A review by lilylanie
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

3.0

I think it’s unfortunate that so many people have been unable to appreciate this book for what it is instead of comparing it to the “original” or focusing on what it’s not. If you’re looking to be angry or trying to find things about it to hate, you certainly will. It is a pretty lumpy book - thick, weighty monologues surrounded by fluff - but there’s also a lot of beauty and insightfulness. For a first draft of a first book it’s actually pretty incredible. I think it’s worth reading even if only to understand the writer’s craft and the headspace Lee was in when she started to write her famous novel. You have to accept that this Atticus is a totally different person from the one you loved and that Scout is jaded and a lot less innocent.

It was a bit of a plod at times, and Jean Louise was almost too insipid to bear for the first few chapters (and too self-righteous in the last) but I am still glad I read it.