Go Set a Watchman in Canton Public Library

Feb 03, 2015 Erin rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult, reference, historical, fiction, family, tough-topics

First, and most important, I did not read this expecting a magical sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird. I did read it while trying to ignore the poor reviews and assumptions being made about it so I could try to make up my own mind. I also held off on reviewing it until I could re-read To Kill a Mockingbird. That's done, so here goes.

My initial reaction to Watchman is that it is unfinished, which isn't (or shouldn't be) a surprise. The writing is inconsistent, and could even be called clunky. The tr First, and most important, I did not read this expecting a magical sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird. I did read it while trying to ignore the poor reviews and assumptions being made about it so I could try to make up my own mind. I also held off on reviewing it until I could re-read To Kill a Mockingbird. That's done, so here goes.

My initial reaction to Watchman is that it is unfinished, which isn't (or shouldn't be) a surprise. The writing is inconsistent, and could even be called clunky. The transitions between flashback and reality and from one episode to another are not overly smooth. In comparison to the transitions in Mockingbird, you can see where some extra editing would have benefited this story.

The plot of Watchman is thin. Jean Louise comes home from New York, but we don't get much detail about what she does there. The story of Scout coming back home and not feeling like she fits in anymore is enough of a standalone premise, but just doesn't feel finished. Along with this, the characters did not seem quite fleshed out. I found myself thinking back to Mockingbird to recall more detail about what the characters were like. The cast was also fairly limited to Jean Louise, Atticus, Aunt Alexandra, Uncle Jack, and Henry. There's a flash of Calpurnia, Jem is gone, Dill is gone, and the secondary characters are practically nonexistent - they appear in single episodes. Again, compared to Mockingbird, the characters just aren't as elegant and layered, and their relationships aren't as rich.

While Watchman was okay (but not excellent) in terms of its story or writing, I thought it clearly indicated the direction that led to To Kill a Mockingbird. I also thought that there were some serious merits to Watchman.

1. Atticus is racist. I know this offends so many, but there's something kind of perfect when readers feel as shocked and horrified as Jean Louise upon finding this out. Honestly though, I'm not really sure why this is so shocking. Mockingbird was written from the point of view of a child who hero-worshiped her father and who led generations of readers to do the same. Now that we've found out he's more complicated (as happens when children grow up) we have exactly the same reaction as Jean Louise.

I also fail to see why making Atticus a more complex character is so offensive. Did anyone really suspect he was so perfect? He wasn't, and now we see his flaw. And in no way is it inconsistent with his characterization in Mockingbird. His sense of justice is unbroken. In Mockingbird, he never claimed that blacks and whites were equal, except under the law. There is no reason why someone cannot be a good person in most respects, but still be a racist, particularly 60 years ago. His racism isn't malicious or violent, it's condescending prejudice. It's a kind of racism that we could probably stand to discuss more often today.

He is basically still a good man, which is why Jean Louise (and many readers) feel so betrayed. How can a good man be so wrong about race? Well, he's certainly not the only one, then or now, and Watchman gives us an opportunity to discuss that racism doesn't always walk around wearing a mask and burning crosses.

2. The comments about Harper Lee's senility and the idea that she's being taken advantage of... well, I don't know the details or the truth of it, but the timing of this book is GENIUS, whoever's decision it was. The conversations between Jean Louise and her father and uncle aren't new to me. It bordered on creepy how much these discussions echo what the news is about today. There is an entire passage about the Tenth Amendment, states' rights, and Supreme Court overreach (Gay Marriage, anyone?). The conversation between Jean Louise and Jack regarding the reasons behind the Civil War is one that has been repeated many times lately (Confederate Flags?). And of course covert, almost subconscious, racism disguised as legitimate actions (Did I hear anyone talking about Police Brutality lately?). Not to mention the entire concept of older generation versus younger generation and the prejudices we all struggle with. I'm not really assessing whether I agree with the points raised in Watchman, but I'm still a bit bowled over by the immediate relevance of them.

In the end, I don't think Watchman would have been remotely satisfying to me as a book read on its own. However, as a companion to and explanatory document for To Kill a Mockingbird, I found it enlightening and enriching. To meet these characters again through the eyes of a woman instead of a child, to see what happens to these characters over time is fascinating. And the idea that these issues have remained relevant from 1935 when Mockingbird was set, to the '50s, when Watchman takes place, to today, that's nothing short of spectacular. ...more

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Jul 15, 2015 Kaitlyn rated it it was ok

I tried. I really did. About half way through the book , I said to myself "Let someone else who REALLY wants to read this book have it." So this rating is based on getting only half of the book. Sometimes the writing gets confusing because of the lack of subject pronouns. Atticus is obviously not a "she," yet one sentence will be about him and then the next will use the female pronoun. You know that the author is talking about Jean Louise, but when the subject of the first sentence is a female c ...more

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Mar 15, 2020 Kelsey Mangeni (kman.reads) rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

Not a slam dunk for me. I had a hard time following most of it (on audio) and going from one straight to another was a bit disorienting because the characters jump 20 years into the future (which is still the past). Narration was fantastic!

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