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3.21 AVERAGE
3.21 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ok. I joined the bandwagon and read this after the first chapter release in the WSJ.
I kept reading to figure out - what's the deal? This is definitely a different Harper Lee. Or is it?
Then, the bomb dropped and I just kept getting mad and highlighting sections like "Really?"
And then, I was sitting on a place boo-hooing and looking for tissues. WOW!
That was amazing. Disturbing. Frustrating. Humiliating. Humbling. Eye-opening.
I think there's a WSJ online book club discussion, and I can't wait to jump into that or read it in one of my other book clubs.
It felt like a "crash" movie that just pissed me off enough to want to talk about it. Any author who can get under my skin that much gets at least 4 stars.
It's not TKAM. I don't feel good or hopeful about America after reading that. It is a confirmation, however, that it is HARD to change generations of hatred, fear, and "this is just who I am"-isms.
I kept reading to figure out - what's the deal? This is definitely a different Harper Lee. Or is it?
Then, the bomb dropped and I just kept getting mad and highlighting sections like "Really?"
And then, I was sitting on a place boo-hooing and looking for tissues. WOW!
That was amazing. Disturbing. Frustrating. Humiliating. Humbling. Eye-opening.
I think there's a WSJ online book club discussion, and I can't wait to jump into that or read it in one of my other book clubs.
It felt like a "crash" movie that just pissed me off enough to want to talk about it. Any author who can get under my skin that much gets at least 4 stars.
It's not TKAM. I don't feel good or hopeful about America after reading that. It is a confirmation, however, that it is HARD to change generations of hatred, fear, and "this is just who I am"-isms.
For some, this will undoubtedly fall short of To Kill a Mockingbird. However, it is a fitting continuation of Scout Finch's story. It realistically shows what we all go through - realizing our parents are just human and realizing the true nature of the people around us. It deals with themes such as racism, the loss of innocence, disillusionment, morality and identity.
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
I graded on a curve because I love the characters and I love sequels. This book felt unfinished and maybe even hurried but when you realize it was a first draft (predating To Kill A Mockingbird) and that she didn’t do revisions before publishing, that makes sense. I would have liked more and I would have liked an ending that maybe gave us a glimpse down the road. This clearly wasn’t as good as Mockingbird where we got Scout’s growing up along with the trial and all that went with that. This book was all about Scout figuring out that Atticus was human and imperfect. All that said, I’m glad I read it.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
With this being the "rough draft" of "To Kill a Mockingbird," it is surprisingly very good. However, I am really glad that Harper Lee decided to change practically everything in this novel when she wrote "To Kill a Mockingbird." This novel essentially lacks a plot, however, it still has the ingenious character development that Harper Lee uses. With Atticus being my hero in "To Kill a Mockingbird," this broke my heart. It was just different and the lack of plot made it very confusing in some parts. I am glad that this novel was published so I could read it (because I really did enjoy it, as it told another story in Maycomb); however, it is not, and will never be "To Kill a Mockingbird."
Definitely shouldve left it alone after the first book! Felt like whole second book undermined the firstt one and i was frustrating to get thru.
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked the flashbacks of her life. The ‚present‘ storyline was rather confusing and the ending got really intense!
2.75 stars
WHY was this book separated into SEVEN parts as well as separated into chapters?? There was absolutely no reason for this.
First all of all, I must note the aesthetic of the book itself. The paper used with the deckle edges is top notch. Bravo to that. The story on the inside...ehh...? It has come to my understanding that this was a rough draft of sorts for 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (TKAM) and while there are a few parallels, they are very different. 'Go Set a Watchman' doesn't give you the feel of Maycomb like TKAM does. While this is set years after TKAM and does note what is going on within the town, it just doesn't really make you feel it.
I found the first half of this book to be absolutely pointless. It didn't really build on any of the characters and contained a few events that rendered no meaning to the rest of the book. Shortly after the half-way point it starts to get a bit more interesting. I found the last forty pages to be the most interesting of the book. I greatly admire that Scout spoke her mind to her father about her stance on how she sees the world and question why human knowledge of right and wrong is such a burden.
There are a few parts of this book I think would have just made a good novella if it were cleaned up and not choppy because a lot of the book just doesn't make for an interesting story.
WHY was this book separated into SEVEN parts as well as separated into chapters?? There was absolutely no reason for this.
First all of all, I must note the aesthetic of the book itself. The paper used with the deckle edges is top notch. Bravo to that. The story on the inside...ehh...? It has come to my understanding that this was a rough draft of sorts for 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (TKAM) and while there are a few parallels, they are very different. 'Go Set a Watchman' doesn't give you the feel of Maycomb like TKAM does. While this is set years after TKAM and does note what is going on within the town, it just doesn't really make you feel it.
I found the first half of this book to be absolutely pointless. It didn't really build on any of the characters and contained a few events that rendered no meaning to the rest of the book. Shortly after the half-way point it starts to get a bit more interesting. I found the last forty pages to be the most interesting of the book. I greatly admire that Scout spoke her mind to her father about her stance on how she sees the world and question why human knowledge of right and wrong is such a burden.
There are a few parts of this book I think would have just made a good novella if it were cleaned up and not choppy because a lot of the book just doesn't make for an interesting story.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really didn't know what to expect from this. It was interesting to revisit a world with characters that are so iconic in the English-language canon. It definitely isn't as groundbreaking as the first in the series. But it never could be. I'd say it's worth reading anyway, though.