'Go Set A Watchman' by Harper Lee - Review (SPOILERS)

[Larry Phillips]

To Kill a Mockingbird is The Great American novel of the 20th century.
Cannot read it with today's eyes. Almost have to remove yourself from this time and see the world through Scout's eyes, at that age, at that time period.
Fortunately, Lee does a superb job of setting the scene for us to do precisely that.

[Mike_Lang]

I became aware of Go Set A Watchman because of the PBS series American Masters, I had the show on in the background while doing other things - it was a rerun of an episode I'd seen before about Harper Lee - when they got to the end there was an update about the new book. i was only half watching since I'd seen it previously without the new ending so that later, when I saw the book on sale, I bought it without hesitation knowing nothing other than it was written by Harper Lee.

As a stand alone it's not a great novel. It's not terrible but there's nothing exceptional about it. When seen as a companion piece for To Kill A Mockingbird it becomes much more interesting and thought provoking. To me, it is the difference between a child's sense of absolute right and wrong as opposed to an adult having to deal with the grey areas of the real world.

I would imagine for a lot of people who are not all that familiar with TKAM there is a very big "Ho-hum. What's all the fuss about?" aspect to it. For those people I say it would be kind of like finding out that one of your childhood heroes, someone who shaped in some way your perception of the world at a young age, is not at all who you thought they were. To oversimplify, what if you found out that the grandfather who you adored as achild, who bounced you on his knee and told you wonderful funny stories, was actually wanted as a Nazi war criminal? Again, a huge oversimplification and comparing a fictional (or rather a fictionalized) character with a living person but it gives you a reference point.

Go Set A Watchman is one of those rare books where it really doesn't matter what is recommended, some people will be compelled to read it no matter what, while others will chose to let it be and not take a chance on tarnishing the memories of such iconic characters as Jem, Scout and Atticus Finch. I think it would make a great book club group read simply because it is almost guaranteed to generate thoughtful conversation.

[iamtai]

TKAM is my favorite book, so reading GSAW made me really upset. Not because of the way it was written, because Lee is a beautiful author, but because of Atticus. He was the reason I loved TKAM so much and his character in GSAW just made me so sad. The difference between the two is that TKAM dealt with the real life issues of that time with grace and delicacy and GSAW was just...blatant, I guess. If TKAM hadn't been written, I probably would have liked GSAW a whole lot more.

Scout was still a badass, though, so that was redemptive.

[stanley]

Maybe readers who are disappointed in GSAW because it destroys for them the memorable portrayal of Atticus Finch in TKAM will feel better by remembering that GSAW came first, that Atticus in that novel was ,perhaps, the lesser developed character than the one who followed in TKAM. In terms of chronological sequence, then, Atticus evolved rather than devolved. One might consider GSAW the first draft of the narrative, a draft that the writer perhaps discards upon completion of the final version.
When I read GSAW it was easy for me to isolate it from TKAM and judge it on its own merits because it had been so long since I had read the latter. Having read it with this intention, I found it most dissatisfying in terms of credibility and character development. Harper Lee's publisher did her a favor by rejecting it. She turned around and wrote a Pulitzer Prize winning novel. Hooray for that!

[gali]

I just heard that Harper Lee, beloved author of "To Kill a Mockingbird", died today at 89. How sad. RIP!

[KAYKAYKAY60]

I read this book 12/15.

I read somewhere this book was written before TKAMB but not published. It's kind of a sequel to 'To Kill A Mocking Bird' but not really. It has the same main characters, Jem and Scout grown up with real grown up problems. It's a slow moving dialog kind of book.

I enjoyed the movie with Gregory Peck more than the books. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

[MsMartha]

I just heard that Harper Lee, beloved author of "To Kill a Mockingbird", died today at 89. How sad. RIP!

Thank you for letting us know. She has always been one of my favorite authors.

[PaulaSofia]

I just heard that Harper Lee, beloved author of "To Kill a Mockingbird", died today at 89. How sad. RIP!

[Fran]

I just heard that Harper Lee, beloved author of "To Kill a Mockingbird", died today at 89. How sad. RIP!

Heard that earlier today, what a legacy she left in Mockingbird - May she Rest in Peace

[DATo]

*Standing ovation as her spirit passes by.*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwf96OEaYBg

[Gannon]

To kill a Mockingbird, is one of my favourite books and I must say that I was baffled when I read that Atticus Finch (who to me is the archetype of a hero) turns out to be racist. I have ordered Watchman today and am eagerly awaiting its arrival in the mail.

I hope Harper Lee rests in peace, and as Fran says, what an amazing legacy she has left us. Even more amazing when you consider that it is just one book. I hope Harper and Colleen are up there discussing "Go set a Watchman" right now.

[Gnj]

I find the reviews that criticise this book because of its portrayal of Atticus very interesting to read. Especially as I disagree with them.

My perspective on Atticus did not change one bit when I finished reading Go Set a Watchman. To Kill a Mockingbird was, and always will be one of my all-time favourite novels. I learnt a lot about morality, humanity and empathy from Atticus's character. And that hasn't changed.

What this book has helped me realise is that Atticus had problems of his own. And more than anything, this helped me to connect with him on a much greater scale. Not only was he this perfect, non-judgemental, empathic, almost god-like character, he was also a man. Nor do I believe that this novel takes away from Atticus's heroism.
What it does is help you to gain a different perspective on Scout's childhood, her adolescent years, and how her family has grown along with the changes in society. It helps you to place her position within history - she appears to me to be a young woman, doing her best to understand the changes that are happening all around her. I almost feel a close connection with Scout, perhaps as I am very close to her in age and am going through the same feelings myself. I'm sure we've all come across that bridge in our lives when the realisation dawns on us that our parents aren't perfect. And slowly we begin to create our own picture of the world around us, building new beliefs based not only upon our parent's lessons, but our own personal experiences. I believe this novel portrays this transformation in a beautiful way.

