Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

Spoilers welcome chapters 5-7
The first to post please briefly summarize to guide the discussion.

Chapter 5
After dinner Jean Louise and Hank go for a drive to Finch's Landing, 66 steps leading down to the river and the original Finch house, now a hunting camp; and they enjoy the beauty of the riverbank. The history of Maycomb and the landing is revealed and how the Landing is an important part of Jean Louise. They playfully jump into the river and swim and "rough house".
Chapter 6
Aunt Alexandra is livid that Jean Louise and Hank were spotted skinny dipping in the river at 1:00 am. The small town gossip and expectations of what it takes to be considered a "proper" lady in the south chafe Jean Louise, she appears to still have her tom-boy ways about her. Atticus is amused and discovers that she wasn't skinny dipping after all. I love the easy way they have with each other and the apparent affection in the family.
Time for church
Chapter 7
Church Sunday morning and an interesting conversation about singing the doxology and in general about Southern hymns and the traditional Methodist church music from Uncle Jack Finch and the choir director.

As much as Jean Louise scoffs at her Aunt Alexandra's ways, she also doesn't like any changes she sees in Maycomb. While it seems like not much happened in these chapters, I feel a sense of something building. Don't know if I'm right. At the end of the last section, I wondered how much we'd read about Jem. Jean Louise recollected a day of her, Jem and Dilly play acting in the yard. It ended with her all wet and in trouble then too!

Dawn: It does seem that something is building as we read. The easy conversational tone that lures us back to Maycomb is echoed in the reminiscences of a simpler time of childhood. The easy way Jean Louise remembers Jem is so sweet.

Each of the characters seems to see everybody else through the lens of their own prejudices. They all know what they see as appropriate, and any other behavior just cannot be right. Yet love does not understand social class or religion, and to some extent, you can preach all you want, but people will do what people will do.
My local paper did some spoilers that I read today, so while i see Atticus being treated as a sympathetic character, the spoiler in the paper has me primed for something else. (why would they do that anyway?)

This really resonated with me, I found myself singing the doxology before Scout/Reese did. We grew up singing it in the Episcopal Church, but my current church (and maybe many now) sing a handful of different hymns as the collection plate is being brought up to the altar. This memory had me feeling connected with Scout's upbringing and the churches of the south. There was even mention of the Bishop of Canterbury (head of the Anglican church in England, of which the U.S. Episcopal church is a part) and this had me wonder about the connections between the southern Methodist and Baptist churches and the Episcopal church. I should get caught up on some of my history around the development of churches in the U.S.

Ann wrote: "Chapter 7
Church Sunday morning and an interesting conversation about singing the doxology and in general about Southern hymns and the traditional Methodist church music from Uncle Jack Finch and the choir director. ..."

I hope your sense is right, Dawn. That expectation does seem to be appropriate to the writing of Harper Lee, at least based on that one previous book.

I also do wish I hadn't seen that news headline I mentioned in the non-spoiler post, which I won't reference here. It has me waiting for a shoe to drop, and has me resentful of our current day media, which goes for the sensational headline rather than allowing readers to sneak up on the story and discover it for themselves.

Dawn wrote: "While it seems like not much happened in these chapters, I feel a sense of something building. Don't know if I'm right...."

I find myself wondering about Scout, or Jean Louise, and her life in Manhattan. It seems like such an unlikely place for her to land, this young woman of the south who doesn't easily embrace change. As I recall Henry picks up on this aspect of her personality and asks her about it.

Dawn wrote: "As much as Jean Louise scoffs at her Aunt Alexandra's ways, she also doesn't like any changes she sees in Maycomb. ..."

Barry wrote: "My local paper did some spoilers that I read today, so while i see Atticus being treated as a sympathetic character, the spoiler in the paper has me primed for something else. (why would they do that anyway?) .."

EXACTLY

I am finding the portrayal so far of Atticus to be bittersweet. I am sad that he is so crippled by rheumatoid arthritis. And I just can't stop myself from picturing an older, slower, Gregory Peck, which makes me even sadder.

Barry wrote: " while i see Atticus being treated as a sympathetic character,"

Barry: Very insightful about each character's viewpoint coming from the lens of their own prejudices. It is so hard if not impossible to avoid doing that and Harper Lee nails it - sadly the same thing can be said about people today. I found myself saying several times to myself as I read that this book could have been written today (with a few more modern conveniences I suppose, but the story and issues are not isolated to the 1950's.)

Barry wrote: "Each of the characters seems to see everybody else through the lens of their own prejudices. They all know what they see as appropriate, and any other behavior just cannot be right. .....
"

Double EXACTLY.
My DH had sweetly recorded a Today Show segment about the book knowing of my interest and I hurt his feelings by chanting no no no no and covering my ears to avoid hearing it. I do not understand why so many people feel compelled to spoiler comment on a new book on release day.
Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Barry wrote: "My local paper did some spoilers that I read today, so while i see Atticus being treated as a sympathetic character, the spoiler in the paper has me primed for something else. why would they do that anyway?) .."

Carol: I also wonder what drew her to New York.
In this aspect of her Jean Louise character I see Nelle Harper Lee herself who did just that, move to Manhattan and then visit Alabama regularly. Even when she moved back home to Monroeville she split her time and lived part time in New York.
Carol/Bonadie wrote: "I find myself wondering about Scout, or Jean Louise, and her life in Manhattan. It seems like such an unlikely place for her to land, this young woman of the south who doesn't easily embrace change..."

Now that I've finished the book I feel more compelled to read about the author and understand what life experiences caused her to lay out the perspectives described in Go Set a Watchman.

Ann wrote: "In this aspect of her Jean Louise character I see Nelle Harper Lee herself who did just that, move to Manhattan and then visit Alabama regularly. Even when she moved back home to Monroeville she split her time and lived part time in New York. ..."

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "I find myself wondering about Scout, or Jean Louise, and her life in Manhattan. It seems like such an unlikely place for her to land, this young woman of the south who doesn't easily embrace chang..."

Jean Louise may not like change, but she's an independent thinker and unconventional which doesn't suit her to life in Maycomb where she's expected to make conventional choices. Small towns contain unconventional people, but everyone knows who they are and they're outcasts. In New York City you get lost in the multitudes and no one cares if you're unconventional. That's the reason why people like Jean Louise want to live in NYC.

I've just read the exchange toward the end of chapter 5 where Henry says there will be no more midnight swims once he's in the legislature. Jean Louise responds "So don't run." She's clashing with Henry's conventional expectations for a life with her in Maycomb.

Shomeret:
I agree that Jean Louise was an independent thinker and that would likely draw her to the anonymity and more diverse atmosphere of NYC, I suppose she felt she either belonged in both places or perhaps belonged in neither. She was not able to picture herself as a small town and obedient legislative wife either way evidently.
Shomeret wrote: "I've just read the exchange toward the end of chapter 5 where Henry says there will be no more midnight swims once he's in the legislature. Jean Louise responds "So don't run." She's clashing with Henry's conventional expectations for a life with her in Maycomb."