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hollywollydoodle's review against another edition
4.0
I understand this was a "draft" and a nevershouldabeen. I couldn't help but enjoy it, though. "Watchman" could've evolved down a number of plot line paths, but it didn't. I'm ok with that, having entered into it knowing what it was. I didn't set myself up for disappointment. I was able to sit back and enjoy it.
It is a work from the same brilliant mind that created "Mockingbird" and in the same universe, but for some reason I'm able to compartmentalize he two. It didn't ruin anything for me or throw salt in any wounds. I found it interesting to see where the ideas for the icons began.
It is a work from the same brilliant mind that created "Mockingbird" and in the same universe, but for some reason I'm able to compartmentalize he two. It didn't ruin anything for me or throw salt in any wounds. I found it interesting to see where the ideas for the icons began.
kittykate99's review against another edition
3.0
Perhaps because of the timing of when I read this, after Freeman and White Rage, I can be more accepting of Atticus Finch as a racist than most who don't want to spoil their memories of him from To Kill A Mockingbird. If you look at it from the perspective of a man who loved the law, but existed in a society that never accepted black humans as anything other than less than, you can see how this would be the norm for Atticus, even as Jean Louise rages against him and everyone in her hometown twenty years later when she returns and realized who her father actually is. And I can also understand why Harper Lee's editors rejected this as her first novel and encouraged her to take a piece of it and write it from a different perspective that made a man the hero and the girl a hero worshiping minor character - she did write this novel in the 1950s after all. I don't think this book mars Lee's legacy, I just wish that she could have written more of what she wanted instead of being hamstrung by the success of TKAM.
hmicheles's review against another edition
A couple years ago I gave myself permission to put down a book and never pick it up again if it didn't grab me after 100 pages or so. I invoked my self made rule on this book. Clearly this was never meant to be published and maybe I'm missing the "creative process" other reviews have cited in liking this book. However, the run on sentences, choppy story line and flat characters had me thinking this book should have stayed in the creative process rather than be published.
riley157's review against another edition
5.0
What I love about this book was how Scout's perspective has changed now that she is older. We can now see Atticus in a new way-- not just through the admiring gaze of his very young daughter. Scout reflects on who she is, how her identity is separate from that of her father, and how Macomb has shaped her. I enjoyed getting new perspective on the beloved characters from To Kill a Mockingbird.
mrcharlie65's review against another edition
4.0
Well, having read this 6 years after it was published, I knew that many folks had issues with this novel. I have to admit, I felt fairly confused as I was reading it. When was this written? I kept looking up information on Harper Lee, as well as the story behind this book being published. Unfortunately, this book feels like it could be written about 2021, as far as the racial issues that it deals with. If nothing else, it makes me want to continue avoiding the south as much as possible.
I gave the book 4 stars mostly for the ending, which at first I did not care for, but realized that during the final chapter, maybe there can be hope. Somehow love was the final message. Ok, That's all part of the bigger concept.
I gave the book 4 stars mostly for the ending, which at first I did not care for, but realized that during the final chapter, maybe there can be hope. Somehow love was the final message. Ok, That's all part of the bigger concept.
justincraig's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating, devastating and wonderful. People who refuse to read this do a disservice to Scout's journey. Lee captured what it's like to revisit your childhood home for the first time as an adult. And the people -- family included -- are not always as pleasant as once remembered.
tiepig's review against another edition
5.0
I know there is a lot of controversy about whether it was right or wrong to publish this book. I don't really agree with the potential violation of Harper Lee's artistic integrity, but at the same time, I'm really glad it was published.
I felt that it was an incredibly powerful story with a message every bit as valuable as To Kill a Mockingbird. Put together, the two books deliver a gut punching insight into the nature of people and society.
It also really emphasises how much of a shame it is that Harper Lee didn't write more. Her characters felt incredibly real to me, and I was gripped by the conversations between them.
I was listening to the audiobook read by Reese Witherspoon, which was of perfect quality.
I felt that it was an incredibly powerful story with a message every bit as valuable as To Kill a Mockingbird. Put together, the two books deliver a gut punching insight into the nature of people and society.
It also really emphasises how much of a shame it is that Harper Lee didn't write more. Her characters felt incredibly real to me, and I was gripped by the conversations between them.
