Harper Lee's "new" book

[marbel]

I read the excerpt (first chapter) in the WSJ today.    Not sure what I think.   I adore TKAM.  I've read it and watched the movie so many times.  I read it to my kids but couldn't read past "Hey, Boo" without blubbering. 

 

I have the book requested at the library.  Of course I was too late jumping on the bandwagon and there is a long queue ahead of me.  I don't feel inclined to buy it right away though. 

 

Anyone else?  Did I miss a thread about this?  (Just surprised not to see one.  Maybe there was one a while ago?) 

 

ETA: "new" in quotes in subject line because she had written the book before TKAM. So it is newly published, but not newly written.

[JudoMom]

I preordered it the day it was announced, so I should get it on Tuesday.  I'm re-reading TKAM, just so it's fresh in my mind.  I'm not reading the first chapter, simply because I want the ability to read as far as I desire when my copy arrives.

[Word Nerd]

It's my understanding that TKAM was heavily edited whereas this one will not be, so I'm trying to keep my expectations reasonable. 

[Junie]

Ds14 and I did TKAM this year in American Lit.  I like the story well enough; I'm not sure what I'm going to think of the sequel.  I think I'll wait for public opinion (and, of course, the Hive's opinion!) before I decide whether I'm going to read it or not.

[redsquirrel]

Whenever I read a book by an author I like, I try to keep my expectations in check.  Each book is different and it just isn't fair to the artist.  So, I am also on the waiting list at the library and I will read it, but I don't expect it to be To Kill A Mockingbird. That isn't fair to Harper Lee or to To Kill a Mockingbird.

 

She is clearly a talented writer, so it will be nice to see what else she can do with that talent. 

[Lady Florida.]

TKaM is one of my favorite books of all time. I started reading the first chapter and find it hard to read without trying to compare the two. 

 

When this was announced I said I'd wait for reviews and I still think I'll do that. 

[Pam in CT]

There was a discussion over on the Book a Week thread back when the news came out.

 

TKAM is one of my Top 10 Books of All Time.  Lee shaped and re-shaped it so that it was just what she wanted to say; for whatever reason she did not do so with this one.  I have mixed feelings about the decision to publish it now; I certainly don't expect it to meet the TKAM standard.

 

On the other hand, that is a mighty high standard.  I'll certainly read it, posthumous misgivings aside!

[EKS]

I think it will be interesting to find out what the author had imagined the future of Scout and the others to be.  Since she wrote this book before TKAM, those ideas would have been fully realized.

 

I agree with the others about keeping expectations reasonable.  It was her first novel and there was probably a reason she never published it.

[Guest]

*whispers*

 

Am I the only person who read TKAM and was 'meh' about it? I never felt particularly connected with the characters and plot.

 

 

*runs away*

[G5052]

Yes, TKAM is a favorite of mine, both the book and movie.

 

While eating lunch today I also read the first chapter and then the discussion in Business Week.  

 

Plenty of controversy, but I put a reserve on it at the library. So some time or other...

[Melinda in VT]

Based on what I'm hearing, it sounds like this is not a sequel to TKAM. It's an early draft of the story from back before Harper Lee decided to make Scout a kid, etc.

 

I think it's a shame it was published. It's not fair to Harper Lee, and it will end up damaging the legacy of TKAM.

[Jenny in Florida]

On the other hand, that is a mighty high standard.  I'll certainly read it, posthumous misgivings aside!

 

Ummm, you know that Harper Lee is still alive, right?

[marbel]

Based on what I'm hearing, it sounds like this is not a sequel to TKAM. It's an early draft of the story from back before Harper Lee decided to make Scout a kid, etc.

 

I think it's a shame it was published. It's not fair to Harper Lee, and it will end up damaging the legacy of TKAM.

 

Did she not want it published? 

 

And, it is not a sequel, exactly. She did write it before TKaM.  But it takes place later.  The article I saw said that she submitted it for publication and it was turned down, but the editor (publisher?  not sure exactly who it was) suggested she flesh out the story of Scout as a kid, and that's how TKaM was born.

 

[G5052]

Ummm, you know that Harper Lee is still alive, right?

