Ve y pon un centinela

Por Harper Lee

Estamos ante uno de los grandes acontecimientos literarios de los últimos tiempos: la publicación de la primera novela de Harper Lee, la admirada autora del bestseller ganador del Premio Pulitzer Matar a un ruiseñor.
El libro fue escrito a mediados de los años 50, y fue el primer manuscrito que Harper Lee presentó a sus editores antes de Matar a un ruiseñor. Este manuscrito se dio por perdido hasta que fue descubierto a finales de 2014.
Ve y pon un centinela nos presenta a muchos de los personajes de Matar a un ruiseñor, aunque unos veinte años más tarde. Jean Louise Finch —Scout— regresa a su hogar en Maycomb para visitar a su padre, pero tendrá que enfrentarse con problemas personales y políticos que involucran a Atticus, la sociedad y al pequeño pueblo de Alabama que la vio nacer.
El libro proyecta una nueva y fascinante luz sobre el clásico de Harper Lee al explorar cómo los personajes de Matar a un ruiseñor se adaptan a los turbulentos acontecimientos que transforman a Estados Unidos a mediados de los años 50.
Esta gran autora nos deleita con una historia conmovedora, divertida y convincente. En definitiva, una magnífica novela.
Nelle Harper Lee es conocida por haber ganado el premio Pulitzer con su novela Matar a un ruiseñor. En 1999 fue elegida como la mejor novela del siglo a través de una votación de Library Journal. Harper Lee fue galardonada en 2007 con la Medalla Presidencial de la Libertad por su contribución a la literatura. Lee no fue la típica niña femenina y disfrutaba de la compañía de su compañero de escuela Truman Capote.
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La prensa internacional también se hace eco de este gran evento: Witherspoon dijo a USA Today con referencia al audio-libro que, como sureña, es un honor y un privilegio ponerle voz a los personajes del sur, Scout y Atticus Finch, que despertaron mi amor a la lectura desde la infancia. La estrella ganadora del Oscar añadió: estoy deseando, a través de la excepcional prosa de Harper Lee, poder hacer que los lectores se transporten a un momento crucial en la historia de los Estados Unidos.
Revista Time
Ve y pon un centinela, una novela absorbente y turbadora, más profunda y menos optimista, más potente y menos nostálgica, más compleja y reivindicativa.
NTS!Webzine
Harper Lee velve a desplegar una narración extraordinaria, clásica y rica en diversas lecturas.
José Alberto Arias Pereira
Una Harper Lee más realista, política, combativa, directa, contundente, feminista, audaz y arriesgada.
El País
Está narrada en tercera persona con un ritmo tranquilo en el que la acción no es muy acusada en favor de la exposición de ideas y argumentos. Son destacables los diálogos. Además Harper Lee sigue narrando con desparpajo y sentido del humor añadiendo alguna anécdota o historia entrañable que nos sacara una sonrisa.
Adivina quién lee
Me ha resultado muy agradable volver a ese condado de Maycomb, y ver cómo ha crecido y se ha convertido en una joven con las ideas muy claras, que defiende los derechos civiles de todos los ciudadanos en una época convulsa.
Anika entre libros

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: HarperCollins Ibérica
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 14 jul 2015
• ISBN: 9788468767048

Harper Lee

Harper Lee was born in 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama. She is the author of the acclaimed To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman, which became a phenomenal #1 New York Times bestseller when it was published in July 2015. Ms. Lee received the Pulitzer Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and numerous other literary awards and honors. She died on February 19, 2016.

Vista previa del libro

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Editado por HarperCollins Ibérica, S.A.

Núñez de Balboa, 56

28001 Madrid

© 2015 Harper Lee

© 2015, para esta edición HarperCollins Ibérica, S.A.

Título español: Ve y pon un centinela

Título original: Go Set a Watchman

Publicado por HarperCollins Publishers LLC, New York, U.S.A.

Todos los derechos están reservados, incluidos los de reproducción total o parcial en cualquier formato o soporte.

Esta edición ha sido publicada con autorización de HarperCollins Publishers LLC, New York, U.S.A.

Esta es una obra de ficción. Nombres, caracteres, lugares y situaciones son producto de la imaginación del autor o son utilizados ficticiamente, y cualquier parecido con personas, vivas o muertas, establecimientos comerciales, hechos o situaciones son pura coincidencia.

Diseño de cubierta: Jarrod Taylor

Traducción: Belmonte Traductores

Edición: Victoria Horrillo Ledesma

ISBN: 978-84-687-6704-8

Conversión ebook: MT Color & Diseño, S.L.

Índice

Créditos

Índice

Dedicatoria

Primera Parte

Capítulo 1

Capítulo 2

Capítulo 3

Segunda Parte

Capítulo 4

Capítulo 5

Tercera Parte

Capítulo 6

Capítulo 7

Capítulo 8

Capítulo 9

Capítulo 10

Cuarta Parte

Capítulo 11

Capítulo 12

Quinta Parte

Capítulo 13

Capítulo 14

Sexta Parte

Capítulo 15

Capítulo 16

Capítulo 17

Séptima Parte

Capítulo 18

Capítulo 19

Notas

En memoria del señor Lee y Alice

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Desde Atlanta, venía mirando por la ventanilla del vagón restaurante con un deleite casi físico. Mientras se tomaba el café del desayuno, vio cómo quedaban atrás las últimas colinas de Georgia y aparecía la tierra rojiza, y con ella las casas con tejados de chapa en medio de patios bien barridos, y en los patios las inevitables matas de verbena rodeadas de neumáticos encalados. Sonrió cuando vio la primera antena de televisión en lo alto de una casa de negros sin pintar. Conforme aparecían más y más, se redobló su alegría.

Jean Louise Finch siempre hacía el viaje por aire, pero para aquella visita anual a casa decidió ir en tren desde Nueva York hasta el Empalme de Maycomb. Por un lado, porque se había llevado un susto de muerte la última vez que viajó en avión, cuando el piloto optó por atravesar un tornado. Por otro, porque llegar a casa en avión significaba que su padre tenía que levantarse a las tres de la mañana, conducir ciento sesenta kilómetros para ir a buscarla a Mobile y trabajar después toda la jornada. Tenía ya setenta y dos años, y no era justo hacerle eso.