I think this novel is a wonderful opportunity to delve inside a writers mind, observing the cogs as they weave out characters and storylines fresh from the imagination. How often do we get such an insight into an authors mind?

The writing is just as exquisite as it was in the classic. I refuse to believe that this novel takes away from the magic of To Kill A Mockingbird. If anything, it sprinkles hope onto the story - it is now Scout's turn to 'change the world.' She is a young woman in a big wide world, filled with prejudice and hatred, and yet her open mind gives us all hope that the world isn't as horrific we think.

I do however agree with certain reviews in that the plot is a bit haphazard - but then this was a book that was never supposed to be published. I think we should be grateful to be given such a rare insight into the world of Atticus Finch and his daughter. I know many people don't want their all-time favourite classic to be ruined, but personally I found this novel to be a breath of fresh air.

[MsMartha]

I find the reviews that criticise this book because of its portrayal of Atticus very interesting to read. Especially as I disagree with them.

I'm glad to see your response to the negative reviews. I haven't read the Watchman book yet, and I spent quite awhile deciding if I would read it. I finally decided that I will, if only to see if the reviews actually seem accurate. (And it might be awhile before I have time to read it--so many books, so few hours!!)

[BexReads757]

You're not going to like this book if you're looking for To Kill a Mockingbird. Reading through this post, I can see that some people didn't love TKAM the way that I did, and that's fine. Full disclosure: I can't stand Faulkner. I mean, I really can't even UNDERSTAND Faulkner. We all have our things. To Kill a Mockingbird was a book that I first read in (6th?) grade, and I liked it, but I didn't really get it. I have since re-read it several times...at least 5 at various times in my life, and every single time I read it, I catch some new insight. Something I missed. I love everything about this book so I was extremely excited when I heard about Go Set a Watchman, and immediately pre-ordered it on Amazon. Although I waited with eagerness to get my hands on this book, I never had any expectation that it could compare to TKAM. How could it? While Atticus was the hero of the book, not only in his relentless pursuit of justice, but in the way that he educated and nurtured his children; Scout was the narrator, and it was through her eyes that we experienced the story. This was special, because Scout was a child, which gave her the power to present events with an innocence and lack of cynicism that made the novel what it is.

OK, so moving on to Go Set a Watchman. Expectations not as high, but excited nonetheless...and I really don't think I was disappointed. The book was pretty short and sweet. Had it gone on and on, I don't think I would have liked it. The first blow came for me when we found out that Jem was gone. The relationship between Scout and Jem was special, and although Harper Lee did not dig too deeply into this subject, I could imagine that it was a huge devastation to Scout, but also to Atticus. Atticus is old. He has arthritis, and can barely hold a newspaper. He has suffered multiple losses. He is no longer the perfect father and hero that we once knew. We begin to see flaws. The rest of the book is a lot of fluff, flashbacks (I think so we can have some background on this Hank guy who wants to marry Scout) and interactions with Uncle Jack, who has suddenly become important. Scout finds a pamphlet with racist propaganda that opposes the NAACP. Aunt Alexandra tells her that it belongs to Atticus, and that he is a board member on this council. Scout's world falls apart. Her father and hero is not who she thought he was. Heartbreakingly, she visits Calpurnia, who has long since retired from working in their home. Calpurnia, who was basically Scout's mother in childhood, treats her like a stranger. Calpurnia has her own son. He is in trouble. Scout is not her daughter. She is part of the problem. Scout tells Atticus that she hates him. He tells her that he loves her. Random Uncle Jack tells Scout that every man's watchman is his own conscience. He reminds her that Atticus has disturbed her conscience, not his own. He reminds her that she is a woman now, capable of her own thoughts, values, feelings.

This book was in no way a sequel to TKAM, but it had value nonetheless. It is about growing up, about realizing that your heroes aren't always heroic...that your parents aren't infallible...that becoming an adult means developing your own moral code. Aunt Alexandra is a surprisingly sympathetic character in this book. She has insight and compassion, while in TKAM, she was kind of a jerk. Hank and Uncle Jack kind of came out of the woodwork. I would have liked to see an appearance from Dill. But in the end, I appreciated this book for what it was. A coming of age story, using everyone's favorite dad to make a particularly painful point about growth and disillusionment, and about forgiveness and unconditional love.

[Missalaeneous]

I loved the book, better than the first one. See me absolute statement? Now, no matter what I write after, you won't listen to me. Why? Because I've disagreed with your opinions, your core beliefs. I think you have to live in Alabama to adore this novel perhaps. We, as an older generation, since have to deal with older generations that have words that they shouldn't say, and habits they have been taught as little ones that are impossible to break. If you take the absolute condemning high ground with these people, who aren't born in the age of Political Correctness, and aren't controlled by the thoughts and opinions of others in the least, you will lose them. Your influence will be gone. I understand Aticullus strategy, and I also see his beginning to be influenced by the darkness around him.
It is a a better book, because it is more real. People aren't always walking the straight and narrow, even our heroes.
I loves Scott's physiological meltdown. I loved how it showed that relationships between Scott and her surrogate mother changed. Harper wrote a TN over too true to southern life. If it had been published 20years ago, it would have been better revived.