Reviews

Nezabíjajte vtáčika by Štefan Kýška, Harper Lee, Karel Teissig

serinde4books's review against another edition

5.0

I actually liked this one better than To Kill a Mockingbird, I don't understand what all the hollering was about. I thought it was a really good book. I could see where To Kill a Mockingbird came from, although this book had some of the facts, such as the outcome of the trial, different. I thought the person Scout grew up to be was very reasonable and possible. I was sad with her romance choice. I felt the book did a great job of showing how conflicted people could be in the 60's especially in the south.
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elkenney's review against another edition

3.0

I can see why she didn't publish this work. It's pretty slow until about page 105 but I liked it. I didn't love it but Harper Lee has a few amazing literary moments.

ashleytayytayy's review against another edition

3.0

Listening to this one so soon after finishing To Kill A Mockingbird was weird. There were entire passages that felt like they were pulled straight out of the first book and into this one, which I’m sure was helpful if you read this without rereading the other.

This book, focusing on Jean Louise as an adult, was…something. I felt for her so much, especially her feelings of not belonging where she was from and looking for the place she DID belong. When she was fighting with Atticus about the Council I found myself responding out loud (good thing I was listening to this part at home!)

I definitely recommend reading this one, but maybe not so close to the first one!

brandidean's review against another edition

2.0

I should admit right off that I'm sure a lot of this book went over my head. The political and cultural and even literature name dropping was lost on me, probably 90 percent of the time. But what I understood I didn't enjoy and found depressing. Not at all bittersweet, just bitter. I won't say there's nothing of what I loves in To Kill A Mockingbird in it, because there is. And it won't ruin that book for me. But I won't read this one again and I won't recommend it to anyone.

readingintheruins's review against another edition

challenging emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

atomicmarsha's review against another edition

4.0

Nothing like a work snow delay to give one an opportunity to finish a book. I love getting paid to stay home an read for a couple of hours.

Spoiler

I actually really liked Go Set a Watchman, even though that may not be a popular opinion. I think if you treat it as a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, the story makes a lot of sense. A lot of readers were upset that their vision of Atticus Finch has been sullied by this book. But I think that was the point. The reader has to go through the same thought process as Jean Louise. We are shocked and angry, just like Scout. But also like Scout, we need to accept our idol's fall from grace and learn that no one in this world is perfect. Even at the end, Scout is called a bigot by Uncle Jack to prevent the reader from seizing her as their new idol.

There is no such thing as "good people" and "bad people;" just people trying to do the best they can in life with what they've been given.

rascalsmom1031's review against another edition

4.0

This was a difficult subject for me to read through. I was expecting a totally different book. With that being said, I think this is an important read. I think the point of view of the characters was common of the time and really had good historical context. I think what I loved the most was the father still being proud of his daughter and wanting her to fight for her belief of civil rights even though he didn't fully agree. Important book...important topic...still very relevant...

tararebeccaox's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

readinginspace3's review against another edition

Thought-provoking. I think I'll be digesting this one for quite a while.

littlelifewrecker's review against another edition

3.0

I will admit I am still basking in my book hangover. I have been waiting a long time to read this one.

Going into it, I was apprehensive because of all the reviews by others about the controversy of the publishers, how some people thinks it ruins Atticus for people, et cetera but I just had to know for myself. There were times in my reading where I didn't want to even keep going because I felt like I needed to brace myself for what was going to happen next.

I would have liked to see a little more development in the plot. It felt like a slow climb followed by a bullet train to the conclusion, which still left questions. My favorite thing about Go Set a Watchman is being able get inside of Jean Louise's head. I think I speak for a lot of people who identify with "Scout" because we are reading this book through the filter of a 2016 experience.

Spoiler

These days, people for the most part love justice and equality. We love to see wrongs made right and are furious when we perceive that an injustice is done. In a piece written in the late 50's these ideas of mainstream integration were way ahead of their time, so it kills us inside because we want to root for what seems to be the makings of a feminist Jean Louise.

Regarding the developments concerning Atticus,

Spoiler

I think that most readers can agree that we all died a little inside. I will say, that I agree with the reviewers that say it's difficult to view this as a stand alone piece. It almost seems like a supplemental piece, knowing that it was written before our beloved TKAM. Like many reviewers, I reread TKAM before starting Go Set a Watchman and unlike TKAM, Go Set a Watchman is messy and it becomes hard to reconcile the two. However, some do speculate the reason for the disconnect is that Atticus is based on Lee's father who was a segregationist who later changed his mind in favor of integration. Since Go Set a Watchman was written first, it makes sense that we see a very different Atticus in this novel.

Overall. I liked this book because while Jean Louise is grappling with who she wants to become, as a reader I felt like I had my own inner turmoil FOR her. I felt myself rooting for her and sometimes wishing she would say what she was really thinking, especially since I also live in my head a lot and plan out most of my conversations before I open my mouth :D I think at times we all wish we had our own watchman to clear the path for us, because having to sort out all the nuances that lie in the gray between black and white can be oh so tiresome. I leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the book.

"Mr. Stone set a watchman in church yesterday. He should have provided me with one. I need a watchman to lead me around and declare what he seeth every hour on the hour. I need a watchman to tell me this is what a man says but this is what he means, to draw a line down the middle and say here is this justice and there is that justice and make me understand the difference. I need a watchman to go forth and proclaim to them all that twenty-six years is too long to play a joke on anybody, no matter how funny it is."