Se alegraba de haber decidido ir en tren. Los trenes habían cambiado desde su niñez, y la novedad de la experiencia le divertía: cuando apretaba un botón que había en la pared, se materializaba un genio orondo en forma de revisor; cuando lo pedía, un lavamanos de acero inoxidable salía de otra pared, y había un retrete sobre el que se podían poner los pies.

Resolvió no dejarse intimidar por los mensajes estampados en varios lugares de su compartimento (un «coche cama», lo llamaban) pero, al acostarse la noche anterior, se las había arreglado para quedar atrapada entre la cama y la pared por no hacer caso del letrero que recomendaba BAJAR LA PALANCA HASTA LOS SOPORTES. Para sonrojo de Jean Louise, que tenía por costumbre dormir solo con la parte de arriba del pijama, tuvo que ser el revisor quien la sacara del apuro. Por suerte, dio la casualidad de que iba haciendo su ronda por el pasillo cuando aquella trampa se cerró con ella dentro.

—¡Yo la saco, señorita! —gritó en respuesta a los golpes que llegaban desde dentro.

—No, por favor —dijo ella—, solo dígame cómo salir de aquí.

—Puedo ponerme de espaldas para sacarla —respondió, y así lo hizo.

Esa mañana, cuando despertó, el tren iba traqueteando y resoplando por los campos de Atlanta, pero, obedeciendo otro letrero que había en su compartimento, Jean Louise se quedó en la cama hasta que pasaron como una exhalación por College Park. Al vestirse se puso su ropa de Maycomb: pantalones grises, blusa negra sin mangas, calcetines blancos y mocasines. Aunque quedaban aún cuatro horas, ya podía oír el resoplido de desaprobación de su tía.

Cuando comenzaba a tomarse la cuarta taza de café, el Crescent Limited saludó a otro tren que iba hacia el norte con un graznido, cual un ganso gigantesco, y cruzando el Chattahoochee se adentró en Alabama.

El río Chattahoochee es ancho, plano y fangoso. Ese día estaba bajo; un banco de arena amarilla había reducido su caudal hasta convertirlo en un hilo de agua. «Quizá cante en invierno[1]», pensó. «No recuerdo ni un verso de ese poema. ¿Era «Soplando mi flautín por valles agrestes[2]»? No. ¿Se lo dedicaba a un pato o a una cascada?».

Tuvo que reprimir con firmeza un conato de alborozo cuando cayó en la cuenta de que Sidney Lanier tenía que haberse parecido un poco a Joshua Singleton St. Clair, un primo suyo muerto hacía mucho tiempo cuyo coto literario privado se extendía desde el Cinturón Negro[3] hasta Bayou La Batre. Su tía solía ponerle a Joshua como un ejemplo familiar que no había que tomarse a la ligera: era hombre de espléndida figura, un poeta desaparecido en la flor de la vida, y ella haría bien en recordar que constituía un orgullo para la familia. Sus retratos les dejaban en buen lugar: el primo Joshua tenía la apariencia de un Algernon Swinburne un tanto andrajoso.

Jean Louise sonrió al recordar el resto de la historia, que le había contado su padre. El primo Joshua había desaparecido, sí, pero no por obra de Dios, sino de los servidores del César. Cuando estaba en la universidad, estudiaba demasiado y pensaba en exceso. De hecho, se consideraba a sí mismo salido directamente del siglo XIX. Vestía capa de estilo Inverness y calzaba botas militares de caña alta que le fabricó un herrero según un diseño propio. Las autoridades frustraron su intento de matar a tiros al rector de la universidad, quien a su modo de ver era poco más que un experto en limpiar cloacas, lo cual sin duda era cierto pero no justificaba una agresión a mano armada. Después de mucho trasiego de dinero, el primo Joshua fue retirado de la circulación e ingresado en una institución pública para desequilibrados, donde permaneció el resto de sus días. Decían que era un individuo cabal en todos los sentidos hasta que alguien mencionaba el nombre del rector. Entonces se le crispaba el rostro, adoptaba la postura de una grulla trompetera y así se quedaba ocho horas o más, sin que nada ni nadie pudiera hacerle bajar la pierna hasta que se olvidaba del rector. Cuando tenía un día lúcido leía griego, y dejó un pequeño volumen de versos que mandó imprimir a título privado a una empresa de Tuscaloosa. Era una poesía tan adelantada a su época que nadie la ha descifrado aún, pero la tía de Jean Louise la tenía expuesta como quien no quiere la cosa, en lugar bien visible, en una mesa del salón.

Jean Louise se rio en voz alta, y después miró alrededor para ver si alguien la había oído. Su padre sabía cómo socavar los sermones de su hermana sobre la superioridad intrínseca de los Finch: siempre le contaba a su hija lo que su tía se callaba, adoptando un aire calmoso y solemne, aunque Jean Louise a veces creía distinguir un inequívoco destello de irreverencia en los ojos de Atticus Finch. ¿O era solo la luz que se reflejaba en los cristales de sus gafas? Nunca lo supo.

El paisaje campestre y el tren se habían ido difuminando hasta convertirse en un suave balanceo, y no veía más que pastos y vacas negras desde la ventanilla hasta el horizonte. Se preguntaba por qué su tierra nunca le había parecido hermosa.

La estación en Montgomery estaba enclavada en un recodo del río Alabama y, al bajarse del tren para estirar las piernas y asaltarla su grisura, sus luces y sus curiosos aromas, sintió la familiaridad del reencuentro. «Pero falta algo», pensó. «Los cojinetes recalentados, eso es». Un hombre se tumba junto a los bajos del tren con una palanca. Se oye un ruido metálico y luego un s-sss-sss, sube un humo blanco y uno tiene la impresión de estar dentro de una vaporera. «Ahora estos cacharros funcionan con petróleo».

Sin motivo aparente, la inquietaba un antiguo temor. Hacía veinte años que no pisaba aquella estación, pero cuando de niña iba a la capital con Atticus le aterrorizaba que el tren, en su zarandeo, se precipitara por la ribera del río y acabaran todos ahogados. Sin embargo, cuando volvió a subir a bordo camino a casa, se olvidó de aquello.

