Reviews

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

vaekay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

1.0

I have read To Kill a Mockingbird numerous times, but none since 2018 — when I was 16. The first time I ever tried reading it was when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old. I remember my family telling me that it is a classic, and I also remember feeling very scared by what I was reading at that time. I tried reading through it a few more times over the years until I was forced to get through it for my sophomore year English class. I liked it at the time, and luckily I had an instructor who highlighted all of the inaccuracies within the text and gave us further education on what racism actually looked like at the time. I think my reading of the text (as well as my review of it on Goodreads) was transformed by what she had said to us and her framing of what I imagine must have been mandatory reading... I had thought it was good. Now, as an adult and as someone who has reflected more on To Kill a Mockingbird and its social and cultural impact, I have come to the realization that it has been extremely damaging. It is well-written and the characters are good, developed characters. My issue is mostly with the inaccuracies, the White Knight syndrome, and the glossing over of race relations and racism in the United States at the time. Many will look at this book as an accurate depiction of the time, and it wasn't. It was worse than this. Not to mention, again, the overly abundant White Knight syndrome — literally White Knight.

elladipi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

kngregory's review against another edition

4.0

4.4 stars

Like most high school students, I was given the assignment to read this book for my freshmen English Honors class.

I feel like if it wasn't an assignment, I wasn't crunched for time, and I had time to really listen and break down this book, I would have loved it so much more than I did.

Let me be blunt, I hated the beginning.
I hated reading almost every part except for the parts that actually mattered. I thought it was overly detailed for insignificant parts and the important parts were under described and as a fellow writer, it frustrated me. I likes how I was given free rein to figure the rest out on my own however for this book, that just didn't work for me and it annoyed the crap out of me.

I didn't like Scouts character in the beginning either. However, I compliment Harper Lee's character development. I also must give her credit for her over descriptive antics. However much I hated them in the beginning, they were beautifully written.

Now to the middle and end. Oh my god.
This book.
The end of this book, broke my heart, mended it, and made a fire light inside of me all at once. I loved Boo, Jem, and Scout in the end. I loved the trial, and I think it made up for my distaste for the beginning.
This is a beautiful piece of literature and I will care Atticus and this book through my heart forever.

markopdx's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

myassisreading's review against another edition

4.0

My core memory of this book when I read it in school was then a few black kids felt uncomfortable with my white teacher saying the n word but she refused to stop saying it lmao

greevianguy's review against another edition

5.0

I loved Atticus and Scout. Though slice-of-life stuff isn't my favorite, in this case I really enjoyed reading about their lives back then. It also doesn't get in the way of a dramatic plot, which many slice-of-life stories do.

asc1006's review against another edition

5.0

This is one of the most amazing books I've ever had the honour to read. I know a lot of people consider this a masterpiece so my opinion is not new, but I can't help but be awed by the writing technique, the development of the story and the teaching behind it. While reading it I've grown fond of the characters and I started to feel close to them. This book has made me feel at home everywhere a I was.

ervyherself's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

r4nch_mp3's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

becky_mercer93's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75