I like it...but it took me awhile. Talk about from one extreme to the other, this is definitely no Harry Potter. Not that I was expecting it to be, I did read the reviews and synopsis beforehand, but Rowling new novel is definitely of the gritty realism type - no fantasy here. 
 I love the author's ability to bring her characters to life. She's very good at drawing the reader into the novel and making this reader, at least, sympathetic to their plight. The storylines are interwoven beautifully until they all come together at the end. However...the plot line itself was rather boring: a parish councilor dies in office, and community members fight to win his seat. OK, obviously it's a little more complicated than that, but not much. I'm glad that I read it, I think that Rowling is undoubtedly a talented author, but I don't think that this book will appeal to the masses.