El tren traqueteaba atravesando pinares, y tocó la bocina con aire guasón al pasar junto a una locomotora varada en un claro, con su chimenea campanuda y sus alegres colores, como una pieza de museo. Llevaba el cartel de una empresa maderera, y el Crescent Limited podría habérsela tragado entera y aún le habría quedado sitio. Greenville, Evergreen, Empalme de Maycomb.

Le había dicho al maquinista que no se olvidara de detener el tren para que se apeara y, como era un hombre mayor, adivinó la broma que iba a gastarle: pasaría por el Empalme de Maycomb a toda pastilla, detendría el tren seiscientos metros más allá de la pequeña estación y luego, al despedirse de ella, le diría que lo sentía, que casi se le había olvidado. Los trenes cambiaban; los maquinistas, no. Gastar bromas a las jovencitas en las estaciones donde el tren se detenía a petición del viajero era una marca de la casa, y Atticus, que era capaz de predecir lo que haría cada maquinista desde Nueva Orleans hasta Cincinnati, la estaría esperando, por tanto, ni a seis pasos de distancia del lugar donde tendría que apearse.

Su casa estaba en el condado de Maycomb, una circunscripción de unos ciento doce kilómetros de longitud y casi cincuenta en su punto más ancho, un desierto salpicado de diminutos asentamientos, el mayor de los cuales era Maycomb, la sede del gobierno local. Hasta una época relativamente reciente en su historia, el condado había estado tan apartado del resto del país que algunos de sus vecinos, ignorantes de las inclinaciones políticas del Sur en los últimos noventa años, seguían votando a los republicanos. Hasta allí no llegaba ningún tren: en realidad, el Empalme de Maycomb (al que se daba ese nombre por simple cortesía) estaba ubicado en el condado de Abbott, a treinta kilómetros de distancia. El servicio de autobuses era impredecible y no parecía llevar a ninguna parte, pero el Gobierno Federal había impuesto la construcción de una o dos carreteras que atravesaban los pantanos, dando así a los vecinos una oportunidad de salir y entrar a su antojo. Eran muy pocos, sin embargo, los que se servían de ellas, porque ¿para qué? Total, si uno se conformaba con poco, allí en Maycomb tenía de todo.

El condado y la ciudad llevaban el nombre de un tal coronel Mason Maycomb, un individuo cuya errónea confianza en sí mismo y cuya arrogante tozudez hicieron cundir el pasmo y la confusión entre quienes cabalgaron a su lado en las guerras contra los indios creek. El territorio donde operaba era vagamente montañoso por el norte y plano por el sur, en los márgenes de la llanura costera. El coronel Maycomb, convencido de que los indios aborrecían luchar en terreno llano, peinó en su busca el extremo norte del territorio. Cuando su general descubrió que Maycomb estaba vagando por las colinas mientras los creek acechaban en el sur, detrás de cada soto de pinos, le mandó a un emisario indio amigo con el mensaje: «Váyase al sur, maldita sea». Maycomb, persuadido de que aquello era un ardid de los creek para atraparlo (¿acaso su cabecilla no era un diablo pelirrojo y de ojos azules?), hizo prisionero al emisario indio y siguió avanzando hacia el norte hasta que sus tropas se perdieron sin remedio en el bosque virgen, quedándose sin participar en las guerras para desconcierto de todos.

Cuando hubieron pasado suficientes años para que el coronel Maycomb se convenciera por fin de que el mensaje podía ser, después de todo, auténtico, emprendió la marcha hacia el sur, y por el camino sus tropas se encontraron con colonos que avanzaban tierra adentro y que les informaron de que las guerras indias prácticamente habían terminado. Las tropas y los colonos entablaron tal amistad que con el tiempo llegaron a ser los antepasados de Jean Louise Finch. El coronel Maycomb, por su parte, siguió avanzando hasta lo que ahora es Mobile para asegurarse de que sus hazañas recibieran el reconocimiento debido. La versión oficial de la historia no coincide con la verdad, pero estos son los hechos tal y como pasaron de boca en boca con el paso de los años y como sabe todo vecino de Maycomb.

—… sus maletas, señorita —dijo el revisor.

Jean Louise lo siguió desde el vagón restaurante hasta su compartimento. Sacó dos dólares de la cartera: uno por rutina y otro por haberla sacado de apuros la noche anterior. El tren, como era de esperar, pasó como un rayo por la estación y se detuvo cuatrocientos metros después. Apareció el maquinista sonriendo y dijo que lo lamentaba, que casi se le va el santo al cielo. Jean Louise le devolvió la sonrisa y esperó con impaciencia a que el revisor colocara el escalón amarillo. La ayudó a bajar y ella le dio los dos billetes de dólar.

Su padre no la estaba esperando.

Miró vía arriba, hacia la estación, y vio a un hombre alto parado en el minúsculo andén. Se bajó del andén de un salto y corrió hacia ella.

Le dio un abrazo de oso, la apartó, la besó con fuerza en la boca y acto seguido la besó con delicadeza.

—Aquí no, Hank —murmuró ella, muy contenta.

—Calla, niña —dijo él sujetando su cara—. Te besaré en las escaleras del juzgado si quieres.

Quien ostentaba el derecho a besarla en las escaleras del juzgado era Henry Clinton, su amigo de toda la vida, el camarada de su hermano y, si seguía besándola de ese modo, su esposo. «Ama a quien quieras pero cásate con los de tu clase» era una sentencia que, en el caso de Jean Louise, equivalía a un instinto. Henry Clinton era de su clase, y a Jean Louise aquella sentencia ya no se le hacía particularmente dura.

Caminaron por la vía agarrados del brazo para recoger su maleta.

—¿Cómo está Atticus? —preguntó ella.

—Hoy tiene calambres en las manos y los hombros.

—No puede conducir cuando está así, ¿verdad?

Henry cerró a medias los dedos de la mano derecha y dijo:

—Solo puede cerrarlos hasta aquí. Cuando está así, la señorita Alexandra tiene que atarle los zapatos y abrocharle los botones de la camisa. Ni siquiera puede sostener la cuchilla de afeitar.

Jean Louise negó con la cabeza. Era demasiado adulta para quejarse de lo injusto que era aquello y demasiado joven para aceptar sin un conato de resistencia la enfermedad que estaba dejando inválido a su padre.

—¿No se puede hacer nada?

—Ya sabes que no —contestó Henry—. Se toma cuatro gramos de aspirina al día, eso es todo.

