J. K. Rowling's new book was released today. According to Allison Pearson, writing for the Telegraph, it is a far cry from the wizarding world - dark, often unpleasant and coarse about British suburbia. There have been questions about her writing something that is definitely not for children. She said, "I’m a writer and I will write what I want to write." Personally, she can do whatever she wants - she's had phenomenal success, such that the vast majority of writers will never experience. If she wants to write a dark, misanthropic tale, that's fine with me and the people who will read it and enjoy it for what they get out of it. It would be a far worse thing if The Casualty Vacancy was a self-commentary on Harry Potter, if it unravelled the magic that she wove with those stories. But no. They are two different animals. There is no law that says the woman must write about Harry Potter for life or not at all. Goodness, I'd hope not. The more power to her. I just hope her next endeavor is a little happier.
For the record, the more I think about the bleakness and unkindness of The Casual Vacancy, the more convinced I am that I'd rather read her work than something such as Fifty Shades. I'd rather be slapped in the face with a brilliantly-written, chilling work that makes me think, rather than slog through a boring, plotless chassis of a book.
[These opinions are solely those of Jillian.]
No comments:
Post a Comment