 

Alive but in assisted living.  Her lawyer practiced law with Harper's sister, and apparently has been looking out for Harper's interests since the sister died. There have been some legal issues with the original book that the lawyer was digging into when she found the "new" book.

 

There's some speculation that Harper was pushed into this, but others say that the lawyer had concerns about Harper's financial needs and proposed this as a possibility for income that Harper agreed to.

 

Assisted living is indeed very, very expensive, even in a small town like where she lives. Financial pressures can change people's minds.

[Ali in OR]

I have it on order. I've always loved TKAM and my older dd fell in love with it too--she has read it several times now. We both want to read the new book, so I decided to order it rather than try to have both of us read a 14-day library copy. I do not expect it to be at the same level as TKAM, but I hope we find it a good read. And good or bad, it could never diminish TKAM!

[redsquirrel]

So, the NYT printed a review of the book, and now I am even more intrigued.  This is a much more grownup novel. I think it was seen as too 'harsh' for the time when was it was written and she was encouraged to make the story a bit more palatable. This is a book about  growing up and facing reality and...

 

 

Well, I'm not going to any more. I am now actually excited to read the book. I suspect a lot of people are going to hate it, and I suspect Harper Lee is ok with that. 

 

 

[Guest]

So, the NYT printed a review of the book, and now I am even more intrigued. This is a much more grownup novel. I think it was seen as too 'harsh' for the time when was it was written and she was encouraged to make the story a bit more palatable. This is a book about growing up and facing reality and...

 

 

Well, I'm not going to any more. I am now actually excited to read the book. I suspect a lot of people are going to hate it, and I suspect Harper Lee is ok with that.

That was my thought, too, when I read a WSJ article on it. I think this is going to be better in some ways, if not as polished. I will be very interested to hear some WTM reviews.

[Word Nerd]

I changed my mind about reading it last night after reading some reviews. I don't care to have my view of Atticus's character shredded.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

*whispers*

 

Am I the only person who read TKAM and was 'meh' about it? I never felt particularly connected with the characters and plot.

 

 

*runs away*

 

Sorry, you must forfeit your homeschooler credentials. Hand them over. 

 

:toetap05:

 

No, seriously though, TKaM is in my top 10 most favorite books of all time. I just re-read it for our biweekly lit group, and I loved it even more this time around. (I did hate the movie though.) I'm hesitantly curious about GSaW, and will probably read it, but I'm prepared to be disappointed. I hope I'm not though!

[Guest]

Maybe it's another one of those I have to read again as an adult. Scout was annoying!

 

/heretic

[Elfknitter.#]

Maybe it's another one of those I have to read again as an adult. Scout was annoying!

 

/heretic

Please do us all a favor and do just that. It's a fabulous piece of American Lit.

 

As a librarian, yes I have heard of this work but I'm apprehensive.

[marbel]

Maybe it's another one of those I have to read again as an adult. Scout was annoying!

 

/heretic

 

Yes, you should reread.  I think oftentimes people are assigned it too young in school, before they can appreciate it. 

[Ausmumof3]

I have it on hold at the library, not sure of it'll come for a while. Tbh the hype is putting me off a bit. Also tkam was kind of transformative whereas for most people it will probably be more of a recap. I hope it doesn't spoil tkam for me...

[Halftime Hope]

Yes, you should reread.  are assigned it too young in school, before they can appreciate it.

 

Absolutely this.   I've read it several times, and each time I come away with a greater appreciation.  This last time I noticed the theme on education that runs through it--had never "gotten" that part before.  :closedeyes:

 

It also makes a wonderful read-aloud for older children -- we read it for the first time as a family as a read-aloud just before my two older kids were to start volunteering. I wanted them to see what a difference their "giving back" can mean in a person's life, but I didn't want it to be a preachy message.

[marbel]

Maybe this would be better as a spinoff thread but... I am thinking of some other books that people hate in high school but love or at least appreciate as adults.  Just because someone *can* read a book doesn't mean they *should* read a book, kwim?

