To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee

Jul 2014 · Random House

About this ebook

'ONE OF THE GREATEST AMERICAN NOVELS EVER WRITTEN'

'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'

A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel - a black man falsely charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s.

The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man's struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much.
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To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming-of-age story, an anti-racist novel, a historical drama of the Great Depression and a sublime example of the Southern writing tradition.

Ratings and reviews

As this book is meant to be a great book a serious review is appropriate. The first part is strongly reminiscent of Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer etc and although that part was good I felt the similarity of style was good for the story but makes the book less original. As the story is told by a young girl the non dialogue narrative was not always in keeping with the age of the story teller and this increased throughout the story, jarringly so at times. The ending is good and overall a very good book but not a great one.

One of those books I always planned to read – and so very much worth the wait! Atticus Finch is a small town lawyer in the deep south of America, raising his children on his own with the help of a daily woman. Then he has a case of defending a black man against charges of raping a white girl and attitudes towards the family are noticeably altering by the day. This is that story, as seen through the eyes of two children living and thriving under the care of their father in the 1930’s. Having always heard generally about this book, but knowing no specifics I was really looking forward to finally having the time to read it. It is an enthralling tale of two happy, well adjusted children whose father encourages their education and with whom they have a very close relationship. I’m always fascinated with attitudes about race, religion and gender wondering why we can’t just treat everyone as human but then, of course, we would have missed out on some of the most fabulous fiction of our time. This novel is everything I thought it would be and so much more. I have always struggled when asked the question ‘What is your favourite novel of all time?’ but somehow I think the answer will come easily from here on in. A terrific read which easily deserves all five glowing stars and my highest recommendation.

I've always wanted to read the book and finally managed to get a hold of one and read it as a sort of reprieve through my examinations. It was very educational and interesting to read and I found that I didn't really want the story to end. I suggest that anyone who did not have the opportunity to have the book assigned to them (like me) purchase the book and learn a thing or two about the prejudice that is still present even in modern society among adults that transdecents along to younger generations and creates a cycle of the lies people continue to live through and pass on as truth

About the author

Harper Lee was born in 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama. She attended Huntington College and studied law at the University of Alabama. She is the author of the acclaimed novels To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and numerous other literary awards and honours. She died on 19 February 2016.