Monday 3 August 2015

Go Set A Watchman

Harper Lee
   I am not showing the cover of this book because I am sad that it was published.  Harper Lee never wanted publicity for herself and said that she would never publish another novel.   
   Even though she won the Pulitzer Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and other honorary degrees, she declined to speak publicly.
   Here is a quote from Harper Lee :" I was hoping for a quick and merciful death at the hands of the reviewers but, at the same time, I sort of hoped someone would like it enough to give me encouragement.  Public encouragement.  I hoped for a little, as I said, but I got rather a whole lot, and in some ways this was just about as frightening as the quick, merciful death I'd expected".
   Well, now she is getting a ton of publicity that I imagine she would hate!
   She wrote one book that she wanted to stand alone.  And it should have continued standing alone.  It was a masterpiece and the recent publication seems to have defamed it.  I am sad for Harper Lee.

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   So it is apparent that I was not ready to enjoy this book, but needed to see what the hype was about.
   I attempted to read it to my husband on a recent road trip around Lake Superior.
  One thing is clear- it is not a good readaloud!  Another thing is clear- I hated it!
   There were several times that whole paragraphs were given to sentence fragments.
  On other occasions, I stopped and said, "What is that about?"
  I will admit that, as Jean Louise was reminiscing about her childhood,I enjoyed a few of the anecdotes.

But the character of Jean Louise is arrogant, obnoxious, sanctimonious, cranky and completely unlikeable.
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The circumstances around this book are suspicious.  Harper Lee has had a stroke, and is partially blind and deaf, wheelchair-bound, living in an assisted living facility.  
Her sister, who was her agent, died last year.
I think it is wrong to publish this book!

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