Go Set a Watchman
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I hate to be a downer but I'm not sure Lee wants this.
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I'm with you, Grey. Saw that article and the NYT piece which says Lee was never directly consulted about the publishing of the book. This lessens my excitement for the book, as it seems probable that it is being published against her wishes. Her lawyer especially seems like she's exploiting Lee in her old age.
It sucks. I thought it odd that someone who was so opposed to publicity and seemed to resent the success of TKAM would publish a sequel that was "found" 60 years later but I never thought the whole thing was so shady.Thank you for the links.
As long as Harper Lee really wrote the book, it doesn't really matter to me whether she's in favor of its publication. Why? Because authors' half-finished drafts are frequently published posthumously, and the same would have happened here. It was never a matter of IF it would be published, just when. As for respecting Harper Lee's wishes, consider this: Do you think Harper Lee ever had control of all Go Set a Watchman's manuscripts? If so, if she truly never wanted it to see the light of day she could have burned it. But she didn't.
I'm nervous, though, that Lee's attorneys are exploiting an elderly, grieving woman. If the book hasn't been published until now, we have to ask ourselves...Why? I'm afraid that my (unrealistically - no, astronomically high) expectations for this book will result in this sequel falling miserably short. The manuscript was written before TKAM. It was Lee's first work, little more than a rough draft. With TKAM's raging success, why was a sequel never released? How could such an important manuscript be "lost"? I'm sad to say that I'm extremely skeptical of the circumstances surrounding the release of this book.I desperately want this book but at the same time I don't.
The interview with Harper Lee's editor doesn't exactly make me feel better. There is a whole lot of him assuming things, he has been told and oh look, our press release! Her hometown friends are also suspicious.Andy, seriously? Many people write things and keep them because it's important to them. Just because she didn't burn it doesn't mean she wants the world to see it. If an author really doesn't want their work published then I don't think it should be, whether they are alive or dead. It's their creation and they should be able to decide what is done with it.
I'll read the book, and even if I'm disappointed (I don't know if I will or not), I'll still hail Harper Lee as a great author.
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After seeing there have been issues with the lawyer in the past and suddenly finding this right after her sister died, I'm wary. I want to read the book but not if people are taking advantage of a senile old woman.