100 Books in 2018

15/ to kill a mockingbird by harper lee (re-read)

read: 21.02.18 - 24.02.18

book: To Kill a Mockingbird

author: Harper Lee

blurb: '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 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.

review: I read this book last year having heard nothing but positive comments about it, and I was left feeling underwhelmed. I just didn't get the hype. I didn't like Scout's narration, I thought the plot was slow, and to be honest, I just didn't get it.

So what's changed after reading it a year on? Pretty much everything. Rereading this book has taught me a lot about my opinions on literature, and that maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge. Because I loved reading this book, and I most certainly got it this time round.

I loved seeing the world through Scout's perspective; it allows you to watch someone learn about the world and shape their views on things with a childlike naivety that Harper Lee captures superbly. I also loved how the historical context of the book was only hinted at, showing that it was obviously not as much on Scout's radar as Boo Radley.

It has some incredibly beautiful moments, and Atticus was constantly coming out with lines that spoke to me. It is jam-packed with morals that I think still apply very much today, and I was touched at multiple moments.

Reading this book again made me pick up on the points I hadn't seen the first time round, and I will willing put my hands up and say that my first impression of the book last year were completely wrong. This is a great piece of literature which has meaning and depth as well as just being something very enjoyable to read.

rating: 9.5/10