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J.K. Rowling Harry Potter to the Casual Vacancy a JK Rowling Biography 2012
The most up to date Biography of J.K Rowling completed July 2012
From Harry Potter to the Casual Vacancy, this book has it all.
Joanne Rowling was born in July 1965 at Yate General Hospital in England and grew up in Chepstow, Gwent where
she went to Wyedean Comprehensive.
Jo left Chepstow for Exeter University, where she earned a French and Classics degree, her course including one year
in Paris. As a postgraduate she moved to London and worked as a researcher at Amnesty International among other
jobs. She started writing the Harry Potter series during a delayed Manchester to London King’s Cross train journey,
and during the next five years, outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first novel.
Jo then moved to northern Portugal, where she taught English as a foreign language. She married in October 1992
and gave birth to a daughter in 1993. When the marriage ended, she and Jessica returned to the UK to live in
Edinburgh, where Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone was eventually completed. The book was first published
by Bloomsbury Children’s Books in June 1997, under the name J K Rowling. The “K”, for Kathleen, her paternal
grandmother’s name was added at her publisher’s request who thought that a woman’s name would not appeal to the
target audience of young boys.
The second title in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was published in July 1998 and was No. 1
in the adult hardback bestseller charts for a month after publication. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was
published on 8th July 1999 to worldwide acclaim and spent four weeks at No.1 in the UK adult hardback bestseller
charts.
The fourth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published on 8th July 2000 with a record first
print run of 1 million copies for the UK. It quickly broke all records for the greatest number of books sold on the first
day of publication in the UK.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was published in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia on 21st June
2003 and broke the records set by Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire as the fastest selling book in history. Harry
Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was published in the UK, US and other English-speaking countries on 16th July
2005 and also achieved record sales.
The seventh and final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was published in the UK, US and
other English speaking countries in 2007.
J K Rowling has also written two small volumes, which appear as the titles of Harry’s school books within the novels.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through The Ages were published in March 2001 in aid
of Comic Relief.
In December 2008, The Tales of Beedle the Bard was published in aid of the Children’s High Level Group (now
Lumos).
As well as an OBE for services to children’s literature, J.K. Rowling is the recipient of numerous awards and honorary
degrees including the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord, France’s Légion d’Honneur, and the Hans Christian
Andersen Award, and she has been a Commencement Speaker at Harvard University USA. She supports a wide
number of charitable causes through her charitable trust Volant, and is the founder of Lumos, a charity working to
transform the lives of disadvantaged children.
J.K. Rowling lives in Edinburgh with her husband and three children.
From Harry Potter to the Casual Vacancy, this book has it all.
Joanne Rowling was born in July 1965 at Yate General Hospital in England and grew up in Chepstow, Gwent where
she went to Wyedean Comprehensive.
Jo left Chepstow for Exeter University, where she earned a French and Classics degree, her course including one year
in Paris. As a postgraduate she moved to London and worked as a researcher at Amnesty International among other
jobs. She started writing the Harry Potter series during a delayed Manchester to London King’s Cross train journey,
and during the next five years, outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first novel.
Jo then moved to northern Portugal, where she taught English as a foreign language. She married in October 1992
and gave birth to a daughter in 1993. When the marriage ended, she and Jessica returned to the UK to live in
Edinburgh, where Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone was eventually completed. The book was first published
by Bloomsbury Children’s Books in June 1997, under the name J K Rowling. The “K”, for Kathleen, her paternal
grandmother’s name was added at her publisher’s request who thought that a woman’s name would not appeal to the
target audience of young boys.
The second title in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was published in July 1998 and was No. 1
in the adult hardback bestseller charts for a month after publication. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was
published on 8th July 1999 to worldwide acclaim and spent four weeks at No.1 in the UK adult hardback bestseller
charts.
The fourth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was published on 8th July 2000 with a record first
print run of 1 million copies for the UK. It quickly broke all records for the greatest number of books sold on the first
day of publication in the UK.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was published in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia on 21st June
2003 and broke the records set by Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire as the fastest selling book in history. Harry
Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was published in the UK, US and other English-speaking countries on 16th July
2005 and also achieved record sales.
The seventh and final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was published in the UK, US and
other English speaking countries in 2007.
J K Rowling has also written two small volumes, which appear as the titles of Harry’s school books within the novels.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through The Ages were published in March 2001 in aid
of Comic Relief.
In December 2008, The Tales of Beedle the Bard was published in aid of the Children’s High Level Group (now
Lumos).
As well as an OBE for services to children’s literature, J.K. Rowling is the recipient of numerous awards and honorary
degrees including the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord, France’s Légion d’Honneur, and the Hans Christian
Andersen Award, and she has been a Commencement Speaker at Harvard University USA. She supports a wide
number of charitable causes through her charitable trust Volant, and is the founder of Lumos, a charity working to
transform the lives of disadvantaged children.
J.K. Rowling lives in Edinburgh with her husband and three children.
