To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of To Kill a Mockingbird
Book Review: Wonderful read.
Summary: 5 Stars
My 15 year old son was so enthusiastic about this novel that I had to find out for myself. He is right. This is a wonderful book. A poignant account of childhood in the deep south in the 1930's, providing insight into attitudes regarding race in the US at that time.Book Review: was good, even for school
Summary: 4 Stars
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a quite touching book told by six-year-old Scout Finch who lives with her father Atticus and brother Jem in a small town in Alabama. The story is set in the 1930s. In the beginning, the idyll of Maycomb is disturbed by the mysterious Radley neighborhood, but what begins as a harmless childhood story turns into a credible account of racial and social discrimination when Atticus is appointed to defend a Negro who is accused of having raped a white girl. Atticus' fight for justice affects all parts of his life and even exposes his children to mortal danger.Some of the opinions portrayed in the book are really shocking and it is interesting to see how ignorance, prejudice, and discrimination are handled. The novel is a semi-autobiographical story and reflects experiences Harper Lee made in her childhood. The white people in Maycomb judge the blacks solely on the color of their skin, most people don't care about what they say to defend themselves.
Scout doesn't understand everything in the novel but Atticus brought her up to be a tolerant person, just like he is one himself. The book is very critical of the society's upper classes treat members of the lower classes, especially blacks --a view the reader usually shares.
However, the beginning of the book with the stories about Boo Radley is rather boring, as it seems to be nothing but a nice tale. When I read the book, a little of my interest was kept because there was still something mysterious about Boo but I was rather driven by the hope that there were more interesting parts to come.
I think some chapters of the novel are a bit hard to understand since many things are not stated explicitly and it can be quite a setback to see how such a young child as Scout understands this implicit language and you just don't get it.
With enough endurance to overcome the slow-moving action in the beginning, this is an interesting and critical book about minorities in the American South in the 1930s.
Book Review: A classic, moving book
Summary: 5 Stars
After being introduced to Steinbeck's novels 'Of mice and men' and 'the grapes of wrath' during GCSE, i was impelled to further my reading into Black-american literature. 'To kill a mockingbird' is a beautiful book written through the innocent eyes of a young girl, who narrates and guides the readers thorugh the imaginative events in her childhood, which is heavily contrasting to the serious and underlying moral issues that lie in the main plot. For me, Atticus' seemingly endless tolerance and consistently calm state of mind was very, very symbolic, especcially during the part when he is spat at by the man who prosecuted his client. He simply takes out his handkerchief, wipes his face, gets in the car with his son, and drives off. This is a wonderful fantastic book which has to be read.Book Review: Scout's story
Summary: 5 Stars
I must have read this story at least five times in the two or so years since I first picked up a copy, sometimes returning right back to the start after closing the book. I only wish I could remain immersed in Harper Lee's bygone age and beautifully crafted characters, and not have to reach that last page.The main thread of 'To Kill A Mockingbird' is the trial of a black man, the symbolic 'mockingbird' of the title, who is accused of raping a white woman, but I much prefer the subtext of a widower father struggling to raise his children with the correct values in a deeply prejudiced society. The story is told through the eyes of the eight year old daughter, 'Scout', which at once paints a more honest picture of events whilst presenting a biased opinion of the central adult protagonist. Whether or not Scout is blinded by love for her father, Atticus Finch is probably one of the most heroic characters in fiction, and a role model for fathers everywhere. Although the trial itself is a tense moment in the story, and educational from a historical point of view, it is the Finch family dynamic that has made me so attached to this story. The first part of the book, when the children are younger and still relatively blind to the world that surrounds them, provides the most enjoyable reading.
I don't know whether it is a good or bad thing that Harper Lee has only written this one story, because I doubt 'To Kill A Mockingbird' could be surpassed. Scout's narration presents both a child's world in adult terms, and an adult world from a child's point of view, providing much comic relief amidst the drama and heartfelt emotion.
Book Review: Possibly the best book in the world!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an amazing story told through the eyes of a young girl called Scout. Her father, Atticus, is a small-town lawyer defending a black man accused of raping a white girl. The book is set in the post depression South, in Alabama to be exact. The story's main theme is racism, but it also tackles the issue of how children view the world and how their understanding changes and develops. The characters are rock solid and would melt even the coldest of hearts. This book is truly a joy to read!