Saturday, July 11, 2015

HARPER LEE'S LONG ANTICIPATED NOVEL

Atticus . .  . and Scout,

You can read the first chapter of Harper Lee's first novel that has become her second at http://goo.gl/gGRHG0.

Willy Dunne Wooters and I have been quite concerned about the possibility of Harper Lee's exploitation to grow the coffers of her lawyer, and who knows what else is going on? 

Go Set A Watchman was Lee's first novel, the one that was rejected, but a publisher encouraged her to write the story of the young woman in the novel and to make the time period Scout's childhood. That novel became the much-loved, major seller To Kill A Mockingbird.


It's estimated that Mockingbird brings Lee a million dollars a year in royalties. She's a very wealthy woman.


Until a few years ago, Alice Lee served as her younger sister's lawyer. Alice Lee grew old and finally retired at age 100 or 101--I'm not sure from the online depictions of her life. I do know that she died in 2014 at age 103. She turned over Harper Lee's legal affairs to another lawyer when she retired 


The Wooters man and I are suspicious of the literary event because Harper Lee is profoundly deaf, nearly blind, and will sign anything put in front of her, according to some old friends. Others claim she's as sharp as a tack.


Harper Lee, now 89, before she had the stroke
that sent her to an assisted living facility.


Wooters and I thought a reason existed that Alice Lee suppressed Watchman all these years. Harper Lee claimed--for various reasons--that she had never written another novel. Well, it's true: She didn't write a novel after Mockingbird. She wrote one first.

Anybook, I read the first chapter, so afraid I would be disappointed.

But I wasn't. 


Perhaps Harper Lee had a great first novel in her after all.

I now have hope for Go Set A Watchman. I wasn't going to buy it, but I believe I have changed my mind.


Infinities of love,


Janie Junebug



20 comments:

  1. If she had one great novel in her, it's easy to imagine she might have two! I'm off to read the chapter...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know if this one will be great. I am curious about it and about how she is treated by her lawyer and others who control her estate.

      Delete
  2. I am REALLY looking forward to this one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not there yet, but I'm starting to get excited.

      Delete
  3. I'll be quite curious about your opinion when you read the entire book.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm back to thinking I might not read it. I don't want a racist Atticus Finch. He's a saint in my mind.

      Delete
  4. I have the same fears as you and hope that she receives the royalties and the people whom she wishes to receive them after her passing. I am looking so forward to this novel as well.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm quite sure someone is going to make some change off of this new novel, but I'd sure love to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love both the novel and the movie of "To Kill a Mockingbird" and have read/watched both quite a few times. I'm concerned about the various reports as well that have been swirling around Harper Lee and this new publication. I didn't read the first chapter because it has a big plot twist, I understand, and I didn't want that foreknowledge to taint reading the book, which I plan to do also.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm back to feeling iffy about reading the book.

      Delete
  7. I'm viewing 'Go Set's....' debut with a bit of trepidation; not because I don't think Ms. Lee's novel will be up to snuff, but because I've read that the character of Atticus Finch is not only older, but wildly different from Mockingbird's portrayal.

    KKK meetings? Wildly racist? *sigh*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm just now learning of this. All I'd read was that he has a dark side in the novel. I don't want a racist Atticus.

      Delete
  8. I don't know if I want to read it. I've read that Atticus was apparently prejudice in this one. Maybe that's not true, but that would be a great disappointment to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A bigoted Atticus will ruin the whole thing for me.

      Delete
  9. I had no intentions of buying it. But you may have changed my mind.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, I might have changed my mind now that some followers have told me Atticus is prejudiced in this book.

      Delete
  10. I hAd the same thought about Harper's book, but JILDA read the first chapter as well and she liked it too. So I'm thinking of reading it.
    R

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have doubts again because friends are telling me that Atticus is racist in this book.

      Delete

Got your panties in a bunch? Dig 'em out, get comfortable, and let's chat.