My brother-in-law's book reviews
My brother-in-law, Ken, is currently reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
He's about 2/3 the way through it, and he has agreed to share his review of right here on Between the Pages & Beyond. So far he says "It's fantastic".
February 20th....He has finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird. Below is his review & I'd like to invite Ken back anytime to post his current readings & reviews.
February 20th....He has finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird. Below is his review & I'd like to invite Ken back anytime to post his current readings & reviews.
Since I have never read the book, nor seen the 1962 movie in its entirety, I began reading To Kill A Mockingbird with no preconceived notions.
ReplyDeleteFrom its point-of-view narration by an adult Scout looking back on things she did not understand (prejudice, racism, empathy, etc.) as a child, I was transported back to rural Maycomb in the 1930s. Harper Lee’s descriptions of the town, of the weather, of the many characters were so vivid that I was easily able to picture them in my mind. I was able to give the characters, who were so well fleshed out, a “voice” and a “face”, in my mind, as they went about their daily lives.
Upon finishing the book, I can see why it has been called one of the best novels of the 20th century.
Great review Ken! Thanks for sharing with us & we hope you come back again with your book reviews!
ReplyDeleteThanks for that, Ken! I'm glad you enjoyed this wonderful book that I think everyone should read at least once in their lives!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Terry. My next review is below.
DeleteMy apologies Terri, my fat fingers misspelled your name.
DeleteHaving just read To Kill A Mockingbird (TKAM), I wanted to find out what became of Scout and the rest of the Finches and the town of Maycomb. In that vein, I began reading Go Set a Watchman (GSAW). The tale picks up 20 years later as an adult Scout, aka Jean Louise, returns to Maycomb from New York City. The first thing I noticed was that the narrative is no longer in Scout’s voice; it is now a third-person point of view, which has both its pluses and minuses. The story is more direct; more “in your face”. Plot twists are evident right from Chapter 1, and continue until the end. In addition, the story takes place over a four-day period; in contrast, Mockingbird rolls out at a more leisurely pace over about three years as Scout begins as a six-year-old and the novel ends with her as an eight-year-old.
ReplyDeleteUpon completing the novel, I did some research and discovered that GSAW was actually written by Lee prior to TKAM, and that Mockingbird was essentially the edited version of Watchman. This explains why some passages appear in both.
While not the “must read” that Mockingbird has become for all age brackets, Watchman stands on its own, and is highly recommended for a grown-up audience.