Scan barcode
A review by _cecilie_
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.0
Contrary to popular opinion and my own expectations, I liked this novel a lot and thought it very well done. Yes sure, the childhood memory vignettes are mosaic and Scout is a little thick at times, seeming quite a bit younger than 26 but in my experience many people are prone to idealizing and idolizing well past their childhood.
I liked the other characters as well, they were incredibly believable, especially the whole strange Finch family. This book scratched an itch that it's predecessor just couldn't. Both are very emotionally honest and rightfully expect that the reader will connect to Scout and since I was neither a child nor an American I liked 'Mockingbird' just fine but I related much more to the young adult version of Scout who returns home and grows disillusioned with her father whom she worshipped growing up. The conflicting and complex portrayal of Atticus Finch was the central theme of this novel and I found Scout‘s relationship with him and her deeper understanding of him as a person and his flaws didn't take away from his characterization in Book One but instead showed him as a person not a idolised version of himself. You could say, since reading 'Mockingbird' and seeing him as the only good apple in a full fruit basket I waited for the other shoe to drop and when it dropped I was satisfied and even relieved.
Lastly, and this is just my theory, I think the overall negative reception of this novel in a way proves its merits: The average reader of this is probably quite nostalgic and loves Atticus Finch but in this novel they are forced to live through the same disappointment and anger Scout feels when she finally gets to know her father, not as a just hero but a flawed man. There's a mourning in growing up but also necessity.
I liked the other characters as well, they were incredibly believable, especially the whole strange Finch family. This book scratched an itch that it's predecessor just couldn't. Both are very emotionally honest and rightfully expect that the reader will connect to Scout and since I was neither a child nor an American I liked 'Mockingbird' just fine but I related much more to the young adult version of Scout who returns home and grows disillusioned with her father whom she worshipped growing up. The conflicting and complex portrayal of Atticus Finch was the central theme of this novel and I found Scout‘s relationship with him and her deeper understanding of him as a person and his flaws didn't take away from his characterization in Book One but instead showed him as a person not a idolised version of himself. You could say, since reading 'Mockingbird' and seeing him as the only good apple in a full fruit basket I waited for the other shoe to drop and when it dropped I was satisfied and even relieved.
Lastly, and this is just my theory, I think the overall negative reception of this novel in a way proves its merits: The average reader of this is probably quite nostalgic and loves Atticus Finch but in this novel they are forced to live through the same disappointment and anger Scout feels when she finally gets to know her father, not as a just hero but a flawed man. There's a mourning in growing up but also necessity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs