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alexis_ebert21's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
n0tg4b's review against another edition
1.0
dnf at 38%
I can go on a whole spiral about elder abuse and how Harper Lee said she never wanted to publish another book after mockingbird and was not cognitively there enough to consent to publish this in 2015, but let's just go around that. before you read this, know that this is a manuscript called watchman, which is a very very early version of mockingbird. and yet it was edited like it was to be a sequel.
this book is just blurbs and bubbles of decent ideas. it's barely cohesive. it's extremely obvious that Lee has had these characters dancing around in her head for a long time, and this is obviously a very early version of them.
•spoilers•
scout is portrayed as a major rebel, which is not new. however, this is more of a bratty rebellion than it is little girl stubbornness rebellion. I was not a fan at all.
the severe lack of jem just makes me sad!! I'm not really sure why it was like that but it leads me to believe that the manuscript was edited in the context that mockingbird was already released. I hated the fact that there wasn't much about how jem ended up but that's whatever.
this story is also set in the idea that atticus won the Robinson case. this book was advertised as a sequel, and yet we got that?? not cool. I would've taken a "tkam story" or whatever but this is very obviously not a sequel.
atticus is also a raging racist. just gonna leave that there.
this book was really obviously published just to get more money into Lee's estate before she died. there is no way she was cohesive enough to actually consent to publish this! and knowing that watchman is an early manuscript of mockingbird, it becomes more and more clear that this had to be heavily edited to suit the idea that it was a "sequel", and that this was never meant to be seen by the public. this publication of this book was total elder abuse. her legal representative failed her and tarnished her legendary name by giving this to her publisher. the publishers failed her by editing it so heavily (to make it a sequel) that Lee's charm and control of the reader that we see so clearly in mockingbird is not there.
the entire shroud of confusion and disarray and editing and failure that hangs over this book makes it impossible to enjoy. this is not Harper Lee's.
I can go on a whole spiral about elder abuse and how Harper Lee said she never wanted to publish another book after mockingbird and was not cognitively there enough to consent to publish this in 2015, but let's just go around that. before you read this, know that this is a manuscript called watchman, which is a very very early version of mockingbird. and yet it was edited like it was to be a sequel.
this book is just blurbs and bubbles of decent ideas. it's barely cohesive. it's extremely obvious that Lee has had these characters dancing around in her head for a long time, and this is obviously a very early version of them.
•spoilers•
scout is portrayed as a major rebel, which is not new. however, this is more of a bratty rebellion than it is little girl stubbornness rebellion. I was not a fan at all.
the severe lack of jem just makes me sad!! I'm not really sure why it was like that but it leads me to believe that the manuscript was edited in the context that mockingbird was already released. I hated the fact that there wasn't much about how jem ended up but that's whatever.
this story is also set in the idea that atticus won the Robinson case. this book was advertised as a sequel, and yet we got that?? not cool. I would've taken a "tkam story" or whatever but this is very obviously not a sequel.
atticus is also a raging racist. just gonna leave that there.
this book was really obviously published just to get more money into Lee's estate before she died. there is no way she was cohesive enough to actually consent to publish this! and knowing that watchman is an early manuscript of mockingbird, it becomes more and more clear that this had to be heavily edited to suit the idea that it was a "sequel", and that this was never meant to be seen by the public. this publication of this book was total elder abuse. her legal representative failed her and tarnished her legendary name by giving this to her publisher. the publishers failed her by editing it so heavily (to make it a sequel) that Lee's charm and control of the reader that we see so clearly in mockingbird is not there.
the entire shroud of confusion and disarray and editing and failure that hangs over this book makes it impossible to enjoy. this is not Harper Lee's.
k_shanahan's review against another edition
3.0
I really don't know how to feel. I loved the flashbacks. The ending made me genuinely upset in a way books rarely do. I think the only way I can summarise how I feel is that I really appreciated the story and I value it, but also kind of wish I never read it.
I'll place it at 3 stars for now until I figure out what to do with it.
