I get the distinct feeling that Harper Lee only allowed this book to be published because a) she just didn’t care any more, and b) maybe it would stop people from pestering her about publishing (and honestly, shame on those people squeezing a profit out of this!) Go Set A Watchman is not a complete novel. It’s barely even a second draft, and would barely be of interest if not for the canonical status of To Kill A Mockingbird. Even so, there are critical differences between the two books in both fact and tone: don’t go into reading this expecting it to be a sequel, as it isn’t really the same characters and is definitely NOT a continuation of events from TKaM. It’s an attempt by Ms Lee at tackling important issues of racism and family but it’s not good, and you can see why she abandoned it in favor of writing, presumably later, the exemplary TKaM. Anyway, I hope this buys her a permanent respite from the vultures around her (who should seriously be ashamed of themselves for the naked money-grubbing that obviously motivated the publication of this novel.)
Oct 14 2015
Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee
- By Doreen Sheridan in Doreen, Literature
-
October 14, 2015
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2015/10/14/go-set-a-watchman-by-harper-lee/
Recent Posts
- Hugo Awards 2026: Best Graphic Story or Comic June 13, 2026
- Tantalizing Tales — June 2026 — Part Two June 12, 2026
- The Mystery Of The Stolen World Cup Trophy by Angela Cervantes June 11, 2026
- Murder Summer! June 10, 2026
- Hugo Awards 2026: Best Short Story Nominees June 9, 2026
- Mount Verity by Therese Bohman June 8, 2026
- Hugo Awards 2026: Best Related Work June 7, 2026
- Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite June 6, 2026
- Tantalizing Tales — June 2026 — Part One June 5, 2026
- Notre-Dame: The World’s Cathedral by Lynn Curlee June 4, 2026
Contributors
Categories
Tag Cloud
Al
Alternate History
Art
Auf Deutsch
Autobiography
Children's
Doreen
Doug
Dystopia
Eastern Europe
England
Excerpt
Fabulous Ones
Fantasy
Feminism
Fiction
Games
Germany
Graphic Novel
Graphic Novels
Historical Fiction
History
Horror
Hugo Finalist
Humor
LGBTQIA
Literature
Middle Grade
Mystery
Mythology
Non-fiction
Novella
Poetry
Politics
Religion
Romance
Russia
Science
Science Fiction
Short Stories
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Tantalizing Titles
Thriller
Urban Fantasy
Young Adult