J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy

I wouldn’t be much of a book blogger if I didn’t acknowledge this week’s big news, and that is (of course) J. K. Rowling’s next book.  The Casual Vacancy is Rowling’s upcoming foray into adult-literature.  (Though I’d argue that HP gets real grown-up, real fast after the second book.)

I can’t decide if I’m excited about this one.  Rowling’s Harry Potter books had three things going for it: great characters, great writing, and a unique angle (the magic, duh – think about it, since LOTR, what author had such a successful series in that genre?).  The one thing I’m not sure of is if that unique angle is what made the characters and writing so engaging – I don’t think so, but I can’t be sure…

Am I going to read The Casual Vacancy?  Of course.  This is going to be a major piece of literary zeitgeist.  And, let’s be honest with ourselves, everyone is going to want to see how Rowling follows up on HP.  In essence, she could drop a giant turd on those pages, and laugh all the way to the bank because everyone is going to buy a copy.  Do I think she’s going to do that?  No – she’s clearly a dedicated writer and author (there is a difference between the two).  But she could.  And, as I’ve ranted to multiple people on multiple occasions, this broad is one of the wiliest people in the publishing industry.

Like the rest of the reading world, I’ll be keeping an eye on this one, and let you know what I think when I get to it.  

UPDATE!  See my post on the cover-art here!
UPDATE TO MY UPDATE!  See my author review on Rowling here!