I'll place it at 3 stars for now until I figure out what to do with it.
chailady's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
elliehash's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
cloudyobservations's review against another edition
5.0
No matter what century we are in, the combination of this and To Kill Mockingbird will always have the ability to resonate with the reader so long as they are wise to the words.
tanjas_way_out's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Sexism
Minor: Sexual assault, Slavery, and War
yazpike's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75
protoman21's review against another edition
5.0
I am one of the people who counts To Kill a Mockingbird as one of my all-time favorite books, and was flabbergasted and thrilled to find out that a long lost manuscript from Harper Lee was being published after so many years. Even better, it was a prequel/sequel to Mockingbird with Scout all grown up returning home to visit the beloved Atticus Finch. This is going to be big!
In the beginning of the book, Scout comes home and that is exactly what it feels like for the reader as well. She might be called Jean Louise now, but she’s still our Scout and her feisty attitude shines through in her every interaction. You can see how her life in New York fits her and shapes her perception of her home. However, things just don’t fit exactly the way they used to and her view of the changed town is quickly reflected in the people as well.
In a way, this is the definitive coming of age story. The whole point of the novel is not to tackle racism or states’ rights or tell a cute love story, but to show how a young woman becomes her own person. In many ways, she grew up color blind, but she was also blind to see the hypocrisy in people that she loved.
Many people will see this novel as the fall of Atticus Finch, and yes, that is part of the story, but it is really the rise of Jean Louise Finch into her own person. Some will argue that one’s childhood heroes do not need to be destroyed in order for you to become your own person, but I think that Lee presents a very convincing argument that that is exactly the case. Scout comes home and despite herself, she actually is considering marrying Henry and moving back to Maycomb. She can’t let go of the past, partly because she glorifies Atticus and sees him as an example of perfect living. If he is happy in Maycomb, then how could any other place be better? But this isn’t an example of a kid kicking a dog to make it run away for its own good. Atticus sees what is happening and sits back and lets Jean Louise find her own way back to him. She rages at him and he stands his ground without diminishing her or placating her. He knows that she disagrees with him, but he doesn’t try to change her mind, he simply explains his own position and trusts her to make up her own mind and become her own woman.
I am astounded at how well timed the release of this book turned out to be. I read a lot online these days about privilege and here Lee tackles the topic over fifty years ago and it still resonates today. Jean Louise only sees Henry as an equal and doesn’t realize that he had to fight much harder for everything he has and that he has to live a cautious life and not risk making a mistake and have everything he worked for taken away from him, where she has the advantage of starting out with advantages that can’t be taken away. I appreciated this point by itself, but seen in the larger context of the novel it strengthens the rest of the story. Jean Louise is not just blind to color and class, but blind to see herself as she truly is. It is only at the end that she is able to start fresh and not just be a combination of Atticus, Jem, Calpurnia, Henry and all of Maycomb, but be her own true self.
Much of the issues relating to racism are going to be difficult to read for many people. I feel like the passage of time between when this book was written and when it was published is felt most here. What would be considered historical fiction today was written by Lee as contemporary fiction and language and attitudes that we consider shocking today was a poorly kept secret back then. Even Jean Louise says uncomfortable things while championing the equal treatment of black people. The difference being that she might comment on their current disadvantages, but she never sees that as a deficiency of character. Lee may be making a point here that longstanding ideas are hard to let go of since parents pass on their views to their children, and Atticus may not be able to change himself, but he encourages Jean Louise to break free from him and see a new world.
I urge people to read this book with an open mind. It may not be the enduring classic that To Kill a Mockingbird is, but it is a story worth telling and a chance to read another work by Lee whose use of language and smooth storytelling is right up there with the best ever.
In the beginning of the book, Scout comes home and that is exactly what it feels like for the reader as well. She might be called Jean Louise now, but she’s still our Scout and her feisty attitude shines through in her every interaction. You can see how her life in New York fits her and shapes her perception of her home. However, things just don’t fit exactly the way they used to and her view of the changed town is quickly reflected in the people as well.
