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eedle_cacleberry's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Ableism, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Rape, and Child abuse
mulders's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
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? No
4.5
Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.
Reviewing a classic always feels silly and a little presumptive— what could I possibly have to say about a book that's been made required reading in every other school in America? Of course it's well written, and sharp in its assessments, and deliberate in its portrayals. So I will forgo the redundant appraisal of the book's effectiveness in its political goals and go straight to the heart of it: its main character, Scout. What spoke to me most was not the story itself, (however well done, and it was), but the way it was told. Harper Lee has an unbelievable gift for writing children. Despite growing up decades and continents apart, Scout's narration felt so familiar, so precise, so real; it captured the logic and dreams of childhood expertly, and made the events of the book feel tangible. As our little hero navigates the ever shifting world of adults, politics and secrets and double-talk, so do we have to read between the lines to harvest from this book everything it has to offer. I would have loved to read this as a kid to have a point of comparison, but even having only read it as an adult, I could tell just how well done this was. Every detail was exactly as it should have been, and I am in awe of the attention a work this intricate must have required, and received.
There are a few points I feel the book deserves praise for, other than the obvious, the main one being Scout's worries about growing up and joining the world of ladies. So strange and separate to her from the world of her father and brother, the two people she holds dearest and looks up to most, this struggle and its portrayal really struck me: the feeling of betrayal at being referred to as a "girl", therefore othered, the depiction of impending womanhood as "starched walls of a pink cotton penitentiary closing in” from which she wishes to run away. The push and pull of wanting to be taken seriously and be respected, on the one hand by Jem and her peers, and on the other, her aunt and the town's women: how is she meant to all at once be not-a-girl, and a lady? "Preserving polite fiction at the expense of human life,” is how Atticus described it, and to this day, he could not have been more right.
Her respective relationships with Jem and Atticus gripped my heart from their introduction and have not loosened their hold even now. The closest I came to tears while reading this book (which happened multiple times, including during that fated trial) was at those simple displays of Atticus's fatherly love, so quiet in their fierceness. Jem and Scout's relationship too feels wonderfully special, how he'll refer to them as "Scount'n'me", one unit, how through his coming of age and search for adulthood and independence he always returns to help and protect his little sister, and she in turn is more loyal to him than to anyone. I felt affection, sympathy and understanding for even Jem's biggest mistakes as if I were Scout herself, and revered and admired Atticus as if I were one of his own children. That is just how solid Harper Lee's writing is— whatever she said, I felt.
This extends even to Scout's relationship with Dill, a character which takes inspiration from Truman Capote, Lee's childhood friend and one of the only authors I know to share her particular writing talents. I could not get enough of this insight into a figure I so adore, and Lee did not disappoint. There will never be a more charming and fitting description of his nature than the one she gave: "He could read two books to my one, but he preferred the magic of his own inventions. He could add and subtract faster than lightning, but he preferred his own twilight world, a world where babies slept, waiting to be gathered like morning lilies.” God, these beautiful minds.
The bottom line is, To Kill A Mockingbird is a truly, in every sense of the words, good book. I'm glad I read it, and I guess I owe my thanks to Pretty Little Liars for inspiring me to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Death
Minor: Incest, Animal death, Murder, Rape, and Child abuse
asimpson7's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Such an interesting read. It really makes you think about how it would be like to live in that time. As I could not imagine thinking people who aren’t white are not equal to me. I know non-whites still face racism today. But to think of how they were treated back then is just awful. But I liked that Jen, Dill and Scout all thought it was wrong what they were doing to Tom Robinson. It shows childhood innocence and that people are taught to be racist they aren’t born that way, and because their father hadn’t raised them to be they weren’t.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Classism, Murder, Sexual assault, Racism, Racial slurs, Fire/Fire injury, and Incest
Moderate: Physical abuse, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Gun violence, Death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Genocide, and Bullying
vibingjaren's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.0
A beautifully written book. I was assigned to read it for my English class, and I was amazed to how much I ended up liking it. The beginning was a little slow, but after it got really good. I especially love the writing of Boo Radley and Scout.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence, Child abuse, Classism, Racism, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Racial slurs, Cursing, Death, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Stalking
themadbloodstone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is another reread for me and it is still as good and adorable and powerful as I remember. The themes still hold up to this day and Scout Finch is an iconic female character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Death, Animal death, Rape, Child abuse, and Misogyny
Minor: Incest
tessbookcorner's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Child abuse
Moderate: Mental illness
gloria_zeee's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Read for school, now one of my favorite books
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence and Alcoholism
Minor: Classism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Animal death
calicat42's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Rape, Gaslighting, Violence, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Racism, Sexism, Hate crime, and Murder
pabi's review
dark
funny
informative
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Blood, Classism, Racism, Rape, and Stalking
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Addiction
elspethmigliore's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i usually wouldn’t find myself rating a book i read for school so high, but i think this story deserves it.
there’s so many layers to this story and so much to unpack, so i’ll just say that i genuinely enjoyed it. i know it’s controversial, but i really did like it. i laughed and cried and i think it was very reflective in many ways. the character development was incredible, but also i guess that’s the point of the story. the way scout reflects on her story at the end from a different perspective gave me a very strong sense of completeness. i’m sad after reading this, but also i feel ready to go into my english class tomorrow and reflect on it.
definitely a reread ✅
there’s so many layers to this story and so much to unpack, so i’ll just say that i genuinely enjoyed it. i know it’s controversial, but i really did like it. i laughed and cried and i think it was very reflective in many ways. the character development was incredible, but also i guess that’s the point of the story. the way scout reflects on her story at the end from a different perspective gave me a very strong sense of completeness. i’m sad after reading this, but also i feel ready to go into my english class tomorrow and reflect on it.
definitely a reread ✅
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Cursing, Bullying, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Classism, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Grief, Death, and Suicide
Minor: Violence, Sexual content, Sexism, Addiction, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Child abuse