Saturday, February 9, 2013

The Casual Vacancy by J.K Rowling

I finally completed The Casual Vacancy. It reminded me a bit of The Pilot's Wife in the sense that I found the book long and uneventful but with a good strong ending that brought all of the events together. It was one of those books that make you think once you have finished it. The ending was good but that doesn't mean that I liked the book as a whole. Reading is an experience to me, and if I don't enjoy every moment of the book and have a "I cant put it down" moments at least once, no matter how much it makes you reflect after its done, a good ending does not make up for my lack of interest while I was reading it.

This book just did not grab my attention from the beginning. I found that there were way to many characters all introduced at once. It took me almost the entire novel to figure out who was who and how they all seemed to be related. Most of the characters were unlikeable. The only characters that I liked were Krystal and Andrew. Both were kids who had hard childhoods but dealt with their troubles the best they could. All of the adults in the town were rude and gossiped about each other. They never had anything nice to say about their fellow neighbours and it made reading very negative. I want to read a book that makes me feel happy, excited, intrigued, scared even, but a book that makes me annoyed isn't something I want to waste my free time reading.

No matter how well written the book was I would not recommend it to anyone. I prefer to read a badly written book with a good story. (That comment was directed at those who did not enjoy The Night Circus and Fifty Shades of Grey)

1 comment:

John Michael Cummings said...

Dear Reading Escapes:

Will you please consider reviewing my new novel DON’T FORGET ME, BRO (Stephen F. Austin State University Press and Texas Book Consortium, Dec. 2014-Jan.2015).

My novel tackles themes of childhood abuse, mental illness, and alienated families--and leaves the reader uplifted!

Kirkus Reviews says: "Read this book for the vivid imagery and sharp dialogue. Read it for the spot-on characterizations..."

The subject matter is never treated frivolously or over-handled in details. The writing is taut and compelling throughout. The pace leans forward tirelessly.

Those accomplishments alone took years.

In all, five of my thirty years of writing were dedicated to this novel. I like to joke: I had to pull my soul sideways through a keyhole for those five years to get the right words down.

My debut novel, THE NIGHT I FREED JOHN BROWN (Penguin Group, 2008), won The Paterson Prize for Books for Young Readers (Grades 7-12) and was one of ten books recommended by USA TODAY for Black History Month. For more info:
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/john-michael-cummings/the-night-i-freed-john-brown/

My 2011 short story collection, UGLY TO START WITH (West Virginia
University Press), was hailed by The Philadelphia Inquirer as a work of “sharp observation and surpassing grace.” Here’s a link to some information about my collection:
http://www.amazon.com/Ugly-Start-With-Michael-Cummings/dp/193597808X

My short stories have appeared in more than seventy-five literary
journals, including The Iowa Review, North American Review, The Kenyon Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, and The Chattahoochee Review. Twice I have been nominated for The Pushcart Prize. My short story "The Scratchboard Project" received an honorable mention in The Best American Short Stories 2007.

But DON'T FORGET ME, BRO is my best!

The novel is a fictionalized story of my brother. Joe died at 47 of system-wide neglect and indifference for the so-called mentally ill in my, until recently, extremely backward home state of West Virginia.

I know thousands of lives are lost every day around the world. True, Joe was just one. But in this novel, you will see him live and die not once, but a thousand times in the minutes of his life.

If you email me at johnmcummings@aol.com, I'll send you the cover graphic for my novel. Then, please take a look at the image. You will see in Joe's innocent, dead-on eyes at 19.

I'll also email you a new digital .pdf of my novel from the publisher. It's a clear, bold text.

I promise you that DON'T FORGET ME, BRO is not too grim. I am
sensitive to the reader's well-being and tolerance.

Cleanly written and briskly plotted, DON'T FORGET ME, BRO is a quick, fabulous read, a literary page-turner. Never before in my career could I say this about my work. So I say so now with a truth I can all but guarantee.

I hope I don't sound arrogant. I am just very happy and confident.

To give you a bigger picture of my novel, I'll even email you a full advance review by Pauline Finch of Bookreporter.com, along with a list of authors who've blurbed my novel so far and what they have said.

I would very grateful and honored if you were to review my new novel.

Again, my email is johnmcummings@aol.com

My phone number is (304) 620-8747.

In respect and gratitude for your work,

and warmly,

John Michael Cummings

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