Harper Lee fans

[KarenB]

I am sad to say I never read To Kill a Mockingbird. However, I purchased it as well as Go Set a Watchman. Should I read one before the other?

Thanks!

 

[NotUrsula]

Go Set a Watchman is a draft version of the story that eventually became Mockingbird. (Despite the publisher's hype, it is NOT really a "second novel" by Harper Lee. It's an earlier version of the same story, told in past-tense rather than in present-time narration. Watchman is told from the POV of an adult remembering events, while Mockingbird is told from the POV of a child experiencing the same events.)

I would say that if you want to read them in a way that shows the maturation of the story, read Watchman first, then Mockingbird. If you prefer the idea of seeing the story in present time and then in memory for more logical narrative flow, then you may want to do the opposite.

Just remember that Mockingbird was honed and edited to a fare-thee-well, while Watchman is essentially a rejected draft. Thus, the quality of the writing in Mockingbird is much better. That makes it hard for some readers to deal with the less polished presentation of Watchman without feeling disappointed.

 

[Monykalyn]

I love To Kill a Mockingbird so much that I refuse to read the earlier, inferior draft. TKaM is a classic for a reason-read it first. and then again and again. Then think if you want to read an earlier version. But from the reviews I'd hate for you to read Watchman and then decide it's not worth reading Mockingbird or read Mockingbird jaded from Watchman. I am in no way a literary snob, but I also won't read or finish a book if it is just awful (50 shades of Grey for example)

 

[KarenB]

Great information...thanks!

 

[NewRVLady]

I agree
To Kill a Mo ckingbird is such a classic- and she herself never liked the other book
I would only read the classic book

 

[ford family]

My understanding of the origins of the Harper Lee novels is somewhat different.
It appears that she wrote one novel only, a story based in the time of Go Set a Watchman but with numerous flashbacks to when Scout was a young girl.
The original publisher was unexcited with the overall novel but felt that the flashbacks on their own contained the nub of a good story so she encouraged Harper Lee to extract those and create To Kill a Mockingbird set in that earlier time period.
Go Set a Watchman has been described as the unused elements from the original story put together simply to make money. I found it a poor read and only finished the book out of a sense of obligation to the quality of its predecessor.

ford family

 

[moon]

I was so excited when I learned there was a sequel to TKAM! All those beloved characters, what became of them?

Without spoiling it, I will say that finding out what the book was about was such a HUGE letdown. I refuse to read this book, and will pretend it never saw the light of day.

There's good reason Harper Lee refused to publish it for so many years, and now she just suddenly had a change of heart?..I don't believe she really approved this.

I just hope that so called sequel doesn't taint one of the best novels ever written. To me, Atticus was always my ideal of a father, and and I won't let anything change that.

 

[jenrose66]

I am sad to say I never read To Kill a Mockingbird. However, I purchased it as well as Go Set a Watchman. Should I read one before the other?

Thanks!

I haven't read To Kill a Mockingbird since high school. I am currently reading it again in preparation to read Go Set a Watchman. I think it's important to refresh myself with who Atticus was in the first book in order to compare him to how he is in the second book, since that seems to be an important theme.

 

[asta]

I do not think Go Set A Watchman is a draft of To Kill A Mockingbird. It is set during a later period with flashbacks to an earlier time. I am reading it but only as far as chapter 8. The one thing that makes me mad is the bad reviews of the whole book based on people not liking the characters. So far the characters ring true for their time. Time and experiences change people. I am looking forward to reading about the authors original Atticus verses some idolized version.

 

[daannzzz]

If you are going to read both I suggest you read "To Kill a Mockingbird" first and then wait a bit to read "Go Set a Watchman" While "Watchman" is definitely a bit rough in form it still has an interesting story. I think part of the fascinating feeling we get reading "Watchman" is that after growing up with "To Kill A Mockingbird" we all feel what Scout feels in the new book.

 

[Anesthesia Fine]

TKAM is definitely the superior read, but Watchman sets up a very interesting contrast. I definitely don't blame anyone for not finishing Watchman (it's really not as good, though there are a couple of scenes that I truly enjoyed) but I wasn't going to condemn it without actually reading at least part of it for myself. I liked this article's take on it:

...it’s a long overdue lesson that even our greatest heroes are flawed. We need to see that the people—fictional or otherwise—that we hold up as being the best among us are not always what we want them to be. Watchman’s Atticus should act as a mirror for white people who consider themselves to be progressive and anti-racist. Rather than ignoring him or writing him off, we need to look him square in the face and ask ourselves in what ways we might be like him.

 

[Kalliope]

I agree
To Kill a Mo ckingbird is such a classic- and she herself never liked the other book
I would only read the classic book

She never wanted GSAW published and I don't believe she is in her right mind to consent to have it published now.

 

[Deb in IA]

She never wanted GSAW published and I don't believe she is in her right mind to consent to have it published now.

Harper Lee was famous for adamantly never publishing anything after To Kill A Mockingbird.
While Go Set a Watchman MAY be an accurate reflection of the ambivalence regarding racial justice in the South of that era, I do not feel that justifies a clear money grab by people who I believe are preying on a now-aged, mentally confused post-stroke author.

I will not buy it. I will not read it. I do not want my memories of Atticus, Scout and Jem to be tarnished by this piece of trash that was never meant to be published.

 

[NotUrsula]

I agree that this is a full-on money grab by Harper Lee's attorney and publisher. Rest assured that we haven't seen the last of the "Undiscovered Harper Lee" -- they are going to do everything that they possibly can to enlarge the value of her estate.

Her royalties from Mockingbird average $3M per year, and she lives a VERY simple life. The money has been piling up for years, ever since she gave up her NYC home to retire permanently to Alabama. Her elder sister Alice (an attorney who had been in practice with their father) managed her financial affairs for most of her life, Alice died last winter, still sharp at age 101. Alice successfully sued Harper Lee's former agent two years ago after it was discovered that he tricked the author into signing over the TKAM copyright to him; so that kind of flat-out deceit won't fly again. What appears to be going on now is perfectly legal, and it can be argued that it's all to Harper Lee's benefit, though the ethics of it are questionable at best.

Here's the thing, Harper Lee has absolutely no family left alive, no legal heirs, so her estate is going to take on a life of its own for quite a while. The executor of her estate is the law firm co-founded by her father, in which her present attorney is a partner, The executor is entitled to take a percentage of the value of the estate in executor's fees. Therefore, the firm has a vested interest in deliberately increasing the value of the estate as much as they can, even though their client has no need or desire for additional income.
I think it's a very ugly situation.

 

[bookgirl]

TKAM is my favorite book. GSAW was a logical progression of character, it was authentic to its time. Not well written, not edited, lots of rough draft problems, but still it rang true to Harper Lee's voice. My problem was that I didn't like Scout very much so I didn't care about her. However I'm glad I read it. I will still love TKAM, and read it often, but I probably won't ever read GSAW again.