Levantó la pesada maleta y fueron caminando hacia el coche. Jean Louise se preguntó cómo se comportaría ella cuando le llegara la hora de tener dolores día tras día. No como Atticus: si le preguntabas cómo se encontraba, te lo decía, pero nunca se quejaba. Su talante se mantenía inalterable, de modo que, para descubrir cómo estaba, había que preguntárselo.

Henry descubrió su enfermedad por accidente. Un día que estaban en la sala de archivos del juzgado buscando la escritura de unas tierras, Atticus se puso de pronto totalmente blanco y soltó el pesado libro de hipotecas que llevaba entre las manos.

—¿Qué sucede? —preguntó Henry.

—Artritis reumatoide. ¿Puedes hacerme el favor de recogerlo? —dijo Atticus.

Henry le preguntó desde cuándo sufría aquella enfermedad y Atticus le respondió que desde hacía seis meses. ¿Lo sabía Jean Louise? No. Entonces, más valía que se lo dijera.

—Si se lo dices, vendrá enseguida y se empeñará en cuidarme. El único remedio para esto es no permitir que pueda contigo.

Y así quedó zanjado el tema.

—¿Quieres conducir?

—No seas tonto —le contestó ella.

Aunque conducía bastante bien, detestaba manejar cualquier cosa mecánica que fuera más complicada que un imperdible. Plegar una tumbona era para ella fuente de profunda irritación; nunca había aprendido a montar en bicicleta, ni a escribir a máquina, y pescaba con un palo. Su deporte favorito era el golf porque sus principios esenciales consistían en un palo, una pelotita y cierta disposición mental.

Verde de envidia, observó la maestría con que Henry manejaba el automóvil, sin el menor esfuerzo. «Los coches están a su servicio», pensó.

—¿Dirección asistida? ¿Transmisión automática? —preguntó.

—Faltaría más —respondió él.

—Ya, pero ¿y si todo se apaga y no tienes marchas que cambiar? Entonces tendrías problemas, ¿a que sí?

—Pero no va a apagarse.

—¿Cómo lo sabes?

—Para eso está la fe. Ven aquí.

Fe en la General Motors. Jean Louise reposó la cabeza sobre su hombro.

—Hank —le dijo al cabo de un rato—, ¿qué fue lo que pasó de verdad?

Era una vieja broma entre ellos. Debajo del ojo derecho de Hank comenzaba una cicatriz rosada que tocaba el borde de su nariz y corría en diagonal cruzando su labio superior. Detrás del labio tenía seis dientes postizos que no se quitaba ni siquiera por Jean Louise, por más que ella insistía en que se los mostrara. Había vuelto de la guerra con ellos. Un alemán le había golpeado en la cara con la culata de un fusil, más por expresar su desagrado por el fin de la guerra que por otra cosa. Jean Louise había decidido conceder credibilidad a su historia aunque, entre los cañones que disparaban más allá del horizonte, los B-17, las bombas V y otras cosas parecidas, era probable que Henry no hubiera visto a los alemanes ni de lejos.

—Está bien, cariño —dijo él—. Estábamos en un sótano, en Berlín. Todos habíamos bebido demasiado y comenzó una pelea… Porque quieres que te cuente algo creíble, ¿verdad? ¿Vas a casarte conmigo ya?

—Todavía no.

—¿Por qué?

—Quiero ser como el doctor Schweitzer[4] y seguir con la música hasta cumplir los treinta.

—Él tocaba bien —repuso Henry con un punto de amargura.

Jean Louise se revolvió bajo su brazo.

—Ya sabes lo que quiero decir —dijo.

—Sí.

No había un chico mejor que Henry Clinton, afirmaba la gente de Maycomb, y Jean Louise estaba de acuerdo. Henry era del extremo sur del condado. Su padre había abandonado a su madre poco después de su nacimiento, y ella había trabajado día y noche en su tiendecita del cruce para que Henry pudiera estudiar en la escuela pública de Maycomb. Henry vivía desde los doce años en una pensión, enfrente de la casa de los Finch, y eso por sí solo lo situaba en un plano superior: era dueño de sí mismo, libre de la autoridad de cocineras, jardineros y padres. También era cuatro años mayor que ella, lo cual suponía una gran diferencia en aquel entonces.

Henry se burlaba de ella; ella lo adoraba. Su madre murió cuando él tenía catorce años y no le dejó casi nada. Atticus Finch se ocupó del poco dinero que se obtuvo de la venta de la tienda (la mayor parte se fue en los gastos del funeral), añadió algo de su bolsillo sin que nadie se enterara y le consiguió un empleo a Henry como dependiente en Jitney Jungle después de clase. Henry se graduó y se alistó en el ejército, y después de la guerra fue a la universidad y estudió Derecho.

Más o menos en aquella época, un buen día, el hermano de Jean Louise murió de repente y, tras la pesadilla que supuso todo aquello, Atticus, que siempre había pensado en dejarle el bufete a su hijo, miró a su alrededor en busca de otro joven. Le pareció natural que ese joven fuera Henry y, a su debido tiempo, este se convirtió en su chico para todo, en sus ojos y sus manos. Henry siempre había respetado a Atticus Finch. Al poco tiempo el respeto se transformó en afecto, y desde entonces Henry le consideraba un padre.

A Jean Louise, en cambio, no la consideraba una hermana. En los años en que estuvo fuera, primero en la guerra y luego en la universidad, Jean Louise había pasado de ser una criatura malhumorada que vestía pantalones de peto y estiraba la goma de mascar, a convertirse en un razonable facsímil de un ser humano. Comenzó a salir con ella durante las visitas de dos semanas que ella hacía todos los años a casa, y aunque seguía moviéndose como un muchacho de trece años y renegaba de la mayor parte de los adornos femeninos, Henry veía algo tan intensamente femenino en ella que se enamoró. Era fácil encontrarla atractiva y fácil estar con ella, casi siempre, aunque no fuera, en ningún sentido de la palabra, una persona fácil. La afligía una inquietud de espíritu que Henry no alcanzaba a entender, y sin embargo estaba convencido de que eran el uno para el otro. La protegería, se casaría con ella.

—¿Cansada de Nueva York? —le preguntó.

—No.