 

I know so many people who hate The Great Gatsby because they read it in 8th or 9th grade.  That is not a book for young teens!  Sure, they can read and understand all the words but not all kids of that age can "get it."   Moby Dick is another.  My husband hated slogging through that in school - or, more likely, excerpts.  But he adored it when he read it as an adult.  I've seen TKaM on reading lists for 7th grade, I think.  Way too  young to appreciate it, imo.

 

Of course there are plenty of people who don't like books that are considered "great" or "classic."  Tastes differ. But I think often (not always) people who hate "classic" or otherwise beloved-by-the-majority books, do so because they were forced to read it too early.

[J-rap]

I think TKAM is top-notch.  The movie is too, and that's rare.  (And my kids grew up thinking that how Atticus was portrayed by Gregory Peck very closely resembled their father;  I think so too -- except that my husband has more of a sense of humor.)

 

I almost don't want to read the new book.  I'm quite sure I'll be disappointed.  But, maybe it will be interesting to see how Harper Lee's own ideas and opinions evolved over time, with TKAM being more representative of her more evolved thought, of course.

 

But, I still think it's odd how they just happened to "find" this book.  Also, after all these years, why are they only now deciding to publish it?  You'd think she would have published it years ago if she really wanted to.

[elegantlion]

I

But, I still think it's odd how they just happened to "find" this book.  Also, after all these years, why are they only now deciding to publish it?  You'd think she would have published it years ago if she really wanted to.

 

As someone who writes, I can absolutely seeing her not wanting to release another book. I have drafts that I'm sure will never see the light of day. If I ever wrote such a hit as TKaM, I can see burying the less than stellar work or feeling like I could never catch the magic of the first book. 

[mellifera33]

I changed my mind about reading it last night after reading some reviews. I don't care to have my view of Atticus's character shredded.

 

It's silly, but my view of Atticus has already changed--a young, idealistic lawyer grows jaded and reverts to the racism he was steeped in as a child. sigh.

  

 

 

But, I still think it's odd how they just happened to "find" this book.  Also, after all these years, why are they only now deciding to publish it?  You'd think she would have published it years ago if she really wanted to.

 

I bet she needs the money. :(

[Guest]

If she needs money, they should have started a Go Fund Me and explain all the legal issues around the profit from her book. So many people love her, I'm sure she'd make millions.

[Jenny in Florida]

But, I still think it's odd how they just happened to "find" this book. Also, after all these years, why are they only now deciding to publish it? You'd think she would have published it years ago if she really wanted to.

According to the articles I have read, apparently the manuscript was misplaced. Lee thought it had been lost years ago. Her lawyer diacovered it recently while searching for something else.

[redsquirrel]

I think TKAM is top-notch.  The movie is too, and that's rare.  (And my kids grew up thinking that how the father was played by Gregory Peck very closely resembled their own father;  I think so too -- except that my husband has more of a sense of humor.)

 

I almost don't want to read the new book.  I'm quite sure I'll be disappointed.  But, maybe it will be interesting to see how Harper Lee's own ideas and opinions evolved over time, with TKAM being more representative of her more evolved thought, of course.

 

But, I still think it's odd how they just happened to "find" this book.  Also, after all these years, why are they only now deciding to publish it?  You'd think she would have published it years ago if she really wanted to.

 

Except that this "new book" was written first. She wrote it and presented it to an editor. The editor told her that it was ok, but that the stories told in flashback were very interesting and could be developed into their own story. That became To Kill a Mockingbird.

 

So it isn't how her ideas and opinions evolved over time, but how she originally envisioned the presentation of the characters.

 

As I mentioned earlier, I think, from what I have read from the reviews, that this is a more challenging book on some levels. Not in how it is written, because it just isn't going to be as well edited or written etc. I am getting no indication that this has been rewritten or even heavily edited.

 

But I can't help but wonder if this was a book that was not as attractive to publishers in 1960 vs now.  Look, I love Mockingbird as much as anyone. I always say it is my favorite book. But I have also felt it is a bit sentimental. I also remember that in the book, Scout was 6 and 7 years old. She was just starting school...younger than she was portrayed in the film. A 6 year old is not a reliable narrator, especially when it comes to a beloved parent. In this part of the story it seems that Scout (or will she be Jean Louise?) is in her 20s and is trying to make sense of all parts of her world, her childhood memories and her adult reality. I am willing to give it a chance.

