Reviews

Go Set a Watchman: Harper Lee's sensational lost novel by Harper Lee

emo_erudite's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

sarahtribble's review against another edition

5.0

Full review: http://thesepapertowns.blogspot.com/2015/08/go-set-watchman-by-harper-lee-2015.html

I did not think that Go Set a Watchman would be a coming-of-age story, and I did not think coming-of-age stories could be written about twenty-eight-year-olds, so Harper Lee's second book in fifty-five years surprised me to no end, because it's the most cutting-edge -- and cut throat -- coming-of-age story I've read since The Perks of Being a Wallflower. A lot of people are giving Go Set a Watchman bad reviews -- if you've read it already, you'll know why -- but I couldn't help but love every second of this sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird. Like its predecessor, GSaW is smart and fun and witty and oh so potent with its social commentary, but with the added advantage of hardcore nostalgia: those of us who never thought we'd ever see Maycomb again can revel in how it is exactly the same, but also entirely different, for better or for worse. In short: I'll stand by you, Harper Lee, even when the rest of the world stands against us. I missed Jean Louise Finch too much to write you off, but even without the nostalgia, Go Set a Watchman earned from me five stars that I feel are well-deserved.

nikla88's review against another edition

3.0

Mi è difficile scrivere una recensione di questo libro perchè credo di non averlo capito a fondo, forse dovrei rileggerlo.
Mi spiego meglio, la prima parte l'ho trovata confusionaria, non capivo bene il messaggio/i che l'autore cercava di trasmettere, era molto lento, tornava spesso a ritornare sugli stessi passi e poi non ho apprezzato le decine di citazioni ad autori per me sconosciuti, forse perchè sono europea? Boh.

Ha ripreso ritmo e un obiettivo più chiaro nei capitoli in cui Scout ripensava a vari momenti del suo passato da ragazzina delle scuole superiore, lì ho riconosciuto il modo di scrivere e i personaggi de "el buio oltre la siepe". Il finale non è stato da meno, finalmente era chiaro il titolo e lo scopo del libro, ma che fatica arrivarci.

carrieshep's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

jennifer_k's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

2.0

toastybean's review against another edition

4.0

This did not feel like Harper Lee's writing to me. It was very hard for me to read about these characters I've known and loved for years while they seemed like total strangers. There were some quotes I found myself highlighting and some messaging that is important - I just couldn't find myself getting emotionally invested.

thereadingrunnner's review against another edition

2.0

This was difficult to read - it took a while to really get going on the story/plot and even then, there were long, boring interludes in the middle of the story. I felt like there was no real character development - Jean Louise is "sort of" a strong women, but then disappoints in the end where I felt she took a step backwards. I felt Atticus and Hank were both kind of pathetic, follow the crowd characters and I didn't feel the real connection between any of the characters even though the end talks about how Jean Louise and here father were "like one" until she realizes their differences. Just didn't feel that was the case.

wordsfromvictoria's review against another edition

3.0

A literary curiosity and nothing more. If it wasn't set in the 1950s, the sub-title could easily be "Angry Millenial Spends Her Vacation With Racist Boomer Dad". On the eve of the 2020s, we probably don't need another white person talking or writing about race. I enjoyed Lee's characterisation as always but not an awful lot happens in this book. Don't feel obliged to read it.

casebounder's review against another edition

3.0

Sigh.

I did really enjoy the aspects of returning to a childhood home after gaining some maturity and disillusionment. This definitely speaks to me at this point in my life. Going home can be disorienting and odd in so many ways (how did these countertops get so short?), and then you remember you're still not done growing, understanding, and changing.

However - sadly - GSaW reads mostly as fan fiction. Or like a short story that doesn't give you all the background information you're curious about. The book relies so heavily on TKaM for it's depth of characters that it feels terribly incomplete. The racial ideologies in the book are so outdated, I can't help but question the editor who claimed the document barely needed editing.

To that end, the racism. Oy. Our hero is to be applauded because she's not as vitriolically racist as other characters. Atticus is still a good (and finally imperfect) man because he will follow the law, despite his deep racism. Lee's outdated 1950's views on African Americans have been bizarrely preserved for 2015 readers hungry for more of the same feel-good justice found in TKaM (or The Help, or Remember the Titans, or The Blind Side...). Those readers will be disappointed. And I'm afraid this whole business has marred a legacy that, while flawed, had true social impact in the US.

daisyinthebooks's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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

3.25