J.K.ROWLING

I have only ever read one Harry Potter book, the first in the series. It didn't do much for me, I have to admit. But the affairs of the boy wizard obviously do have an appeal, since the seven books have sold more than 450 million copies, been translated into 73 languages, and been turned into 8 films. There are not many authors in history who can beat that.

Three of the biggest admirers were my own children. Since we lived in Tanzania and then Denmark, I had to enlist my mother to buy the latest hardback copy in English, as soon as it came out, and send it on by post. Whereupon my eldest son would disappear for a couple of days, hand the book to my second son, who would do the same, and then finally to my daughter. The books got bigger and bigger, the last one being a real doorstep, but their enthusiasm remained undimmed.

Against that background, I approached J.K.Rowling's first non-Harry Potter book, The Casual Vacancy, with a degree of scepticism. Sure, she can write for children; but what about for adults? I was pleasantly surprised. The story, about the machinations of a local parish council, rattles along at a good pace and kept me interested (more than can be said for Ulysses, say, which I found almost unreadable). It was not great literature, but it was certainly not rubbish. If she writes another book for adults, then I will certainly read it.

Walter Blotscher