Class war, but not as it should be
After 15 years of writing about wizards, magic and sorcery, ostensibly for children, J K Rowling has turned her hand to writing a novel for adults. The Casual Vacancy had no magic for me, although Rowling’s magic touch meant 2.6 million copies were sold before the book actually hit the streets. Poor old Rowling is rightly angry (and very frustrated) about class-ridden Britain. She's angry about racism and sexism, the small-minded petty bourgeoisie, the smug self-righteous middle class. She’s angry about violence against women and abuse of children. And oddly, given Rowling’s proven ability to...