A review by alleseter
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

3.0

Strongly autobiographical memories of a little girl living in a small village in the deep South of Alabama during the 1930s. The novel tells about Jean Louise, better known as 'Scout', her brother Jem, their father, the attorney Atticus, and a boy from Mississippi called Dill. The book starts with a promising flash forward, which is only resolved at the very end. After these two paragraphs the book is a slow starter, devoting much time on childhood memories far from necessary to the plot. For example, there's a vivid account of a first school day, which doesn't get a follow-up, and which hardly contributes to the main narrative. Only when Atticus gets to defend a black man against false accusations, the novel gains momentum. Indeed, the court scene is the undisputed highlight of the book, even overshadowing the book's surprising finale.

Throughout, the writing is easy and unexceptional. The characters are a little flat, and the tale a little wandering. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is a good account of the rural Deep South during the 1930s and the racism of the Jim Crow Laws, and thus recommended, but as a classic I find it a little overrated.