Harper Lee is no longer a one-hit wonder. Fifty years after the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird, the long-anticipated sequel Go Set a Watchman is available in bookstores.
Was the fifty-year wait worth it? So far, the book has received mixed feelings from critics and readers alike.
The sequel has been labeled a poor stand-alone, that it would not have even been published if not for TKAM. On the flipside, it’s also been praised for being more ambitious.
I’m not in a hurry to read it, but I want to know your thoughts. Please take the poll or comment below. Let me know what you think.
Advertisements
I suspect I will because I think my book club will choose it. It will be the topic of many discussions, I’m sure.
Let me know what you think. You should post your discussions. Could be a good blog post.
I’m unsure. I did enjoy the first one when I read it in high school. There’s just something odd about the release of this book. Maybe I’ve just read too many conspiracy theories though.
I don’t know how I made it through high school and college without reading To Kill A Mockingbird – I’ve always planned to read it, so maybe I’ll get to it someday, then think about Go Set A Watchman.
This would be a good time–that is if you want to buy it. Probably impossible to find in the library right now.
We have a copy here – both my sons had to read it in high school. I have no excuses!
haha! no, you don’t
I have mixed feelings about this one. First, I think it’s actually supposed to be a “prequel” not a “sequel” in that the events take place before TKMB. Second, I’ve heard that Harper Lee has some form of dementia and was possibly coerced by relatives to release her pre-book scribblings… which is why it doesn’t quite fit with what we know of the character Atticus Finch. Lee wouldn’t have been able to do any kind of editing prior to publication and if she wanted it published she would have released it well before now. That’s what I’ve heard in the rumor mill anyway.
I must be one of the very few people in the world who hasn’t even read the first one yet!
I read it in College. I can’t remember if I read it in High school. I didn’t love the first book. I really liked the character Scout, but I thought it was boring, probably because it had a courtroom scene,and i hate courtroom scenes in movies and books–and real life for that matter.
Well that is doing nothing to persuade me to read it, lol!
If you are a passionate fan of To Kill a Mockingbird you will be able to fully appreciate Go Set a Watchman, unfortunately the bad reviews that have been saturating the media have been focused on a small part of what the book is. As in To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee bases this book on the childhood and the personality of Jean Louse Finch, give this book a chance and you will see the humor in the book, you will be going through Scout’s emotions of childhood confusion, anger, disappointment, sadness and overall love. Such a great novel and I ask all to PLEASE IGNORE WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD IN THE MEDIA – Regardless of how the book as come to be, as a die hard To Kill a Mockingbird fan I feel better for having red this book.
I’m planning to read it. Especially given Martin’s recommendation :b
For an interesting review, read http://www.npr.org/2015/07/13/422545987/harper-lees-watchman-is-a-mess-that-makes-us-reconsider-a-masterpiece
I will check that out.