To Kill a Mockingbird
Two of the brightest literary lights were extinguished this week---America’s Harper Lee and the acclaimed Italian novelist, Umberto Eco. I imagine most of my readers have read To Kill a Mockingbird or have seen the film of the same name. I almost always prefer the book to the film, but this was one of the rare cases when the book and film were equally compelling. I tried to read the controversial prequel, Go set a Watchman, but although I could detect her voice, it did not really work for me, and I have yet to finish it. Am I alone in this reaction? But I can always find something new in a rereading of Mockingbird. Here is an interesting article about the impact that this novel has had on its readers over the years. http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/19/opinion... I definitely do not agree with Flannery O’Conner’s acerbic assessment, despite being a fan of her own writing.
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I have read both books of Harper Lee and I share your opinion that her second it's not as good as her first (that's why she didn't want it to be published in the first place), but still I liked what I read, I had no problem at all finishing it. It is sad how many great authors are not here with us anymore. So many voices are stilled lately.
Nope, you're not the only one! I thought Go Set a Watchman was pretty poor and prefer to imagine it never happened.
I actually decided that I would not read GSaW. I'm doing a personal boycott because I don't feel that Lee wanted that book published and it was done so others could make a lot of money. TKaM remains one of my favorites.I haven't read Eco, but I also enjoyed the movie of The Name of the Rose.
I reread TKaM before reading GSaW. To Kill a Mockingbird is lyrically written with well-drawn characters and a depth of atmosphere, while the new book is at best average. I read Watchman with a filter a friend mentioned, which has been expressed elsewhere. Mockingbird is the view of an eight-year-old who worships her father, while Watchman is the view of a young woman trying to establish her own identity in her own mind aside from being her father's daughter. She is looking at everything from her childhood with a more critical eye.
One view of Atticus is as a Southern man of his times with the same paternalistic prejudices as many, although he is one who has viewed the law and justice within that law as his lodestar. Looking back at Mockingbird with this idea, his defense of Tom Robinson was based on that view of the law rather than any perceived tolerance. In Watchman, he fears that the SCOTUS decision has changed the playing field and is reacting to that.
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It's on hold for months at the library. Maybe when it comes out in paperback, I'll try it.