Author: Harper Lee
Pages: 278
Published: 2015
Genre: Historical Fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Personal
Description: Maycomb, Alabama. Twenty-six-year-old Jean Louise Finch--"Scout"--returns home from New York City to visit her aging father, Atticus. Set against the backdrop of the civil rights tensions and political turmoil that were transforming the South, Jean Louise's homecoming turns bittersweet when she learns disturbing truths about her close-knit family, the town and the people dearest to her. Memories from her childhood flood back, and her values and assumptions are thrown into doubt. (from Goodreads)
Thoughts: I will admit that I bought the book due to the hype that the book generated this past spring, not due to its literary value. I found the book to be okay; you can see Lee's talent starting to come through and that there needs to be some fine tuning. Like some of my fellow reviewers have said in their own posts on the book, the best part of the book was the two or three paragraphs that Jean Louise describe of the summer when her father defended Tom. But that is where it probably needed the most editing, as there are details in that section that didn't match up with the events of Lee's beloved book, To Kill a Mockingbird.
It also seemed that the book was a bit forced at times, but did feel that the argument between Atticus and Jean Louise to be fairly realistic. I suppose hearing that section read out loud (I listened to the audiobook while I was reading the book) made that argument seem more real than if I had just read it on the page.
Bottom line: I found the book to be adequate and could see flickers of genius at various points throughout the book and that it could have easily used an editor to make the book a bit better. Recommended.
Rating: 3.25/5
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