Comments on: The public outcry over J.K. Rowling’s first adult novel, and the important lesson publishers can learn from it

By: Dazza

Dazza — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 22:36:23 +0000

It’s ultimately a dull, dreary, rather preachy book, full of spite, anger and barely concealed attacks against the current government in the UK. What Rowling fails to mention is the fact that she didn’t suffer half as much as everyone is led to believe, and she is also not that bothered in helping the area where she grew up. She has totally failed to make the transition, and perhaps she will now be outed as the one trick pony she obviously is.

By: Chantal Halpin

Chantal Halpin — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 10:23:34 +0000

Amazon emailed me this morning with a 51% off price for the physical book making the digital copy more expensive. I hate it when that happens. If I had paid that much for the ebook and it was delivered in such a poor shape I would be pretty upset too, regardless of how good or bad the book is meant to be.

By: Dan Eldridge

Dan Eldridge — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 16:51:21 +0000

Hey Mary, I hear you on that. Now that I think of it, I don’t believe I’ve ever tried to find my ‘ideal reviewer,’ but that’s probably only because there are so many book reviewers out there. I guess I tend to think of ideal ‘reviewing outlets,’ and I definitely read more book reviews in the NY Times than anywhere else. Of course, on Sundays, most of the reviews are written by freelancers, so I guess what I’m really looking for is a section editor who picks titles to review that are at least somewhat similar to the sorts of books I’d potentially be interested in. (And whoever edits the Sunday Times Book Review does a wonderful job, as far as I’m concerned.)

As for reviews of TCV, you’re right—it’s going to be really interesting to read those as they come in. I think the Guardian (UK) just published a review, if I’m not mistaken.

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 15:35:20 +0000

@Dan, I absolutely know what you mean. I read a lot of simple, fun books and some which are heavier. My ideal reviewer would be someone who likes the same books I do, but so far have not found the perfect match and largely rely on Publisher’s Weekly. They have no review of The Casual Vacancy for the simple reason that they did not receive advance copies. It will be interesting to follow other reviews of this book as they come available.

By: Dan Eldridge

Dan Eldridge — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 12:55:51 +0000

@Mary: Meh. I don’t know. I haven’t read the book myself, so I certainly can’t give any sort of opinion on it, but Kakutani’s always been sort of a grouch, you know? I realize that the entire industry kowtows to her and her opinions, and I totally respect her complete mastery of literature – American and otherwise. But the truth, I think, is that even those of us who consider ourselves to be intelligent, ‘close’ readers don’t necessarily want to sit around reading Don DeLillo novels all day. Sometimes a simple, fun book is a wonderful thing, even if it doesn’t cause a psychological paradigm shift in the mind of the reader.

By: Gary

Gary — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 12:27:43 +0000

It appears to me that book publishing companies have decided not to have quality control systems and not to ensure that their products are defect free before they are released. Instead, the publishers have chosen to rely on their customers, book purchasers and readers, to find and report any problems.

The publisher may then “fix” the problem, and release an updated book; or they may not.

This decision allows the publisher to save money by eliminating the quality control department.

Unfortuanately for readers, the publishers can get away with this policy because they are not going to be sued.

EBook quality (and paper book quality as well) is not going to improve untill and unless someone figures out how to punish a publisher for having poor quality products.

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 02:05:06 +0000

The New York Times review by Michiko Kakutani did not agree with Lev Grossman, but rather says:

There is no magic in this book — in terms of wizarding or in terms of narrative sorcery. Instead, this novel for adults is filled with a variety of people like Harry’s aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley: self-absorbed, small-minded, snobbish and judgmental folks, whose stories neither engage nor transport us.

And the review concludes:
In fact, there is a vacancy deep in the heart of this novel.

We do not come away feeling that we know the back stories of the “Vacancy” characters in intimate detail the way we did with Harry and his friends and enemies, nor do we finish the novel with a visceral knowledge of how their pasts — and their families’ pasts — have informed their present lives. Of course, Ms. Rowling had seven volumes to map out the intricacies of the wizarding world in Harry Potter. The reader can only hope she doesn’t try to flesh out the Muggle world of Pagford in any further volumes, but instead moves on to something more compelling and deeply felt in the future.