It was too slow moving for me.I got to chapter 9 or 10 and that was it.

I read it. No wheres near as good as her Harry Potter.

Rather read Maeve Binchy than this.

yes, tabitha i read her last one. sorry to see she died in july.

hi naman ... I didn't read it - from what I had heard, it did indeed sound like too much of a tragedy - I deal with enough of that at work & prefer a change in my pleasure reading!  Interested tho in your drawing a comparison to Shakespeare ...

I'm beginning it. Thus far, I'm starting to think that the magic of Harry Potter was in the imagination, more than the writing. I'm actually finding her character development a little flat. But, we'll see. (And unless I get this darned memo out to the Board about Sunday's meeting, we won't be 'seeing' tonight...)

Actually, Carolla, Casual Vacancy gives a very negative view on social interaction.

I found Casual Vacancy very intreging. But then I am not an authority on social work. I wonder how any WonderCafeers involved in social work interpret the book.

It seems to me that Pagford, as portrayed by J. K. Rowling, is a community of misfits.  The most heroic Barry Fairbrother has a fatal heart attack in the opening scene. The villan, Obbo the drug dealer, lives on.

This gives J.K. Rowling an attempt to explain how the system, (that we live in) works.