Stayed up all night reading for the first time since college. I mean when else am I going to get to read a new Harper Lee book? Parts of it bummed me out and you can tell it was written before To Kill a Mockingbird.
Still, it was better than I expected it to be and Lee’s skill with prose is definitely apparent. I really liked any section that was a vignette of the past and the idea of confronting the imperfect parent is moving. I just think it may have gone a bit too far with those imperfections. The romance is kind of lame as well.
My video review at
Here is my review from goodreads. If you aren’t following me on goodreads or youtube please do. Thanks!
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Feels a little bit like To Kill a Mockingbird fan fiction. It has an interesting idea of Scout dealing with the imperfections of her father but it takes it a little too far in that regard. I liked some of the vignettes of childhood which felt very TKAM to me. The romance is kind of lame. Still I was moved by a lot of the story and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
Rachel's Musings 
I’d read that it took her ten years to write TKAM, and if this is what came first, now I know why. Sounds like one of those “cutting room floor” things. There’s usually a good reason why stuff ends up there, and why it should stay there. TKAM is not one of my favorites (I’ve probably read it only four times, compared to forty times for some of my best-loved books), but I’d like to remember Atticus et al. that way, so I think I’ll pass. Thanks for an insightful review.
Thank you! It is kind of interesting from that cutting room floor aspect. You can totally see the potential that the editor saw (and thank goodness for that editor!). I was expecting to be outraged and angry about it but I guess there was enough in there that was good for me to not hate it. But I get not reading it but I was just too curious to not as TKAM is one of my top 10 favorites. That hasn’t changed from this book because like I said it feels like fan fiction or some kind of alternative reality, separate from TKAM. If a book like this came out for your top 10 would you read it or leave things the way you love them?
As a fan of To Kill a Mockingbird I’ve had mixed feelings about the release of this book and your review has left me even more perplexed.
I think I’ll wait for the paperback release.
Sorry I didn’t clear things up. It’s such an odd book I can understand that response.
No problem, I’ll have to read it and make up my mind.
I do like the book’s retro cover though. It’s absolutely gorgeous.