Rowling's portrait of the social worker's gutless boyfriend, who relishes how, in an argument with a lover, you can 'obscure an emotional issue by appearing to seek precision.' The book's political philosophy is generous, even if its analysis of class antagonisms is perhaps no more elaborate than that of Caddyshack. And, as the novel turns darker, toward a kind of Thomas Hardy finale, it hurtles along impressively,"
"...But whereas Rowling's shepherding of readers was, in the Harry Potter series, an essential asset, in The Casual Vacancy her firm hand can feel constraining. She leaves little space for the peripheral or the ambiguous; hidden secrets are labelled as hidden secrets, and events are easy to predict."
If The New Yorker had all good things to say, The New York Daily News claimed that "The Casual Vacancy" was simply dull and that Rowling should have stuck to writing for children. The review is stated as follows: "Rowling has said the worst anyone might say about The Casual Vacancy, is that it is 'dreadful' - and that she 'should have stuck to writing for kids.' Well, here goes...Sorry, J.K. The Casual Vacancy, which one bookseller breathlessly predicted would be the biggest novel of the year, isn't dreadful. It's just dull."
However, good reviews managed to trample over the negative raves. Magical or not, J.K. Rowling still pulled in great reviews for her first adult novel which will probably be the first of many.