Just a book review about Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

My blog is slowly turning into a shrine for Judith McNaught and psychological thrillers so to rectify this, here is a serious review about a little-known book called Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee.

To be perfectly frank, the thought of reading this book didn't fill me will joy. Don't get me wrong, I ADORED To Kill a Mockingbird but the idea of an iffy sequel randomly appearing after one million years, AND just after Harper Lee's sister/carer had died, worried me, but with a reluctant heart, I picked up Go Set a Watchman yesterday and I am so glad I did. Three words that describe this book in my opinion would be wonderful, heartbreaking and disappointing.

Go Set a Watchman follows twenty-six-year-old Scout (now known by her real name Jean Louise) on her annual visit home to Maycomb. I read To Kill a Mockingbird well over a year ago (for the first time ever. I know, shame on me) and had forgotten quite a lot until I started reading Watchman and all the memories came flooding back. I remembered how much I loved the subtle current of humour and charm that thankfully runs through Go Set a Watchman too and relished the wonderful flashbacks to Scout as an adolescent that take up practically the first half of the book.

The book does not have much of a plot, it's more of a character exploration and whether I found a person's actions right or wrong, they were all rich and beautifully crafted, coming alive on the page. I found Aunt Alexandra and her brother Jack to be the real gems of the piece. Here is one of my favourite quotes from Go Set a Watchman that shows off Harper Lee's subtle sense of humour and the character perfectly:


'When Alexandra went to finishing school, self-doubt could not be found in any textbook, so she knew not it's meaning...'

p.28 Go Set a Watchman


Now onto our protagonist. I found grown-up Scout/Jean Louise to be an absolute joy - still the same witty, boyish, headstrong girl we know and love from Mockingbird. She will never bend to anyone's will with a wonderful eloquent stubbornness that I adored. She sticks to her guns for what she believes is right. There are not enough Scouts in the world.

When we find out about Atticus, the reader feels betrayed like Scout and we can share in her anger and disillusionment at a man in her eyes (and ours) who could do no wrong, until now. The one downside for me, like most people, was Atticus. I just can't get my head around it. For everything that Atticus represented, and the powerful lines about humanity in To Kill a Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman shouldn't have been published to preserve this character's legacy.

To anyone thinking of reading it but are put off by what you have heard in the media and other reviews, just read it. It's a beautifully written, powerful book and incredible that it was only a first draft (obviously tarted up a fair bit, but still). It has Harper Lee 'written' all over it and I just wish she had published more novels in her lifetime.

You can buy Go Set a Watchman on Amazon (here).

Now to restore the balance of my blog, I am off to reread a Judith McNaught ... and you think I'm joking.

Until next time.