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Atticus is a realist. Scout is a visionary. I, as a reader of this novel, was a bored person.
Of course I had heard the attacks on Atticus, claims that he was a racist. Seems everyone is pre-diabetic and a racist these days. It's cool to call someone a racist from their high pedestal. It makes them superior, righteous, and oh-so-darn-GOOD! I'm not talking about anger over a valid racist; that's justified. I'm talking about someone saying, "that black man has a red shirt" and someone else calling ...more
Of course I had heard the attacks on Atticus, claims that he was a racist. Seems everyone is pre-diabetic and a racist these days. It's cool to call someone a racist from their high pedestal. It makes them superior, righteous, and oh-so-darn-GOOD! I'm not talking about anger over a valid racist; that's justified. I'm talking about someone saying, "that black man has a red shirt" and someone else calling ...more
I'm going to write about this in more detail another time, but Now that I've finished it I have a few first impressions.
First, what anyone who might be considering reading this needs to understand is that this is not a sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird, nor is it a companion piece, as the publisher has been saying. This is apparently an early draft of the book that eventually became TKAM.
Second, this book will, I think, be an important artifact for scholars of Harper Lee and her work, but it's not ...more
First, what anyone who might be considering reading this needs to understand is that this is not a sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird, nor is it a companion piece, as the publisher has been saying. This is apparently an early draft of the book that eventually became TKAM.
Second, this book will, I think, be an important artifact for scholars of Harper Lee and her work, but it's not ...more
I can't exactly articulate why this book that started out really well (I thought it was headed for 4 stars), but it fell short of expectations on the last third. Maybe it was the attitude of the time that grated, part of it was Jean Louise's self-centered understanding, and part was due to the fact that Harper Lee was not quite yet the writer she would become in To Kill a Mockingbird.
...more
I have always wondered what happens to Scout. Reading this book I was reminded of how prolific Harper Lee is and how there has never been anyone truly like her. The book did have many disappointing truths since we last met Scout. These parts did disturb me, yet I was reminded of the volatile era in which the book was set. Just like Mockingbird I now have more questions....
Feb 05, 2015
Suzanne
marked it as to-read
Feb 08, 2015
Kirsty
marked it as to-read
Jul 08, 2015
Neila
marked it as to-read
Jul 17, 2015
C.
marked it as to-read
Oct 18, 2015
Kristi
marked it as to-read
Nov 30, 2015
Jimmie
marked it as to-read
Sep 25, 2016
Brandon Fitzgibbon
marked it as to-read
Jan 23, 2017
Suzanne
marked it as to-read
Mar 25, 2017
Terri
marked it as wish-list
May 20, 2019
Huggie Bear
marked it as to-read