I think some people aren't going to like that. It isn't a comfortable place to be. But, Harper Lee has lived a life of giving zero f%^&s about what anyone thinks and I doubt that is going to change now.

[J-rap]

Except that this "new book" was written first. She wrote it and presented it to an editor. The editor told her that it was ok, but that the stories told in flashback were very interesting and could be developed into their own story. That became To Kill a Mockingbird.

 

So it isn't how her ideas and opinions evolved over time, but how she originally envisioned the presentation of the characters.

 

 

Yes, I do know her new book was written first.  So what I was saying is that this new book may be more representative of her original, older ideas, but then maybe we can see how they evolved and changed when we read TKAM.  (I think I worded that correctly!  :))

 

 

[Melinda in VT]

Alive but in assisted living. Her lawyer practiced law with Harper's sister, and apparently has been looking out for Harper's interests since the sister died. There have been some legal issues with the original book that the lawyer was digging into when she found the "new" book.

 

There's some speculation that Harper was pushed into this, but others say that the lawyer had concerns about Harper's financial needs and proposed this as a possibility for income that Harper agreed to.

 

Assisted living is indeed very, very expensive, even in a small town like where she lives. Financial pressures can change people's minds.

I wish I could believe that Harper Lee changed her mind, but it seems likely that people who will benefit financially have taken advantage of an elderly woman.

[Word Nerd]

I wish I could believe that Harper Lee changed her mind, but it seems likely that people who will benefit financially have taken advantage of an elderly woman.

 

They investigated and determined allegations of elder abuse were unfounded.

[redsquirrel]

She was at a book release party and seemed happy and fully aware of what she was doing. She answered questions and signed books etc.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/08/books/harper-lee-receives-copy-of-go-set-a-watchman-as-release-nears.html?_r=0

[Pam in CT]

Yes, you should reread.  I think oftentimes people are assigned it too young in school, before they can appreciate it. 

:iagree: .  It makes me crazy that TKAM is so often assigned in 7th or 8th grade.  In WTM development terms, most kids that age lack both the grammar-stage facts about racial realities at that time of history, let alone the logic-level distinctions between lower- vs. appellate- level courtroom proceedings, let alone the rhetorical divergences-based-on-presentation or distinctions between individual v. cultural norm-based ethical standards.  It's like a case study in classical development terms, and the notion that just because the narrator is young it's therefore appropriate for young audiences is... baffling.  

 

Maybe this would be better as a spinoff thread but... I am thinking of some other books that people hate in high school but love or at least appreciate as adults.  Just because someone *can* read a book doesn't mean they *should* read a book, kwim?

 

I know so many people who hate The Great Gatsby because they read it in 8th or 9th grade.  That is not a book for young teens!  Sure, they can read and understand all the words but not all kids of that age can "get it."   Moby Dick is another.  My husband hated slogging through that in school - or, more likely, excerpts.  But he adored it when he read it as an adult.  I've seen TKaM on reading lists for 7th grade, I think.  Way too  young to appreciate it, imo.

 

Of course there are plenty of people who don't like books that are considered "great" or "classic."  Tastes differ. But I think often (not always) people who hate "classic" or otherwise beloved-by-the-majority books, do so because they were forced to read it too early.

I'd add Huck Finn.

 

 

(And now my confessions: Never did get all the way through Moby Dick... :leaving: ... and just recently failed, again, to get through Ulysses....)

[LaMere Academy]

I have it on order. I've always loved TKAM and my older dd fell in love with it too--she has read it several times now. We both want to read the new book, so I decided to order it rather than try to have both of us read a 14-day library copy. I do not expect it to be at the same level as TKAM, but I hope we find it a good read. And good or bad, it could never diminish TKAM!

 

This is pretty much how I feel.  I reread TKAM last year and loved it even more.  I have pre-ordered the new book through Amazon and I am so excited to get it tomorrow.  I'm not expecting TKAM level but I will try to appreciate it for what it is.  No matter what I think it's amazing that we get to read her original idea for her book and I don't think it could take away from TKAM. 