Comentarios para Ve y pon un centinela

[vonze-1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

This book was a mixed experience. The thrill that it exists, the excitement of having new moments with classic characters, more of Lee’s writing style, and what-could-have-beens, as well as, the crash and burn when your favorite character, a hero for the ages, has morphed into a narrow-minded old man, fearful of change, on the wrong side of history.

It’s surreal. I feel like the Scout from “To Kill A Mockingbird” should wake up from a nightmare “Wizard of Oz” style and point to Atticus and say, “And you were there,” to Uncle Jack, “And you were there,” to Jem, “And you were kinda there,” and way over to Boo in corner, “And you weren’t there.”

Basically, you’ve probably already heard that readers travel down the rabbit hole when Scout returns to her hometown from the city to visit her aging father. While there, she reminisces about how the town has physically changed, her childhood, and teen years. There are some hilarious scenes about her further adventures with Jem and Dill, which ultimately make the book worth reading. However, the town and the people in it are also changing emotionally. Her high school crush is trying to press her into marriage, her heroes fall from grace, and she sees opposition to the rights of black citizens growing all around her. Scout is now an outsider, set like a watchman, as the people to whom she loves change.

Overall, if the characters names were changed and Harper Lee’s name removed, it would be a good but flawed book, belonging on the shelf with “The Help.” I would say that the main character was annoyingly naïve about her dad. She looks at her father as a blameless, perfect man. Apparently, she has never been angry with him before or had reason to think he is not a saint. Then she uncovers a hateful secret about him, the blindfold is off, and she has a meltdown. Instead of acting on her anger right away, either by calling him out or running away, as I would imagine an educated, independent woman would do, she mopes and mopes. She had no problem arguing with her aunt or expressing herself to her would-be boyfriend, but her dad is off-limits. Of course, if you know her dad is Atticus Finch, the character we all consider blameless, it makes sense. Change the name and you have no idea why she worships her father so much.

It’s a brave book, about a setting that a lot of authors would never touch. Few people could really capture it. Although I hate Atticus’ morph, I agree with other reviews, that realistically, there were a lot of men just like him during this era. But I can see why the publisher wasn’t keen on the story at the time. Prior to the realty tv world we live in, people wanted characters who were idealized, heroes who were all good and villains who were all bad.

To me the flashbacks of Scout’s childhood really stand out and shine. I think the publisher made the right call asking for a novel about her childhood. “To Kill A Mockingbird” is still superior. I wanted a little more development and backstory of adult Scout and elder Atticus in “Go Set A Watchman.” If you haven’t read or seen “To Kill A Mockingbird,” I don’t know how well “Go Set A Watchman” would stand on its own. But it is a thought-provoking read and well worth your time.

[davewilde-1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Much of the to-do in the media talks about Go Tell A Watchman as a sequel to Mockingbird. However, Although the events in Watchman take place twenty years after Mockingbird, it would be incorrect to think of these as a sequel. Watchman was actually written first. It was, apparently, submitted to a publisher who urged Lee to focus on Jean Louise's childhood and her father's famous trial. Told through the innocent eyes of a child, Mockingbird became an instant classic and a powerful piece of literature for the civil rights era. The message in Mockingbird was more subtle than in Watchman. It also captured vividly childhood innocence. Once Lee published Mockingbird, she never published another novel until in her old age the original Waychman manuscript was found and brought forth.
As a standalone novel, Watchman is a slow, ponderous story about a young lady's return to her small Southern hometown after living in New York. Returning to her home was incredibly disappointing. Her father who could do no wrong suddenly has feet of clay. This story is clearly about the civil rights era and it uses the opportunity to hit you over the head with its message. It's also a young woman's coming of age story ala Judy Blume.As an additional layer of depth overlaying Mockingbird, the book is interesting. It makes Atticus more complex, more nuanced. He may have defended Robinson, but he's still a Southerner.

[ridgewaygirl · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Scout, now called Jean Louise, returns to Maycombe, expecting the usual friction with her Aunt Alexandra about the expectations put on a young lady, but eager to spend time with her father, Atticus, who is now aging and struggling with arthritis, and with Henry, a childhood friend who is eager to marry her. What she finds instead is an onslaught of memories and that Atticus is not the man she thought he was. If you didn't know by now, this isn't a sequel or companion novel to Harper Lee's beloved To Kill a Mockingbird, but an earlier draft that her editor at the time suggested she rewrite, focusing on Scout's childhood. I'm not sure this book could have been published at that time, and the end of the book lacks both power and decisiveness. That said, having prepared to dislike Go Set a Watchman, I found it to be an entirely readable book, with much of the charm of the later book. It lacks coherence and the conflict at the heart of the book is resolved in a manner unsatisfying to a modern reader, but it isn't a bad book, let alone a stain on Lee's literary reputation. At the heart of the novel lies Jean Louise's disillusionment on discovering her father's racism. After having worshipped him as a hero for so long, her reaction is much stronger than her reactions on finding out that other people she knows share his abominable views. There's a powerful confrontation between the two that is simultaneously difficult to read and impossible to put down. There is so much honest anger and frustration in Scout. I found myself egging her on and frustrated when she didn't give as strong an argument as I wanted her to, arguments clearly put forth earlier in the book through her actions and experiences from her childhood. Which is one of the strengths of this book; while the climactic scene is open and raw, Lee still allows many of her most powerful arguments to exist quietly in scenes far removed from the one between Atticus and Jean Louise. While this is a flawed novel, with an abrupt and lackluster ending, it was a much better book that I had anticipated and it would be worth reading without Harper Lee's name behind it.

[christina_e_mitchell · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Please allow me to begin with a disclaimer. To Kill A Mockingbird is my favorite book. I read it for the first time, like many of us, in high school literature. I was in the honors class that term reading alongside the more well-to-do, predominantly white students of the school (class divides society in many ways that are often unquestioned), and I suddenly understood writing as a living substance extraordinarily exquisite. It is beauty that comes from themes, questions, risk, hurt, laughter, awareness, politics, faith, reality, hate, and love. I realized a book can raise one's consciousness to ideas and ideals never yet considered. For the first time I understood as a reader one struggles, rejoices, questions, decides, embraces, fights, agrees, and disputes. To Kill A Mockingbird touched my soul, cliché as it may sound, in a way that knocked me hard and laid me flat on the floor. I have never recovered. Every book I read, every book I rate, is placed in comparison to To Kill A Mockingbird. Following my reviews on Goodreads reveals that no book has made five stars in my ratings. That rating is reserved for To Kill A Mockingbird. I await the day when another book touches me as much.

