Reviews

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

asparrow29's review

3.0

It was no where near as great as I had hoped for. I wanted to read the book on its own, rather than a sequel to TKAM- since I hadn't read it in many, many years but it was nearly impossible as Lee's rendition of characters and plot lines were all over the place. Still a huge fan of To Kill a Mockingbird, as it was probably the first novel to make me fall in love with reading, but Go Set a Watchman was subpar.

dany_abra's review against another edition

funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

sanjana_argula's review

3.0

This is a quote from the book that explains a lot about Atticus, Scout and the Finches to me and gives a clear picture of both To Kill a Mockingbird and now Go Set a Watchman. Jean Louise says to Atticus:

"You now, you treat all people alike. I've never in my life seen you give that insolent, back-of-the-hand treatment half the white people down here give Negroes just when they're talking to them, just when they're asking them to do something. There's no get-along-there-nigger in your voice when you talk to them."

"Yet you put out your hand in front of them as a people and say 'Stop here. This is as far as you can go!'"

monkya's review

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

joshuaray's review

4.0

In Go Set a Watchman, we return along with Jean Louise “Scout” Finch to Maycomb, Alabama. But we, like Scout, discover all is not as we left it when we last were there.

For a mini-review and some quotes, head over to my blog

big_dreamer's review against another edition

2.0

Mamma mia che delusione.
Non avevo aspettative molto alte, visto quanto ho amato Il buio poterla siepe e, soprattutto, dopo aver letto che questo romanzo fu rifiutato dalla casa editrice, che chiese all'autrice di concentrarsi sull'episodio, narrato in un flashback, del processo in cui Atticus difende un negro da un'accusa di stupro.
Non avevo aspettative molto alte, ma sono comunque rimasta delusa.
Ho capito l'intento di voler far comprendere a Scout che suo padre non è un dio, ma non ho apprezzato le modalità troppo rudi e dirette con cui giunge a questa conclusione. Avrei preferito lo avesse fatto per gradi e non nelle ultime 15 pagine. A distanza di vent'anni, Scout sembra ancora la ragazzina che accetta le cose per come stanno, solo perché un adulto le dice che sono così. Non ha un evoluzione di pensiero, non fa un vero e proprio ragionamento.

emo_erudite's review

adventurous challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

sarahtribble's review

5.0

Full review: http://thesepapertowns.blogspot.com/2015/08/go-set-watchman-by-harper-lee-2015.html

I did not think that Go Set a Watchman would be a coming-of-age story, and I did not think coming-of-age stories could be written about twenty-eight-year-olds, so Harper Lee's second book in fifty-five years surprised me to no end, because it's the most cutting-edge -- and cut throat -- coming-of-age story I've read since The Perks of Being a Wallflower. A lot of people are giving Go Set a Watchman bad reviews -- if you've read it already, you'll know why -- but I couldn't help but love every second of this sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird. Like its predecessor, GSaW is smart and fun and witty and oh so potent with its social commentary, but with the added advantage of hardcore nostalgia: those of us who never thought we'd ever see Maycomb again can revel in how it is exactly the same, but also entirely different, for better or for worse. In short: I'll stand by you, Harper Lee, even when the rest of the world stands against us. I missed Jean Louise Finch too much to write you off, but even without the nostalgia, Go Set a Watchman earned from me five stars that I feel are well-deserved.

nikla88's review against another edition

3.0

Mi è difficile scrivere una recensione di questo libro perchè credo di non averlo capito a fondo, forse dovrei rileggerlo.
Mi spiego meglio, la prima parte l'ho trovata confusionaria, non capivo bene il messaggio/i che l'autore cercava di trasmettere, era molto lento, tornava spesso a ritornare sugli stessi passi e poi non ho apprezzato le decine di citazioni ad autori per me sconosciuti, forse perchè sono europea? Boh.

Ha ripreso ritmo e un obiettivo più chiaro nei capitoli in cui Scout ripensava a vari momenti del suo passato da ragazzina delle scuole superiore, lì ho riconosciuto il modo di scrivere e i personaggi de "el buio oltre la siepe". Il finale non è stato da meno, finalmente era chiaro il titolo e lo scopo del libro, ma che fatica arrivarci.

carrieshep's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25