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katewhite77's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Told over two years through the eyes of three children who are part of a close-knit neighbourhood in Alabama in the early 1930s.
The novel opens by introducing a bit of neighbourhood legend, which helps set the scene and how socially conservative the community really is.
Aticus Finch, single Dad to Gem and Scout, two of the aforementioned children, is a progressive parent and lawyer, which becomes more and more important as we move the novel.
The absolute genius of this novel ìs that it is told through the eyes of three ìnocet children as it drives home to the reader quite how ridiculous the adult world can be sometimes.
It's funny as I was pretty sure I had read this book as a teenager and I remembered the beginning but there was a large swathe of the plot I had completely forgotten, so much so that I assumed I must not have finished the book but then I remembered the end, so I must have completed it.
I can imagine teenage me not really appreciating the more nuanced aspects of the plot, particularly when it came to Atticus' willingness not to follow the conversations of the time. So, I am really glad I read it again as an adult.
I think this really deserves its classic status.
Moderate: Rape, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Colonisation, Grief, Classism, Physical abuse, Addiction, Terminal illness, Racism, Racial slurs, and Violence
pianokeys's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Infidelity, Sexual content, War, Death, Grief, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Stalking, Suicide, Violence, Rape, Mental illness, and Bullying
dionysius_miller's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Violence, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Murder, Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Alcoholism
Minor: Classism and Police brutality
alexandra4's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Rape and Violence
beaniebabyidiot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Violence and Sexual violence
Minor: Antisemitism
mdal26's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Racism, Classism, Racial slurs, Violence, Rape, Physical abuse, and Hate crime
ellaz2008'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, and Racism
Minor: Death of parent
zara89's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, War, Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Bullying
Minor: Genocide
taulkstoomuch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I've always heard of this book as a 'classic' and a 'must-read', so I (as one would) assumed that it was one of those books that had to be read to truly understand the black experience during the 1930s. Much to my surprise, the author is a white woman; maybe this was the reason that it took me so long to get around to read it.
Not only this, but the choice to write a story regarding the mistreatment of black people through the perspective of a young white girl, one that is so naive to all the happenings of her society, was an odd one. It feels like a convenient mechanism to make the audience forget that Scout's family, hence white poeple, would undoubtedly benefit from their environment at the time, and even now. The story reeks of white saviour complex - are we supposed to be proud of Atticus for standing up for the right of black people? It is his job as a lawyer, but also a person to instill those morals into his children. Expecting a commendation for such a basic moral code (being the best out of a bad (incredibly racist) bunch) seems odd, so I feel unjust in rating this book anything higher than I have.
Subject matter aside, I found the book to be quite dull in general. I felt like it dragged through the first half in the name of character building. It took me a long time to get through the book because of the writing, and I was listening to it in audiobook (let's not even talk about the language and how uncomfortable it made me to listen to a white narrator say slurs over and over again).
That is not to say that this book doesn't have any positives. I can appreciate that it is a classic and highly revered within the education system. It does bring into question why this, out of all the others books on racism, is the classic. There are so many beautiful(-lly depressing) books about the experiences of black people during this era, written by black people themselves. Perhaps we should be highlighting those experiences and reading books by them to have a more accurate view of history.
Graphic: Racism, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Murder and Violence
ponk_33's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Police brutality, Bullying, Racism, Racial slurs, Hate crime, and Violence