Go Set A Watchman did not touch me as did To Kill A Mockingbird. However, I do not want anyone to read my comment only to jump on the disappointed bandwagon of woeful reviews that have garnered media space about the book. This book is beautiful. I am going to say this again. This book is beautiful. It is Ms. Lee's completion of the story of Scout Finch that needed to have its audience.

By now, everyone who follows the world of books knows Go Set A Watchman reveals Atticus Finch is a racist. Most reviews focus on this point and lament the loss of their icon...of their God. One reviewer I heard yesterday on NPR's The Takeaway stated how he felt incomplete with the ending because he wanted Atticus to say that all that was revealed was to purpose rather than a personal truth − that a happy ending was indeed secured with the reviewer's dear Atticus intact. I wonder if such reviewers cannot see the book except as a reflection of To Kill A Mockingbird. Have they placed upon its shoulders too much expectation and pressure? Now that I have read the book, I feel concentrating on this lamented loss is selfish of reviewers and, I believe, misses Ms. Lee's bigger point. The two Atticus Finch’s, the racist and the man who lives his life by justice, can co-exist. Fairness and equality do not necessarily co-habitate easily or cleanly in someone’s belief system. There exists justice and justice, right and right.

To read Go Set A Watchman requires us to reflect on ourselves. How exactly did we see our families when we are young? Was your dad your hero and God, as Atticus was Scout's? How many have experienced a wave of skeletons tumbling out of closets once the matriarch and/or patriarch of the family had died? All of a sudden, everything thought known about those who raised us is put into question. Did we accurately see what we witnessed? Did we see what we wanted to see? The truth is often hard to accept instead leaving us dazed, confused, and very often, angry. Do we cut off our family, or do we still love them when the truth is revealed and our heroes and Gods become human?

We must remember that no matter who Atticus was, and he appears to be a very complicated character (as complicated as any man or woman in existence), the way Scout experienced and witnessed Atticus developed her into the person she was — someone who did not run and who believed in equality. Should Atticus be chastised or applauded for Scout’s development? I think that is as difficult a question as the racial question in America itself. But, I believe in this book Harper Lee did what she needed to do. She made Atticus Finch human and birthed the rest of us into our own person to stand on our own two feet − and it was a bloody, violent, painful risk, but a risk needed.

[heggiep · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I started this book a couple of years ago at a cottage but put it aside when I returned home. Picking it up again during the current Confederate monuments debate and post-Charlottesville gave it immediacy. Sure, it's different from To Kill A Mockingbird. A somewhat different Atticus, a darker tale. I'm OK with that and very much enjoyed it.

[librarycin · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Jean-Louise (a.k.a. Scout) is now 26-years old and living in New York City. She comes home to visit her family and childhood friends, only to find either they have or she has changed, significantly.I listened to the audio, narrated by Reese Witherspoon, and she did a good job. Really, with To Kill a Mockingbird, I found most of that book, merely “ok”, as well, but it ended with a “good” rating (3.5 stars) from me, simply because of the trial. Go Set a Watchman had no trial to bring the rating and interest level up for me. So, except for the trial, I thought the book was comparable. Of course, I’m reading this after so many others already have, and the disappointment in Atticus wasn’t really there for me, because I’d already heard from others. Or, maybe it just didn’t bother me, as much?

[birdo82 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Sentimental fans of the original, and those who grew up with Atticus Finch as a role model and a beacon of equality, may feel literal empathy with Scout. Her emotions will be their emotions, as she and the reader both learn that role models are capable of the worst of human flaws, and the world has a dark side. But its these cringe-worthy moments, as well as the laughable ones, that add power to this far more adult-oriented, more literary work from Lee.

[katherinegregg · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Reese Witherspoon does a great job reading Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman. Scout Finch, now in her mid twenties and working in New York City, returns to her hometown of Maycomb, AL to visit her aging father Atticus. Set during the civil rights movement, Scout is disillusioned by the seeming prejudice she witnesses in her family and friends back home. Seeing a different side of Atticus whom she has worshipped her entire life delivers a crushing blow. Go Set a Watchman is beautifully written and just as good as To Kill a Mockingbird. Many of the same characters are still around but the times have changed.

[kamikaze2011-1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Jem is dead and that upset me furiously. I read TKAM before this, and I came into this knowing that I wasn't supposed to have read TKAM first, but Jem is dead the entire time and that truly upset me. Other than that, there were a few small nuances that irked me: Uncle Jack's batcrap crazy attitude, missing characters Dill and Maudie, and Calpurnia's lack of interest in her Scout. Henry was an interesting addition, as he is head over heels in love with a woman who will never marry him. Atticus is relatively the same as I viewed him in the first novel, actually. A friend of mine read this and told me to expect Scout to throw out all her morals, and Jean Louise Finch did not disappoint me, and only proved me to ask him what novel he had read. JLF kept her morals and her identity and she is a WONDERFUL character. Four stars for the few nuances I could't get over.

[rabbitrun_1 · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

Franchise killer. A good read for writing students, as this was the rough draft that Lee submitted to the publisher, who directed her to write the back story for this book, which ultimately became "To Kill a Mockingbird."

[srtsrt_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Even though I didn't want to read this book because I didn't want a childhood hero ruined, I'm glad I did. Atticus is much more realistic in this book, he is more true to life. The writing itself wasn't as polished as in To Kill a Mockingbird, I didn't care for they way most of the dialogue was (choppy). But I'm glad it was chosen for book club.

[pieter_goldhoorn · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

A story about a father and a daughter, but also a story about life in the Southern States of the US. The daughter comes bakc from New York for a 2 week holiday in the town where she was born. She still loves the people until she discovers that the way they think is fundamentally different from her ideas. The story starts very easy, until the moment the story changes from tone. Then you are drawn into the story violently and are forced to choose a side. That turns out to be difficult. For me the end is a bit weak, but the rest of the story still keeps me busy.

