All characters, no plot

I love the character development and attention to detail - the town and people in it are really brought to life. However, there is very little plot and it’s very slow. I honestly found it boring, with such a slow plot. It just felt like a lot of character development that didn’t have a real purpose. There were some interesting parts near the end, but I was just expecting more.

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Disappointed with this book.

The narrator was good and I liked his pace and cadence. His female voices were sometimes a little grating and especially the teenage girl, Crystal. Her presentation reminded me of a character (Vicky Pollard) from Little Britain.
The story over all was just ok. The characters took a long time to become familiar because they were not well developed and considering there were so many of them it was confusing for the first third of the book. Not a single character in the book had any redeeming qualities and it seemed like a contrived look at life and its harsh realities. Because the characters were hard to understand and impossible to relate to, it made this exploration of a town and its characters inauthentic. It is a story told for shock value and not authenticity.

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Worth the slow start

struggled to get into it, but once I had finished the first 6 chapters I was hooked. I have never read a book that captures the complexities of all human existence like this one. I couldn't stop talking about it once I was finished.

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Good book, but hard read.

Rowling writes an incredibly real, hard, and sad story that kept me wanting to know more about certain characters. After the first third of the book, I recommended it to a couple of people. Halfway through, I had to connect with those people and explain some caveats to reading this book. There are some very real experiences, some hard language, and a number of triggers re: sexual violence, self-harm, abuse, drug use, racism, and bullying.

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Good Book

Very different from Harry Potter and the mystery series Jk Rowling wrote but I still enjoyed it.
I personally don’t think it’s kid friendly, there’s a lot of mention of sex / drug / alcohol abuse in the home. Would recommend listening to it alone before you let you teens listen to it.

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Heartbreaking, and beautifully written

TRIGGER WARNING: Book makes detailed reference to child rape, abuse and there’s brief mention of incest.

The book is well written, the characters and plot are thoughtfully developed and you really get pulled in to the story. In the beginning, I felt I had to really pay attention because there were so many characters introduced and it was easy to lose track of who’s who, but you quickly become familiar with everyone. And you can’t help but to become attached to some of the characters and wish them well, and dislike other characters and hope they get what’s coming!

It’s a really good book; it touches on the struggles and issues of lower-class, at-risk individuals and on the complicated relationships between parents and their children, spouses, and colleagues. I both enjoyed it and hated it. In the end, I wish I had never listened to it because it left me feeling sad.
[*SPOILER ALERT*] I kept listening, and waiting (hoping) everything would work out in the end. I was looking forward to a plot twist that made everything alright. But there was none. The ending was sad. The story felt unfinished. I wish it had ended differently; on a happy note. With those who struggled finally getting a break, and those spiteful, petty characters realizing there’s more to life. It’s just fiction, I know, but it really struck a chord with me.

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Very enjoyable listen!

I enjoyed all of the characters and Mr Hollander brought them to life with his performance. The ins and outs of village life are quite gripping. Rowling shows great insight to what drives some people to make seemingly illogical decisions. 2 thumbs up!

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Brilliant

Absolutely loved this very touching novel and so sad to leave these characters who have been so cleverly brought to life. The narration was excellent too. I feel this book would make an excellent drama series.

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Brilliantly written characters

If plot is your thing, this is probably not the book for you. If beautifully drawn, multi-dimensional characters loaded with generosity, insight, patience, pettiness, brutality and failure is what you like in a rollicking good story, read this. Gorgeously written; so many moments of resonance where the author exquisitely captures that very human moment or experience we all know. Tom Hollander is pure genius. Completely captivating.

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Want to get Depressed?

Typical Rowling: well-written with a negative take on people.
Every single one of the characters showed themselves poorly.
Not one glimmer of hope.
Fortunately, she turned next to detective fiction where there was a balance of ‘ain’t it awful’ with the heroism people sometimes display.
This writer has a dark side. If you’re an empathetic reader, I’d skip this one.

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