28 Sept. '12

I have to start by saying, that if you're expecting a (murder-)mystery novel; a plot submerged in conspiracies and political maneuverings, you will be sorely disappointed. If you're hoping to be transported to another magical adventure, you'll receive an even greater plummet back down to earth.



Look. If you're going to read this just because it has JK Rowling's name splattered on there, I strongly advise you to sit back, take a look at your computer screen, and read that book des

28 Sept. '12

[which is a great, thought-provoking film, I must add (hide spoiler)

[if you think the sex scenes here are simply there for the sake of shock value, wait until you meet my having-sex-in-the-mosque friends! (hide spoiler)

I quite enjoyed the way Rowling gave distinct voices to her characters

A slow-paced, character-driven drama

the way JK Rowling handled her characters is well-rounded and completely believable

the main reason I got through this novel and enjoyed it,

[alright, maybe it comes to a tie (hide spoiler)

The head-jumping may be daunting

Potter

we have an abundance of little events that lead up to the final climax

27 Sept. '12

5 July '12

14 June '12

17 Apr. '12

I have to start by saying, that if you're expecting a (murder-)mystery novel; a plot submerged in conspiracies and political maneuverings, you will be sorely disappointed. If you're hoping to be transported to another magical adventure, you'll receive an even greater plummet back down to earth.Look. If you're going to read this just because it has's name splattered on there,Does it sound like something you would enjoy? Does it attract you, in the least bit, at all? Or does it sound utterly boring you would rather do something more productive like watchback-to-back?is everything the title and book cover promises it to be -- plain, straightforward, something so commonplace andthat you wouldn't even notice it's there. This book doesn't try to impress anybody, I think looking at the drab red and white cover would tell you that much, but itelicit some sort of reaction depending on how you interpret things.reminds me a lot of the Australian drama film, 2:37 . Not because the plot is in any way similar, but rather that they provoke the same general reaction out of their audiences. Some parts are gritty, vile, and just plain offensive.I've heard a few friends, read a few reviews, that mentioned howjust seemed to arbitrarily slop down a bunch of cuss-words and sex scenes simply to get it across to her readers thatbut I could not disagree more.I think we have it all in our heads thatis somehow pressured into differentiating this adult book of hers from her popular children's series, that we're assuming too much of her. Although itseem sometimes that she's playing a game of, the real and horrible fact is that in the real world out there, peoplecuss -- some much,more than others. Teenagershave unabashed sex -- sometimes in public places, (view spoiler) and therehorrible, violent, incompetent parents out there.Truthfully,. Some needed their mouths washed, some needed to grow a pair, some needed to be slapped across the face. It is a pity that her portrayal of real people is being watered down to her attempting to assure us this is an adult novel.There is almost no theme that this book doestouch. There are unhappy marriages, failed relationships, dysfunctional families ... there are issues of depression and cutting, bullying, teenage delinquency -- in short,. This book is a drama.; an in-depth look, if you will, at the lives of multiple people. There is noin. Instead, we look into the lives of a number of residents of Pagford, we make our own decisions on their personalities, which is one great strength of this novel, and we get to see reflections of our own society - perhaps our own selves - in the inhabitants of Pagford.I have to admit, that contemporary fiction is not my genre. I find them dull, I find them boring, I find them - more often than not - shallow and poorly developed; poor, romanticized attempts of uncovering human nature and the world we live in.But. I know only too well, the same type of gossiping, drama-mongering women who secretly crave to be in the limelight. I know only too well the hypocrisies and selfishness of people who do not even ever mean to be hurtful.Perhaps,is because I simply find character studies fascinating - and that is, in large, whatis about. That said, I have no doubt that you willa majority - if not all - of these flawed, only too-real characters. It seems as if there was not a single inhabitant of Pagford with redeemable characteristics. And yet, you do get to sympathize with a few, every now and then.The only character whose perspective weget to really experience was perhaps the one who was most affected by Barry's death - his widow - whom, by the way other characters interact with her, I have come to despise. It may be a shock, but it isn't the physically abusive father who I hated the most, nor the good-for-nothing druggie mother (view spoiler) -- it was Mary, Barry's useless, whinging, annoying widow.I hear you say;It's a good thing we never got to see into her head, because I'm sure I would have found more reason to hate her. Her entire sadness and mourning is based upon selfish, egotistical reasons. She has no respect for her husband's efforts, nor the selfless work he so evidently found important. She also just walks around moping, breaking down every two seconds, doing things and making decisions that her husband would have no doubt disproved of.Anyway.at first, and yes, some people will be highly turned off by this. I myself think that if it had been handled any other way, the continuous flow of the world would have been interrupted; like a sudden cut-to-black scene instead of a camera constantly filming events as they transpire, following one character from another as they pass each other by.Also,sure likes her commas. But that is a minor detail, which I myself am often guilty of - so I don't find it too off-putting. I could complain that her sentences were often winding, multiple clauses abound, sometimes causing confusion and forcing re-reads - but that is the distinct style she so often uses, which is something I have come to enjoy; and once I got going, I almost didn't notice it.But anyway. Enough about that.Well, we begin with the death of BarryFairbrother.As a sidenote -- it might seem, if you read the novel, that he was the only redeemable character in this entire tale; and yet the entire purpose ofwas to show us how rotten and imperfect people are once we get inside their head. It is only a blessing we never got to experience Barry's perspective, otherwise our enchantment of him, I suspect, would have been rudely awakened.Barry's death had an impact on the entire community of Pagford, for he had left an empty seat on the Parish council, and whoever takes his place may have a defining role on the future of a rehabilitation clinic and, by extension, the lives of people who depend on it.And that is all there is to it, ladies and gentlemen. No mysterious murder plots, no sudden evil lord rising from the dead. Of course, we are entertained by the everyday dramas that you will find in such a small, close-knit society. There is sabotage, teenagers courting, MILFs on the prowl ...of: some would say, an unnecessary scene that acts as a turning point for our characters.But in that scene, like the entire premise of the movie 2:37, we are reminded of the brutal truth of life; of how selfish and self-absorbed people are. Of how immersed we are in our own petty problems and little closed world, that we become so ignorant and shrug off the rest of the world.It is a pity that something bad had to take place before we see some semblance of change in our characters - although some characters do not change at all. And some readers, I believe, will find this to their distaste. But for me, this is a simple fact of life. Some peoplemistakes to learn from. Some people never learn at all. And's beautiful, if brutal, portrayal of life; of actions and consequences; of people and society, would have been just another romanticized happily-ever-after if it had ended on any other note.Alriiiight! I finally have a copy of this so I'm gonna say "screw it" to all the other books I'm currently reading and get started on this like, right now. JK Rowling,Is it just me, or don't you prefer JK Rowling's face as a cover?I think we're part of some elaborate social psychology experiment. The hypothesis is that us suckers will buy any book written by such a long-anticipated author, even if it had a picture of dog turd on the cover.final cover art??? You mean, shehave a picture of her own face as the front cover of her novel?? I am disappointed.Look. I know we all loveto bits and tiny pieces she would just die in our smothering worship ... but this book is not even out yet. HOW does it already have practically 5 stars??Do people have access to a hidden manuscript that I am not aware of? Have people traveled back from the beautiful future just to put up their stars before everyone else? ["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>