[gingermama-1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

While I can understand why some readers are disappointed with this book, with the portrayal of Atticus and other changes to the town and its inhabitants since the setting of "To Kill a Mockingbird", it seems to me that anyone who can read this story with an open mind will find that it has a lot to offer. Scout is now a young woman who's left behind her childhood nickname and goes by Jean Louise, a New York-dwelling college graduate on a visit back home to Maycombe. Set in -- as well as written in -- the 1950s, the civil rights movement is very much on her mind, and she's struggling with the changes taking place (or not taking place fast enough, in some cases).

Granted, this book doesn't have as strong an emotional impact of "Mockingbird", and the editor who read the draft and told Ms. Lee to go back and write the story of Jean Louise's childhood instead was absolutely right: that's where the better story lay. That said, this rejected manuscript is still miles better than much of what's been published in the last few years. There's real emotion here, sometimes bittersweet, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, but always honest. I suspect I'll remember this book for a very long time.

I listened to the audio version, brought beautifully to life by Reese Witherspoon, and would highly recommend it.

[enemyanniemae · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

This book both hurt my heart and warmed it at the same time. The subject matter was not pleasant and it was hard to realize that nothing was as it appeared in To Kill a Mockingbird. While there were the requisite funny stories about the young Jean Louise, her brother and friends, the undercurrent of unease that was TKAM is a tidal wave that washes over Jean Louise and threatens to completely do her in. I think I understand what Harper Lee was trying to do when she wrote this book. But it doesn't make it any easier to read and I know why her editor suggested she write about a younger Maycomb and younger Finches. I am infinitely grateful that she listened to her editor. I didn't dislike the book per se, but I will not say that I loved it. I love the way Harper Lee wrote and I laughed during the anecdotes about the young Scout. But it was hard to skip from a story about Scout at a school dance to Henry talking about why he has to work harder and keep his nose cleaner than anyone else's. It was hard to witness the prejudice and mistrust that pervaded everything. It was hard to be there when the rose colored glasses were knocked off Jean Louise's nose and crushed in the dirt. But altogether, it was a good book and I am glad that I listened to it. What I am NOT glad about is the absolutely horrendous narration by Reese Witherspoon. It seemed to me that she simply read the text. She made no character differentiations so at times I had difficulty figuring out who was talking. She overacted in places that did not need it and read flatly in other places that needed livening up. Her narration was so bad that I will be donating my audiobook to the library. I will never listen to it again. I'll buy a hardcover copy so that I will have soething to refer to, should the need arise. Maybe it's just that TKAM was beautifully narrated by Sissy Spacek. I am so sorry that Harper Audio was not able to get her to read GSAW. I am certain that my review would be much different if she had. I would recommend this title for anyone who really wants to read it but I would not blindly suggest it as I would TKAM.

[sianpr · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

A coming of age story as Scout, Jean Louis Finch, comes home to Maycomb, Alabama from New York to discover that her father, Atticus Finch, holds some unpalatable views. Set in the heat of the civil rights movement, race and racism loom large in this sequel to Kill a Mocking Bird and there are times when it reads more as a polemic than a novel.

[m_mozeleski · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I started off skeptical about this book, and some of the things in the middle were a bit of a drag to read, but hoop-boy did it have a punch. Scout's/Jean Louise's character development was lovely. Kinda wish I'd gotten to know Hank a mite better but that was well done as well.

I will need another read, and if I could rate it out of ten it wouldn't get a perfect score, but it is definitely a must-read.

[sturlington_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

I waited a while to read (listen to) this because I wanted to avoid being tainted by the controversy when the book was first published. But I do agree with those early critiques. This is clearly not a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, but an early draft, when Lee was still working out her themes and characters. It is more than a bit heavy-handed and not nearly as good, although the seeds of her masterpiece are there, particularly in the childhood scenes. Did not finish.

[jody12-1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

The long awaited sequel to Harper Lee’s classic has proved to be a slightly painful experience for some fans. The majority of our group were, to say the least, underwhelmed with it. Others found it totally unreadable, and then some found it impossible to believe Lee even wrote it!Why? When the author is credited with writing one of the best novels of all time! Good question … and one we tried (in vain) to answer. Much of the disappointment is seeded in the downfall of Atticus and the annoying immaturity of the adult Scout, but there were also several comments concerning the quality of the writing. Those of us who believe To Kill a Mockingbird to be one of the greats found it a stretch of the imagination that Lee could produce such a light weight novel. With a little research into its publication, as a group we decided that the publishers who first read Watchman, turned Lee down for good reason. In fact, they probably did her a huge favour as, apparently, she then went on to write Mockingbird.We did have some more positive opinions expressed. Those who enjoyed the Watchman sequel found it to be a realistic telling of the times. The fear of changes that were to come with the NAACP would have been widespread, and Atticus could not help but be influenced and guided by them. And Scout’s disillusionment and subsequent rebuking of her father gave her character the ideology of the young, something many parents received during such tumultuous times. It could be said that Mockingbird itself might well be Watchman’s worst enemy. For if you have had Atticus and Scout on a pedestal for 50 years, you are not likely to welcome a story that brings them crashing to earth! But in the end, if you want a conclusion to the Mockingbird tale, Go Set a Watchman is what’s on offer. As readers, we then have the power to accept or reject. Which will you do?

[wellreadcatlady · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Go Set A Watchman is no To Kill A Mockingbird, its not a sequel (even though it can be read like one mistakenly), and it’s obviously a early version of a story that needs some work. The focus is on Scout visiting home from New York after segregation has been deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Jean Louise realizes her father and her love interest are racists and it shatters her image of her father and her town. Some plot points lead no where, there are long speeches that are confusing, and frankly there are just some characters and events I don’t care about. There is a good moral story, stand up for your beliefs and don’t runaway from a challenge.

I believe Go Set a Watchman will become a footnote in literary history. It won’t become a classic that is taught in school like To Kill A Mockingbird is and there really is no comparing the two. Watchman can stand on its own as a decent book, but clearly it led to a better formed book and does not take anything away from Mockingbird. It can easily be seen as a sequel with the thinking that Mockingbird is from Scout’s perspective as a child and then as an adult in Watchman she finds out about the real Atticus, but this is wrong. They are not the same characters and its not the same story. The book is enjoyable on its own, it has its faults, but overall its a good story. 3.5/5

[lynnb_64 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Jean Louise (Scout) Finch is all grown up and living in New York City. She spends her annual vacation with her father in Maycomb, Alabama. In this novel, we see another side of Atticus Finch. He is not the role model for non-discrimination that we saw in To Kill a Mockingbird. In fact, the main theme of this novel is Scout learning to deal with her father as a fallible -- and racist -- man. To Scout, it seems as if her world is disintegrating before her eyes, causing her to question what she thought to be true about the people she loves. It's a good story and Scout remains one of my favourite characters. However, I thought the writing got to be too "preachy" in how the author tied to get her concluding messages across. Lots of speechifying instead of more realistic dialogue.

