The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic. Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.
Yes, I've finally read it. I'd managed to not read TKAM for decades because there was never a copy at hand and frankly, I was never interested enough to make any effort to acquire one. Until, as some of you know, I was at a library book sale last year and made an impulsive grab of a copy for $1, which turned out to be one of those 1-in-1000 freak instances of a first edition sliding under the radar. It's a well loved first edition, but even so, it's worth considerably more than $1.
Now, I have a rule: I don't keep books in my library I don't intend to read. So, when I told my husband about my unbelievably lucky find his response was SELL IT. SELL IT NOW! But I didn't want to sell it, which meant I had to read it. And here we are.
I'm not going to waste anybody's time by trying to review To Kill a Mockingbird on the coattails of the millions of others who've read and reviewed it over the years. I will just say this: it was good. Of course it was good. But after all the hype surrounding this book I was surprised by the following: it's a much slower-paced book than I expected; years go by in this book. The brief bursts of humor: Scout's dry delivery made me chuckle a few times. And finally, this book isn't just about one plot; there are two stories running parallel, and though they intertwine at the end, they are distinct. There were a few other things - not really surprises, just very salient points and choices Lee makes that I found interesting and filed away for future conversations with friends.
I enjoyed this book enormously and I'm glad I read it. Do I think it's one of the be-all-end-all books I've ever read? No, sorry. But I can't think of any reason on Earth I'd ever actively steer anyone away from reading it. I can't think of anyone or any circumstance which I'd be saying "eh, maybe this one wouldn't be for you". I think it's for everyone and since we've yet to learn the lessons it teaches, it's a book that should be read again and again.
This book applies to so. many. cards. for the Kill Your Darlings game, and I have no idea yet what I'll use it for.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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11 March, 2018:
Finished reading
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11 March, 2018:
Reviewed