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I'd add Huck Finn.

 

I'm so glad to hear you say that. I'm about to read it again with DD13, and I'm hoping I enjoy it more this time around!

[AndyJoy]

Absolutely this. I've read it several times, and each time I come away with a greater appreciation. This last time I noticed the theme on education that runs through it--had never "gotten" that part before. :closedeyes:

 

It also makes a wonderful read-aloud for older children -- we read it for the first time as a family as a read-aloud just before my two older kids were to start volunteering. I wanted them to see what a difference their "giving back" can mean in a person's life, but I didn't want it to be a preachy message.

My mom did it as a read-aloud for my combined 7th/8th grade English class. Most of us were very moved by it.

[AndyJoy]

:iagree: . It makes me crazy that TKAM is so often assigned in 7th or 8th grade. In WTM development terms, most kids that age lack both the grammar-stage facts about racial realities at that time of history, let alone the logic-level distinctions between lower- vs. appellate- level courtroom proceedings, let alone the rhetorical divergences-based-on-presentation or distinctions between individual v. cultural norm-based ethical standards. It's like a case study in classical development terms, and the notion that just because the narrator is young it's therefore appropriate for young audiences is... baffling.

My mom did it as a read-aloud with her combined 7th/8th grade English classes each year. I think most got more out of it this way, because they would have skipped parts or rushed if it were just assigned. Instead we looked forward to it after lunch every day and summarized and discussed it at length. We discussed the context and asked lots of questions and looked up a lot of things. It was also a small class of about 10-12 students so this helped. I am sure I was the most moved by it, but I know most of my classmates were very engaged in a way I had not seen before.

[redsquirrel]

I'm not reading it. If it was part of a trilogy, I would, but two loses the power of a single book, or a completed trilogy. 

 

No, I'm not crazy, florists also know that odd numbers have more impact than even.

 

Lol, well, I think that is weird, but you are obviously allowed to chose what you will and will not read.

 

So..I guess the Harry Potter series is out at your house? Oh, but that is odd numbers so it is ok. The Percy Jackson Series? There are so many that I have no idea if it is odd or even. Tales of the City might be ok because that is nine books...three trilogies!   The "My Brilliant Friend" series was originally designed to be a trilogy, but then she wrote a fourth book, to everyone's delight. It is actually just one big book, each one starts exactly where the last left off...but you wouldn't read the fourth book because it is even numbers?  God, George RR Martin must be driving you mad! How many books is he going to have in that darn series by the time it is over?  Will it be odd or even!? 

 

I am sort of just kidding, but I assume you just don't want to read the book. Would you actually deny yourself if you very much wanted to read it just because it is an 'even number' in a series?

 

This might make you feel better:

 

http://jezebel.com/harper-lees-lawyer-writes-shady-op-ed-hinting-at-a-godd-1717463023

 

I can't link to the original OpEd at TWSJ because it is behind a pay wall. But it looks like there is a big hint at a possible third book.

 

I always assumed that Harper Lee had written more than the one novel, but that either we would get it after she died, or more likely, she would order it destroyed after her death.

[BrookValley.]

I have the book on pre-order, so I guess I'll get it tomorrow.

 

I have very mixed feelings.

 

One of my children is named after a TKAM character. I'm...well, yeah. Mixed feelings here.

[Guest]

I have the book on pre-order, so I guess I'll get it tomorrow.

 

I have very mixed feelings.

 

One of my children is named after a TKAM character. I'm...well, yeah. Mixed feelings here.

Now I'm curious. Boo Valley??

[texasmama]

TKaM is probably my number one most favorite piece of literature. It is so beautifully written it makes me want to cry. It is one of the few read alouds that my boys asked me to read "just one more chapter" I don't know that I can read the new book.

[Catwoman]

I'm not reading it. If it was part of a trilogy, I would, but two loses the power of a single book, or a completed trilogy.

 

No, I'm not crazy, florists also know that odd numbers have more impact than even.

