Harry Potter for Writers: The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling Cover Reveal

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling Cover Reveal

So, there it is. The long-awaited cover.

What do you think? There's really not much to comment on, is there? I guess "X" marks the spot!

Also, they corrected Barry's name to Barry Fairbrother rather than the previously released Fairweather. Release date is September 27, 2012 for English language.

Also, here is the new, updated description that includes page count:

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

A big novel about a small town, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults. It is the work of a storyteller like no other.

The Casual Vacancy
512 pages

Comments (32)

Logging you in...

Dashboard | Edit profile | Logout

Logged in as

+1 Vote up Vote down

Cheyenne Campbell · 666 weeks ago

I don't want to judge a book by its cover, so I will refrain ;)

1 reply · active 666 weeks ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

angela · 666 weeks ago

After reading the blurb, it makes sense, but I just think there's something about it that doesn't quite fit--part of it is the bright red, but the other is the script of the title I think. It's all flowing and loopy and reminds me of romance genre, when maybe it needs to be a bit stiffer, starchier? Old English-ish?

1 reply · active 666 weeks ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

susansipal 84p · 666 weeks ago

It makes me wonder if they chose to make it so incredibly simple so as to not give anything away because they knew Potter fans (not me! :-) would scour ever detail for clues.

+1 Vote up Vote down

Farida Mestek · 666 weeks ago

I like the cover. It reminds me Agatha Christie... So maybe it will be a classic English murder?

2 replies · active 666 weeks ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

@JayaLaw · 666 weeks ago

I keep thinking it's going to be like J.K. Rowling's version of Hot Fuzz, complete with a serious Simon Pegg as the protagonist. Only time will tell, however, if Fairbrother's death was an accident.

1 reply · active 666 weeks ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

susan kaye quinn · 666 weeks ago

I don't think I'm the demographic for this one. :)

1 reply · active 666 weeks ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

Chemist Ken · 666 weeks ago

It will be interesting to see how her style changes when writing a book aimed at adults.

1 reply · active 666 weeks ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

ralfast 28p · 666 weeks ago

Ye old check mark on ye old ballet box can make all the difference.

1 reply · active 666 weeks ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

Laura · 666 weeks ago

May I say I'm not a fan? I think the thing I like best about it is Rowling's name in that funky font. Not sure that's a good thing, though.

From the blurb, it's clear that Rowling hasn't lost her touch for British names and placenames. I'm still looking forward to the book itself.

1 reply · active 666 weeks ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

Laura Pauling · 666 weeks ago

I think I'm more curious that anything to read it to see how her style would change, to see if I like it. Whether I finish it will be decided. I'll wait until our library gets it. I understand why they went for an easily recognizable cover but I can't say it makes me want to read it. I think adult covers can get away with a lot more than YA or children's covers can.

I'll just say it. I'm not impressed. But maybe we'll get it more after we read it?

1 reply · active 666 weeks ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

@mlmjr1 · 666 weeks ago

We're a visual species. We connect with our world mostly through our sight. So I understand when someone sees beauty or ugly and then reacts to it accordingly.

But I think any book that Jo is involved in that isn't Harry Potter will just be scrutinized ridiculously because everything she's involved in is an event. Personally, I'm working on enjoying everything more and I'm ignoring flaws, or at least being more receptive to what's positive about things.

So, I actually like the cover. I'd even say it's dope and aesthetically pleasing to my eye and fits the tone of the synopsis. I like the throwback/retro minimalist feel to it. Some covers have way too much going on and this one holds back. It's intentionally reserved. It doesn't want to be flashy. It doesn't need to be flashy. "It's cool my babies." as Conan O'Brien would say--but much more hilariously than me.

I'm sure (some) readers will grow to like it over time. Sometimes when I listen to a brand new album by my favorite artist, I don't like it at first, especially if it's in any way a departure from the previous one (which it should be if the artist is growing and maturing). But after giving the music a chance and listening to it more, the album grows on me and I end up loving it (most of the time). I believe that's what's occurring here.

And I predict this same scenario will play out when the book is finally released. Everyone will read it. We'll all judge it based on what we expected and/or wanted and we'll walk away with mixed feelings and emotions. Some will instantly love it. Some will absolutely hate it. Some will merely like it. Other will simply dislike it. Many will just feel indifferent towards the whole thing.

It can be fun to engage in these kinds of conversations, but at the end of the universe, this is the cover. In the grand scheme of things, debating it's yellowness is kinda, I don't know, silly. lol But that's the Internet I guess.

3 replies · active 666 weeks ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

Lisa Gail Green · 666 weeks ago

Yeah, I have to admit I was hoping for more. But even if it was blank, I'd buy it. ;D

1 reply · active 666 weeks ago

+1 Vote up Vote down

@S_Lucero · 666 weeks ago

The minimalist feel of the cover says two things to me right off the bat. 1) This is a different type of book from Harry Potter. Don't expect it to be full of magic and myth. 2) After reading the blurb I agree that the cover puts me in mind of an Agatha Christie book: simple, refusing to give up any hints as to the mystery inside.

Now for some guess-work on my part. I suspect the phrase "casual vacancy" tickled Jo's fancy as soon as she heard it--possibly pre-Harry. It's like the names, words and phrases she used or made up in the Potter books. And I think it's something she may have been working on before Harry fell into her lap on that now-famous train ride.

JKRowling has a wonderful sense of humor and an equally wonderful sense of irony, so I think the book will have a good dose of both, as well as an intricately plotted mystery that one can either attempt to unravel as the story unfolds or simply accept as it's revealed. (I'm not much of a mystery-solver, so I'll probably belong to the second group ... at least until you, Susan, point out the subtler points in the plotting.)

I refuse to put Jo in a category, I think she may well become the female version of Neil Gamon, who has written in--and won awards for--multiple genres.

+2 Vote up Vote down

Katy · 666 weeks ago

I really like the retro feeling of the cover - especially the font, handwritten and script. As others have said, it reminds me of a murder mystery that won't give all the details away. The title alone has a wonderful play on words for the summary - so I'm really excited for this!
My recent post The Casual Vacancy Cover Reveal

+2 Vote up Vote down

Dansrereads · 666 weeks ago

I was kind of expecting a bit... more, I suppose. I won't judge the book by this, of course, and I'll definitely read it, but I think I've just been too spoiled by the Mary Grandpre Harry Potter art. :) It's not a terrible cover, though; it gets you to focus on the checkbox, which is probably the point. Barry being replaced sounds like the crux of the story, and that's summed up pretty well here. Although I'm not so sure Rowling should have gone with the name Barry for an important character right after Harry. :P

If you're interested, please check out my blog, where I'm rereading the Harry Potter series along with a few others! dansrereads.blogspot.com

+1 Vote up Vote down

lesliesullirose 50p · 665 weeks ago

I'm dying to read it, but the cover underwhelmed me. There's a fine line between subtle and dull.
My recent post A Writer's Biggest Mistake

+1 Vote up Vote down

@JFeijten · 665 weeks ago

I like the blurb and I'm looking forward to reading the book, but I have to say that I'm disappointed in the book cover. It's ugly, I can't describe it in any other way.
I tend to take the cover art into my judgement of a novel. I have even bought books thanks to the cover. This one is not motivating me to read The Casual Vacancy, but since it's J.K. Rowling, I will buy it anyway. Hopefully I won't be disappointed with the story as well.

What do you think about the cover and the blurb?
My recent post Tea Time: The author matters