Heather reviewed Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee
Review of 'Go Set A Watchman' on 'Goodreads'
This was always going to be tricky. TKAM is a rite of passage as a young reader (my daughter read it aged 13 and was captivated from beginning to end). It captures the magic of childhood and leaves you feeling enriched (horrible word but it's the right one). I picked up GSAW knowing it couldn't be the same, but I wasn't sure how it would be different.
Scout is the protagonist. Essentially the story is of her inability to come to terms with the explicit tension that's grown in the South between the NAACP and the white community and how betrayed she feels by Atticus, who raised her to be so straight and colour blind but yet is reluctant to see the South run by "backward" "negroes" - both words used in the book. What Scout learns is that Atticus' lightning rod, his watchman, is his equal treatment of the …
This was always going to be tricky. TKAM is a rite of passage as a young reader (my daughter read it aged 13 and was captivated from beginning to end). It captures the magic of childhood and leaves you feeling enriched (horrible word but it's the right one). I picked up GSAW knowing it couldn't be the same, but I wasn't sure how it would be different.
Scout is the protagonist. Essentially the story is of her inability to come to terms with the explicit tension that's grown in the South between the NAACP and the white community and how betrayed she feels by Atticus, who raised her to be so straight and colour blind but yet is reluctant to see the South run by "backward" "negroes" - both words used in the book. What Scout learns is that Atticus' lightning rod, his watchman, is his equal treatment of the local black people in terms of manners and fairness in law, rather than necessarily believing that blacks and whites are completely equal in ability and level of civilization.
This book therefore is harsher than TKAM, but Scout, or Jean Louise as she's referred to, is recognisable and although this book was written before TKAM you can see the progression from its events to GSAW. Hand on heart I didn't enjoy it as much but I think it would have been impossible because it followed such a flawless book. I found it a bit rambly and waffly, but that's a particular pet hate of mine (espcially just having read The Little Parish Bookshop which was a waffly nightmare). It was lovely to meet Calpurnia and Atticus again and see that Scout was still the same person underneath. Some parts were very enjoyable, but I found Dr Finch really maddening. I could have done with less existential agony, but that's what this book is. I could see overlaps with The Help - Aunt Alexandra's 'Coffee' is brilliantly, awfully toe-curling.
In the end, sad to say, I was quite relieved to finish it, but I'm glad I read it.