Hey, if you can't trust a florist, who can you trust? ;)

[redsquirrel]

 It's weird, I know. 

 

I really don't like second or fourth books, It's unsettling. Six isn't as bad though for some reason.

 

I am laughing at the vision of myself in your post, so at least I can see how ridiculous it is. (There is a reason we are a family of five, and not four though!)

 

Part of why TKAM is so iconic is because it stands alone. I worry this will mess with that. I will be more likely to read it if it turns out there is a 3rd book for complicated and ultimately insane reasons :)

 

(I regularly deny myself books or parts thereof. There's a passage in Bring Up the Bodies that I adore and am too scared to reread in case I don't adore it as much as I do the memory of the passage, for example. So I don't reread it, even though I really want to read it. And I leave years and years between re-readings of my favourite poems. If I really am passionate about something, I will probably never read it again. Like I said, I know it's weird!)

 

Nah, I don't think it is ridiculous.  We all have our things.  I have a rule that I don't read a series until it is complete in case the author dies. But there is a corollary that I am fine if I didn't know it was a series when I started it or if I really, really, really want to read it.  So, it might be more honored in the breach.  However, I cannot ever remember starting a series of books when there were not at least two books published.

 

But I absolutely and totally agree that Mockingbird stands alone. I have always said that it didn't need one because Harper Lee was letting us know she had all she wanted to say. Apparently I was wrong. I have often called it a perfect novel in part because it did stand alone. It still may, this is a different story with characters of the same name, it will inform my reading of Mockingbird, but it isn't going to supplant it.

 

I am number 12 on the waiting list at the library so it will be at least 36 weeks before I get it.

 

I enjoyed this article about the editor of Mockingbird

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/13/books/the-invisible-hand-behind-harper-lees-to-kill-a-mockingbird.html?hpw&rref=books&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0

 

I think we don't have editors like that any more, who can take a manuscript that shows tremendous promise and work with an unpublished author until it is polished and ready for publication. Publishers can't give them that amount of time any more. I bet we have plenty of very talented editors, don't get me wrong, but that long commitment to an author, to foster their talent and help them grow, I am not sure that is allowed by the business side of publishing any longer.

[Orthodox6]

Yes, you should reread. I think oftentimes people are assigned it too young in school, before they can appreciate it.

I agree with you. I teach the book (followed by the movie) in high school as part of American literature.

 

As "spoilers" generally do not bother me, I have read enough reviews of this new book to have what I think is sufficient grasp of it to feel comfortable bypassing an actual reading. Were I a literature specialist, I would be hurrying to obtain a copy for analyzing the change into TKAM.

[Runningmom80]

 It's weird, I know. 

 

I really don't like second or fourth books, It's unsettling. Six isn't as bad though for some reason.

 

I am laughing at the vision of myself in your post, so at least I can see how ridiculous it is. (There is a reason we are a family of five, and not four though!)

 

Part of why TKAM is so iconic is because it stands alone. I worry this will mess with that. I will be more likely to read it if it turns out there is a 3rd book for complicated and ultimately insane reasons :)

 

(I regularly deny myself books or parts thereof. There's a passage in Bring Up the Bodies that I adore and am too scared to reread in case I don't adore it as much as I do the memory of the passage, for example. So I don't reread it, even though I really want to read it. And I leave years and years between re-readings of my favourite poems. If I really am passionate about something, I will probably never read it again. Like I said, I know it's weird!)

 

I have a dislike for even numbers too.  I get it.

 

However, I dragged my kids out of the house at 7:30 to go to B&N and get a free coffee and TKAM tote with the purchase of GSAW.  :laugh:

 

I have inner turmoil about reading it, both because of the way it came to be published, and I'm a total Atticus Finch fan girl who doesn't want her idealized version of him destroyed. The English major in me has to read it, which I realized at 6 am this morning. :glare:

[Orthodox6]

Florists love even numbers. Roses sell like mad in bundles of six, twelve, eighteen, and twenty-four!

[BrookValley.]

Now I'm curious. Boo Valley??

Lol!! No.

 

My copy came this afternoon. I made my husbsnd hide it from me. I'm not ready.