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amlohf 's review for:
Go Set a Watchman
by Harper Lee
I would like to begin this review by saying I am basing my opinions on the novel itself. The controversy that surrounds its publishing is not my concern. It is Lee's words which potentially hold merit for me.
Another preface: I did not reread To Kill A Mockingbird before plunging headlong into Go Set A Watchman. I probably should have to regain my familiarity with Lee's style. However, I did not, and there is no going back now.
To begin, there is so much spirit in this novel. Jean Louise, who seems to have grown out of "Scout," has the makings of a feisty modern-day feminist with some Southern flare thrown in. Although I am not exactly her age (26 to my 22), I found myself identifying heavily with the growing disillusionment she feels throughout the novel. The tone of the novel is dark, but the way Lee slowly builds Jean Louise's disillusionment is hauntingly beautiful. She tugs at our emotions until there are only a couple dozen pages left and we cannot possibly conceive an ending that would satisfy.
There is no way an ending to this novel would satisfy anyone, so to no one's surprise (I hope), Lee leaves her readers with an ambiguous, tenuous grasp of what Jean Louise has concluded in her mind. Is it happy? Sad? I see it as being entirely left to interpretation. I am sure literary scholars will enjoy dissecting the text and pointing here and there with conjectures as to Lee's motives.
My biggest concern with this novel is the transitions. I see a logical chain between each chapter, but I feel there could be more fluidity. Part of that is the flashbacks Jean Louise has, and I am fine with those. However, at one point near the end, she and Uncle Jack ended up in the car, and the last I remembered they had been in the living room. Going back a few pages, I couldn't find an exit. This could be my own blunder or a product of the publishing I promised not to discuss.
Overall, this novel satisfies, at least in my opinion. I'm glad I invested in a hardcover copy.
Another preface: I did not reread To Kill A Mockingbird before plunging headlong into Go Set A Watchman. I probably should have to regain my familiarity with Lee's style. However, I did not, and there is no going back now.
To begin, there is so much spirit in this novel. Jean Louise, who seems to have grown out of "Scout," has the makings of a feisty modern-day feminist with some Southern flare thrown in. Although I am not exactly her age (26 to my 22), I found myself identifying heavily with the growing disillusionment she feels throughout the novel. The tone of the novel is dark, but the way Lee slowly builds Jean Louise's disillusionment is hauntingly beautiful. She tugs at our emotions until there are only a couple dozen pages left and we cannot possibly conceive an ending that would satisfy.
There is no way an ending to this novel would satisfy anyone, so to no one's surprise (I hope), Lee leaves her readers with an ambiguous, tenuous grasp of what Jean Louise has concluded in her mind. Is it happy? Sad? I see it as being entirely left to interpretation. I am sure literary scholars will enjoy dissecting the text and pointing here and there with conjectures as to Lee's motives.
My biggest concern with this novel is the transitions. I see a logical chain between each chapter, but I feel there could be more fluidity. Part of that is the flashbacks Jean Louise has, and I am fine with those. However, at one point near the end, she and Uncle Jack ended up in the car, and the last I remembered they had been in the living room. Going back a few pages, I couldn't find an exit. This could be my own blunder or a product of the publishing I promised not to discuss.
Overall, this novel satisfies, at least in my opinion. I'm glad I invested in a hardcover copy.