For thus my Lord said to me: Go, station a watchman, let him tell what he sees

"For thus my Lord said to me:
Go, station a watchman,
let him tell what he sees."
 --Isiah, 21:6, New American Bible

*Spoilers*

I told myself to ease into.
I told yourself that it's not a sequel, it's a rough version.
I told myself it's full of the characters of my childhood (and second childhood), the characters I know as well as myself, and love so much I just have to travel alongside them again. On a new journey.
And yet I still prepared for the worst. And I wasn't disappointed.

There is no way this is all Harper Lee's doing--though her publisher would have us believe it's an early and very different draft of what later became To Kill a Mockingbird--this book reads so inconsistently, and only parts of it ring with Lee's voice--in the part featuring the flashback of the children and the Revival I couldn't help but smile and be momentarily lulled. There she is, now she'll take over the story, and it will come right...

 But the lack of character development; the tangential nature of some of the conversations and flashbacks; Scout's willingness to concede to Dr. Finch at the end!! WHAT! THE! HELL! The ending is such an infuriating mess. I was so mad. So disheartened.

Poor Harper Lee, I hope she never reads this awful thing.

That is all I can say. Please let's never talk about it again. Ok?

Comments

Catherine1216 said…
Thanks for the review. I'll save my money and not read it and keep my wonderful memories of To Kill a Mockingbird unstained.

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