Lee is just such a fantastic storyteller, and I’m sad this is the only book she has released (we’ll discuss the sequel to To Kill A Mockingbird later…). I felt like I flew through this novel, I was so engrossed with the characters and their lives, and I absolutely adore Scout and Atticus. However, once I got used to the writing style, I was sold – hook, line and sinker. It took me a little while to get accustomed to the style of this book, even though it is described as being “young adult”, I don’t think the writing is comparable to a modern YA novel. This book hit the jackpot for me and I’m unbelievably chuffed to have discovered it! A witty and thought-provoking anti-racism novel, with wonderful characters, which I would call ahead of its time. It wasn’t part of my curriculum when I studied English Literature at school, but when I started my blog I wanted to get to grips with more classics, to at least try them and see if there were any I enjoyed.
I’d always considered To Kill A Mockingbird a classic, and because of my general aversion for classics, I stayed away from it. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man’s struggle for justice. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the thirties. Goodreads Synopsis: ‘Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.’ A lawyer’s advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee’s classic novel – a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. I’ve included a selection of other covers from across the years too.To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, (my edition) published June 2010 by Arrow Books. More info with work in progress on Sarah’s site and you can buy the book from Barnes and Noble as well.
Even more impressed when I saw what she’s come up with for it, love the detail of the hole in the tree trunk where Boo Radley leaves his gifts on the spine. Being that it is one of her favourite books, this is a lifetime dream and I was really pleased for her when I found out. The reason for this post though is that my friend Sarah ‘Inkymole’ Coleman was asked to illustrate the cover for the American 50th anniversary edition I just found out. I read this in school and it was probably the first ‘proper’ book to affect me, even though I haven’t read it for 25 years or more I can still remember passages of the book and being enthralled by it. There’s a lot of talk about Harper Lee’s classic at the moment being that it’s 50 years since its original publication and I’m going to jump on the bandwagon and declare my love for it.
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