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.
Infinities of love,
Janie Junebug
If she had one great novel in her, it's easy to imagine she might have two! I'm off to read the chapter...
ReplyDeleteI 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.
DeleteI am REALLY looking forward to this one!
ReplyDeleteI'm not there yet, but I'm starting to get excited.
DeleteI'll be quite curious about your opinion when you read the entire book.
ReplyDeleteI'm back to thinking I might not read it. I don't want a racist Atticus Finch. He's a saint in my mind.
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteI long for it to be good.
DeleteI'm quite sure someone is going to make some change off of this new novel, but I'd sure love to read it.
ReplyDeleteI think it will bring in a fortune.
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteI'm back to feeling iffy about reading the book.
DeleteI'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.
ReplyDeleteKKK meetings? Wildly racist? *sigh*
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.
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteA bigoted Atticus will ruin the whole thing for me.
DeleteI had no intentions of buying it. But you may have changed my mind.
ReplyDeleteWell, I might have changed my mind now that some followers have told me Atticus is prejudiced in this book.
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteR
I have doubts again because friends are telling me that Atticus is racist in this book.
Delete