I was listening to the audiobook read by Reese Witherspoon, which was of perfect quality.
elrobhubbard's review against another edition
4.0
For a book with a huge obstacle in front of it - TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - it largely succeeds on its own terms and despite the butt-hurt cries of those pissed off that Lee didn't write MOCKINGBIRD 2. In fact, the reaction make clear why Lee's editor, after reading this draft - WATCHMAN is supposedly the original draft of what became MOCKINGBIRD - advised her to retool the book to a tale of the main character's childhood, set in the past and not in the contemporary. It's oddly fitting that WATCHMAN seems very contemporary despite now being set in Our Past - MOCKINGBIRD is nostalgia, and ends well with 2 little White kids saved from a murderous racist (although the Black character dies ignobly offscreen after a noble trial, of course) and a nice warm glow is had by all. WATCHMAN throws nostalgia under the bus and rubs the reader's face in the uncomfortable reality, and ends on a far more ambiguous note - considering current events, it seems perfectly timed to address The State Of Things Now.
Yeah, it ain't MOCKINGBIRD - Jem's dead and Atticus eventually turns out to be all too human and flawed and not the Gregory Peck Pillar-Of-Virtue he was in the previous book - and "Nigger" is thrown around, although within proper context and true to the time period.
Deal With It.
Yeah, it ain't MOCKINGBIRD - Jem's dead and Atticus eventually turns out to be all too human and flawed and not the Gregory Peck Pillar-Of-Virtue he was in the previous book - and "Nigger" is thrown around, although within proper context and true to the time period.
Deal With It.
kpreble1975's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved this book and literally had to force myself to put it down. Harper Lee's work was fantastic, and she is really such an amazing writer. Her ability to capture and describe the psychological states and feelings of her characters is pure genius. I liked this book better than "To Kill A Mockingbird" because of its honesty and edge.
I would advise people who haven't yet read it to avoid reading reviews online and to ignore comments that people are making at Atticus being "racist" - pick up the book and judge it for yourself. I don't think that you will be disappointed.
I would advise people who haven't yet read it to avoid reading reviews online and to ignore comments that people are making at Atticus being "racist" - pick up the book and judge it for yourself. I don't think that you will be disappointed.
oracleofdusk's review against another edition
So I know I'm a little late to the game, but given the controversy surrounding this book, I thought the best thing I could do was buy the book used and not directly contribute to whatever led to this book published. Am I talking about the subject matter? Nope. I mean there was some uncertainty (for lack of a better word) about whether or not Harper Lee wanted this book published. Given that time has not been kind to her, it is possible that those who are now taking care of her took advantage of that power.
Is this relevant to the review? A little bit.
In some ways, you can tell this book is still in the rough and that Harper Lee wasn't in a position to properly edit it. There are some sort of inconsistencies between the two books. (Like the one case Jean Louise discusses... Is that suppose to be the case in TKM? It could have been, but I don't know). There are some things that could have been changed to better match the two books, and these are minute details. Hence the above concern. Obviously, Harper Lee might not be able to edit but could still want it publish.
Thematically, the book is good, and I think it stands as a good sequel/prequel. Reality is complex, and I think the difference between these two accounts testifies to that. I think one's understanding of the book is going to depend greatly on their relationship with the original.
I think it's worth reading, but I struggle to actively recommend it. Sure, when an author passes away, anything they leave behind becomes fair game, and this would have come out regardless. Still, this whole situation does not sit well with me.
Is this relevant to the review? A little bit.
In some ways, you can tell this book is still in the rough and that Harper Lee wasn't in a position to properly edit it. There are some sort of inconsistencies between the two books. (Like the one case Jean Louise discusses... Is that suppose to be the case in TKM? It could have been, but I don't know). There are some things that could have been changed to better match the two books, and these are minute details. Hence the above concern. Obviously, Harper Lee might not be able to edit but could still want it publish.
Thematically, the book is good, and I think it stands as a good sequel/prequel. Reality is complex, and I think the difference between these two accounts testifies to that. I think one's understanding of the book is going to depend greatly on their relationship with the original.
I think it's worth reading, but I struggle to actively recommend it. Sure, when an author passes away, anything they leave behind becomes fair game, and this would have come out regardless. Still, this whole situation does not sit well with me.