[mel.davidoff · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

This book really made me appreciate how skilled an editor Harper Lee must've had, to pull the timeless work that To Kill a Mockingbird out of this, which is utterly of its time. Had this book been published in place of To Kill a Mockingbird, it would've been a perfectly appropriate coming-of-age tale for the time it was published, albeit one which is incredibly on the nose. At a certain point, it would've been allowed to gracefully fall out of print. As it is, it stands as a relic of another time and does not feel particularly interesting to read in 2015.

[dmbkel41-1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Because it's the author it is, I reallllly wanted to like this book and find that point where things just picked up and took off for me, and it just never happened. I got the message, I got why these stories are important to be told, but it just didn't click for me personally. Sorry Scout, you still have a big ol' spot in my heart!

[reinadecopiaypega · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I was made aware of the controversy surrounding this book when I became a member of this site last month.

I was under the impression when I first heard of it, like many others, that it was a sequel and a complete continuance of where Mockingbird left off and that could not be further from the truth. This is a totally separate book and has very little to do with Mockingbird. From what I was made to understand from the Head Librarian at my local branch, this book was written before Mockingbird and scrapped, never intending to publish it. She re-wrote the entire book and it was published as To Kill a Mockingbird, which practically everybody loves, especially Scout and Atticus.

I loved this book and view it as a totally separate book with a new storyline and am not comparing the two at all, though I like both very much.

If you can separate that this book is not picking up where Mockingbird left off and just enjoy it as an original story which the author wrote then changed her mind about and re-wrote it changing a great deal of it, then you will probably like it.

If you have Atticus as the paragon of virtue and Scout as a scrappy father adoring child in your minds forever, then perhaps you will not be happy. I was. A

[asawyer_21 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

What a wonderful opportunity to read more from Harper Lee! While this isn't up to par with To Kill a Mockingbird (ask any writer, an unedited draft never is), but it's amazing to see how the editor pulled Mockingbird from this first draft. Harper Lee clearly created such a detailed and complex world around her story to where any piece of it could be a rich and rewarding story. Ms Lee's turn of the english language and ways of simply conveying profound understandings is truly amazing. While the "take home" from this book is much different, it was fun to read a follow-up story and visit with Scout and Atticus again. Everyone should have a crazy Uncle Jack...

[trayceetee · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I have to start off by saying that I listened to this as an audiobook--read by Reese Witherspoon. I'm a big fan of Ms. Witherspoon, and I know she's a true Southerner, so I believe that really helped her set the tone of the book....

I loved this story! I've been a fan of "To Kill a Mockingbird" for ages. I was afraid to read "Watchman", after hearing some people say they were disappointed by this book. However, it was just as rich and true and heartwarming as the first, in my opinion!

Many people have told me they were disappointed in Atticus--it worried me, that perhaps he did something completely unethical, unthinkable, inhumane. And I suppose, to Scout's mind, he did... but it was nowhere near as bad as I'd feared! In the end, it's about Scout learning that Atticus is NOT a god, he is a man, and he is fallible, and he can make mistakes. I believe what he does in this story is possibly a mistake, possibly not, depending on how each reader looks at it. I appreciate that being left to interpretation!

I definitely recommend this book!!!

[begivens · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I needed an audiobook for my drive today and I am pleased with my decision. I was worried about Reese Withersoon being the narrator, but I think she did a really good job. I loved the way the book was written and I love the woman Jean Louise is in the novel and I think she's a strong, well developed character as I had hoped.

[rosechimera-1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I felt like this book fixed "To Kill a Mockingbird". I loved "To Kill a Mockingbird". It was an important book that probably helped people come to terms with some things by putting it a "white savior" context that wasn't too threatening. "Go Set a Watchman" is probably a little more like reality. The noble white savior has some fucked up race issues, and the even more noble enlightened white champion also has some fucked up race issues. "Go Set a Watchman" would not have had the positive impact that "To Kill a Mockingbird" did, but released in this time, it is an important window into things are still happening: a blind and egregiously false perspective of the "other", a lack self-awareness, lack of awareness of the realities of others, and flawed, obstructive allies.
Good Audiences for This Book:
Voyeurs into White Racist Culture that Denies It Is Racist (If you can't get a copy, you can just stand around most places and look around for a while)
People with White Racist Family Members or Coworkers You Have Muted on Facebook

[suniru_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

I really wish I had known that this was written in the 1950’s and set aside for 60 years. I was cringing while reading thinking of all those kids/adults out there whose parents had named them after Atticus. I couldn’t understand the direction of the characters viewed as post To Kill a Mockingbird. However, the book as insight into TKaM is very interesting.

[lamour_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Set in the 1950's as the Civil Rights Movement is in its infancy, it sees Scout coming home from New York for her annual visit with her father, Atticus, Uncle Jack, Hank who everyone thinks she will marry and Aunt Alexandra. When she sees her father introduce a racist at a meeting of the Maycomb Council where Hank is present too, her whole world collapses. How she sorts this all as she plans to flee back to New York is the conclusion of the novel.Lee includes flashbacks to explain some what occurs.

[the13tale · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

I didn't plan to read this one (I love TKM and didn't want to ruin it) But I was bookless with time to kill and it was on sale. That said, I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. (Admittedly the bar was set pretty low.) At the beginning I read it like a continuation of TKM and didn't really like it, it was just too different and it was hard to get back into the story. So I tried reading it independently from TKM, that was ok but not great either. Eventually there are more familiar people and places and it is a little easier to read as TKM year later. There were some character I missed but the story does work without them. And to end this on an unpopular opinion note I really liked Atticus in this one, he seemed more human. I suppose an argument could be made that TKM Atticuss is Atticus from young Scout's point of veiw while GSaW Atticus is told from an adult's perspective but, especially after reading this, Atticus almost seems too good in TKM, just a thought