In a way, this is the definitive coming of age story. The whole point of the novel is not to tackle racism or states’ rights or tell a cute love story, but to show how a young woman becomes her own person. In many ways, she grew up color blind, but she was also blind to see the hypocrisy in people that she loved.
Many people will see this novel as the fall of Atticus Finch, and yes, that is part of the story, but it is really the rise of Jean Louise Finch into her own person. Some will argue that one’s childhood heroes do not need to be destroyed in order for you to become your own person, but I think that Lee presents a very convincing argument that that is exactly the case. Scout comes home and despite herself, she actually is considering marrying Henry and moving back to Maycomb. She can’t let go of the past, partly because she glorifies Atticus and sees him as an example of perfect living. If he is happy in Maycomb, then how could any other place be better? But this isn’t an example of a kid kicking a dog to make it run away for its own good. Atticus sees what is happening and sits back and lets Jean Louise find her own way back to him. She rages at him and he stands his ground without diminishing her or placating her. He knows that she disagrees with him, but he doesn’t try to change her mind, he simply explains his own position and trusts her to make up her own mind and become her own woman.
I am astounded at how well timed the release of this book turned out to be. I read a lot online these days about privilege and here Lee tackles the topic over fifty years ago and it still resonates today. Jean Louise only sees Henry as an equal and doesn’t realize that he had to fight much harder for everything he has and that he has to live a cautious life and not risk making a mistake and have everything he worked for taken away from him, where she has the advantage of starting out with advantages that can’t be taken away. I appreciated this point by itself, but seen in the larger context of the novel it strengthens the rest of the story. Jean Louise is not just blind to color and class, but blind to see herself as she truly is. It is only at the end that she is able to start fresh and not just be a combination of Atticus, Jem, Calpurnia, Henry and all of Maycomb, but be her own true self.
Much of the issues relating to racism are going to be difficult to read for many people. I feel like the passage of time between when this book was written and when it was published is felt most here. What would be considered historical fiction today was written by Lee as contemporary fiction and language and attitudes that we consider shocking today was a poorly kept secret back then. Even Jean Louise says uncomfortable things while championing the equal treatment of black people. The difference being that she might comment on their current disadvantages, but she never sees that as a deficiency of character. Lee may be making a point here that longstanding ideas are hard to let go of since parents pass on their views to their children, and Atticus may not be able to change himself, but he encourages Jean Louise to break free from him and see a new world.
I urge people to read this book with an open mind. It may not be the enduring classic that To Kill a Mockingbird is, but it is a story worth telling and a chance to read another work by Lee whose use of language and smooth storytelling is right up there with the best ever.
zygomatic's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I don't mind that an old white man hides his racism and hate of the federal government from his children, though I understand why many people would hate what is done with an iconic character from a classic novel. But often liberals are deeply racist and want change only if it doesn't inconvenience them, and conservatives are openly racist and want no change. So the characters make sense, though Atticus's perspectives as laid out on the page are pretty weak and very annoying to consider. Jean-Louise's conversations with her father and uncle are tiresome and there's not enough pushback considering the blow-up at the end of the novel, including some physical violence. I don't like these characters, but the story moves along and there are some very funny lines.
The scene about interracial marriage, and how slaveowners having children with their slaves via force was fine, but low-class whites and blacks getting together now needs laws to prevent it...the whole thought process to make up these excuses is exhausting and outrageous to follow, but fascinating to read about and hilarious because of how absurd these beliefs/conversations are.
Reese Witherspoon reads the audiobook version and does a great job.
Not a book I would want to read again. Just okay overall.
The scene about interracial marriage, and how slaveowners having children with their slaves via force was fine, but low-class whites and blacks getting together now needs laws to prevent it...the whole thought process to make up these excuses is exhausting and outrageous to follow, but fascinating to read about and hilarious because of how absurd these beliefs/conversations are.
Reese Witherspoon reads the audiobook version and does a great job.
Not a book I would want to read again. Just okay overall.