plusverb 's review for:

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

4.25

adventurous emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Lee's beautiful prose and poeticism and her lovely, lively characterization are only overshadowed by her occasionally patronizing accounts of several Black characters and glossing over of several characters' casual cruelty. Atticus Finch is the most well drawn character though he is not perfect by any means, but Lee does a good job of showing him through the POV of his 8yo daughter, who thinks he is, and then lets you judge for yourself. I listened to this on audiobook and hearing so many racial slurs over and over was deeply uncomfortable, but maybe that was the point. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Vomit, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Dementia, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Gun violence, Rape, Death of parent, Gaslighting