26 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 14, 2012
10 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 25, 2015
After the Harry Potter series, I, like so many others, questioned whether J.K.Rowling was up to the challenge of writing a book for adults. The answer, at least for me, is an unqualified YES! Rowling's The Casual Vacancy is a book about appearances and actions. Our public and private selves...the masks we wear to help us get through the days...how we react to the external world and how we control our inner thoughts and actions. Rowling has her finger on the pulse of what it means to be human and humane and I hope she will continue to write for the adult audience.
April 1, 2015
I am in the minority in that I am not or never have been a Harry Potter fan and quite honestly the Harry Potter franchise put me off ever reading any Rowling. I do however have tremendous respect for her as a human being and this led me to exploring the text between the pages of a Casual Vacancy. I was very pleasantly surprised. While the scaffolding is there from the outset and we can see where the plot is going to head it does this in an almost Brechtian manner which I found very engaging.
I really liked the manner in which Rowling set up her characters and although I am not generally a reader who enjoys the visual elements of a fictional creation (in fact I usually go out of my way to avoid that kind of prose)Rowling's technique did not grate on me as much as I thought it might. Her ability to present a social commentary that works effortlessly to make her personal points is exemplary.
I really liked the manner in which Rowling set up her characters and although I am not generally a reader who enjoys the visual elements of a fictional creation (in fact I usually go out of my way to avoid that kind of prose)Rowling's technique did not grate on me as much as I thought it might. Her ability to present a social commentary that works effortlessly to make her personal points is exemplary.
March 3, 2015
Wanted to read this before the TV series started, and I'm glad I did as it means I can skip watching what seems to be only a vague approximation of a well-written tale. There's a wide range of characters, but all are drawn with enough detail to make them live on the page, with the dichotomous setting of town and estate adding a further dimension to the action as the characters weave in and out of both, raising questions of identity, nature v nurture, and civic responsibility, but all in a subtle rather than belaboured way.
February 21, 2015
I can't believe I waited so long to read this book. JK Rowling's magical ability to plumb the depths of our hearts and minds, create characters that come completely to life, and to interweave story lines is as much in evidence here as in Harry Potter. If you are squeamish about the grimmer realities of life, don't read this story - for everyone else, this is a must-read.
February 15, 2015
This is a brilliantly written book, about mostly dreadful people without perspective. Some humor could have helped this reader not to become utterly depressed. However ultimately it might be a masterpiece...
March 18, 2015
This is no Harry Potter! An adult themed semi thriller kept me absorbed! I highly reccomend trying this out.
September 9, 2020
A well-written book, but so black and depressing a tragedy.
At the start, Mr. Fairweather dies of a stroke. The book then explores the effects of his death on his friends, family and associates -- and in all cases, Rowling finds one of the worst possible things that character could do, or that could happen to the character, and describes it in detail.
Did every person in the story have to be negative? We have a heroin addict mother, her neglected 3-year old, her older daughter, and their friends ( or tormentors), who all do terrible things to each other.
I prefer books with some humor, or at least one uplifting character.
At the start, Mr. Fairweather dies of a stroke. The book then explores the effects of his death on his friends, family and associates -- and in all cases, Rowling finds one of the worst possible things that character could do, or that could happen to the character, and describes it in detail.
Did every person in the story have to be negative? We have a heroin addict mother, her neglected 3-year old, her older daughter, and their friends ( or tormentors), who all do terrible things to each other.
I prefer books with some humor, or at least one uplifting character.
August 22, 2021
This was a brilliant read. It shows us politics in small towns are no different from the main politics in a country. The pettiness of the human spirit and the search and drive for power can be seen throughout the novel.
Rowling wrote beautifully. It's a long story with many different characters and she developed each one clearly and for a particular purpose.
A lovely read. At times it just flowed and then at other times, I couldn't put it down.
Rowling wrote beautifully. It's a long story with many different characters and she developed each one clearly and for a particular purpose.
A lovely read. At times it just flowed and then at other times, I couldn't put it down.
August 6, 2021
I was really let down by this book… it seemed to drag..
May 7, 2014
I have just started this book..reluctantly , I may add, as I am not a fan of the Harry Potter books, and only approve as they seem to have got the modern children to read, which is such a wonderful thing. I am just sorry that the books that got them reading did not include Treasure Island and Lord if the flues, Midwich Cuckoos, and many more those other wonderful books I read as a child, and where everything was possible and not " magic"
However, I have just started this book..
I am so excited by it, I forgive her totally for exposing the world to Harry Potter. I am thrilled , by the writing, the story, and the characters therein. I put it down only to savour the flavour, and to make it last, in case I finish it to quickly.
However, I have just started this book..
I am so excited by it, I forgive her totally for exposing the world to Harry Potter. I am thrilled , by the writing, the story, and the characters therein. I put it down only to savour the flavour, and to make it last, in case I finish it to quickly.
Read
July 17, 2014It is difficult to believe that one small town could be populated by so many mean people! While a few characters displaying a somewhat redeeming quality once or twice, I don't believe I liked any of them.
No complaints on the writing,though.
No complaints on the writing,though.
February 24, 2015
Wish I hadn't read this.
April 17, 2016
Slow to start, but it finished well!
November 18, 2014
I tried. I failed. Got bored. Its back in my local library. Two stars for effort.
March 2, 2015
I only finished this book because of the author. I hated the plot and loathed the ending.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews