To Kill a Mockingbird

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  This wasn't on the curriculum when I was at school, so I read it purely for pleasure. It's a brilliant book about the deep south in America during the 1930s, seen from a child's innocent point of view (but it's NOT a children's book). The children involved struggle to understand the racial prejudice which was then the norm but, with the help of their lawyer father, come through some grim events with maturity and tolerance.

   

   

  by Linda Walsh on Feb 08, 2008 at 05:13PM

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  We read Steinbeck at my school, so I remained blissfully unaware of who this heroic Finch fellow was that so many friends described in glowing terms. I could write this entire review about Atticus, and marvel at a hero who does nothing but raise his children without hate (even against those who deserve to be hated) or prejudice. He is the gentlemanly, honourable father figure and the voice of reason throughout, and I can certainly agree with the accolades of heroism that have been showered ov... (show more)

  We read Steinbeck at my school, so I remained blissfully unaware of who this heroic Finch fellow was that so many friends described in glowing terms. I could write this entire review about Atticus, and marvel at a hero who does nothing but raise his children without hate (even against those who deserve to be hated) or prejudice. He is the gentlemanly, honourable father figure and the voice of reason throughout, and I can certainly agree with the accolades of heroism that have been showered over the character.

  Most enjoyable about the story, Atticus Finch aside, was Lee's ability to weave three distinct stories through and around each other. An idyllic childhood is painted expertly and movingly with a Huckleberry Finn whimsy, before plunging into a courtroom drama, and then finally concluding with the sinister and terrifying vendetta. Uniquely, Lee blends and builds these storylines so that they complement rather than compete with each other, and enables the reader to look back retrospectively on a rich tapestry of the Finch family's lives and feel a genuine and rich familiarity and warmth.

  Where to criticise? The humour was timely and heartfelt, and the driest legalese in the court failed to slow the pace or detract from the characterisation. The children especially were believable characters in their own rights, rather than tedious vehicles for platitudes. Its worst moments were surely the apparent scarcity of a coherent plot early on, but the aimless journey with Jem and Dill and Scout was a pleasure to embark on, even if no quest or crisis appears until halfway through. A sure winner. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook User on Feb 13, 2009 at 11:51AM

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