To be thrilled to little bits

[ExitPursuedByABear]

That Harper Lee is publishing a new novel.

Or that a new Harper Lee novel is being published.

Yes isn,t it brilliant news, and Scout will be an adult in this novel.Cannot wait!.

Whoops. Already two threads in Adult Fiction. But I don't care.

Giddy.

I've just posted this link in Adult Fiction. Bit worrying really. I hope she's ok.

Oh dear. That puts a different complexion on things. I dud wonder why now?

I have just read that link of BOFs and hope this is all being done with Harper Lees full consent.

But I am still excited to read the book.

TKAM is a good book but its not the best book ever.

I was left a bit 'meh' afterwards.

frankie80 I am SO happy to finally find someone who agrees with my view of TKAM (DW and DD certainly don't!). Have a .

To kill a mockingbird is my favourite book of all time! So excited!
Apparently this book was written first, and included flashback segments to scouts childhood. The publishers thought the flashbacks should be the whole book, and so TKAMB was born...

Oh dear just read that article...

I must admit when I first saw the news I thought she must have just died. Though I also had thought she died a while ago.
It does sound a bit exploitative.

It was just being discussed on R4 - she wrote the new novel 50 years ago apparently.

Oh I see - just read the linked article.

?as feeling so happy and now worried. Guess the truth will come out in the end. I love TKAM and feel close to many of the characters, excited about reading the new book.

'Tis a very odd development

'A gift'? Hm.

TKAM may not be The Best Book Ever but was quite unique at the time it was published and deserves respect for that.

Gosh. What was said that merited deleting on a thread about Harper Lee?

DH actually rushed upstairs to tell me the news, he was prepared to wake me if necessary. Love that only a birth or death, unexpected snow or hot literary news warrants awakening!

I have no interest in reading a sequel so many decades on written - or not written - by an author who has chosen to only publish only one book for so many years

Time, life, the world, the South, race relations, and the readers of TKAMB have moved on. To kill a mockingbird was so engaging because it was so of its time. It is certainly not of its time now and I would have no hope its sequel would be.

It is of academic interest only.

Does anyone remember reading the theory that TKAM was actually written by Truman Capote, HL's good friend? It's certainly in the same vein as Capote's "Buddy" short story series. I think, though, that Capote's massive ego would not have allowed him to keep quiet given the huge popularity of TKAM.

I only recently read TKAM (aged 28, to my shame) and loved it. I feel cheated that I didn't get to read it at school, having done Orwell instead. I was very excited to hear there's pre-sequel to the story of Scout Finch, but it does sound like HL may have been exploited . I will still devour it, but it's sad that such a shadow has been cast over this.

Canyouforgiveher how on earth can a novel be of academic interest only? What a strange thing to say!

That Truman Capote rumor has always really irritated me. It is pretty clear that he did not write TKAM, but she did help him with In Cold Blood.

And then fell out apparently as he didn't give her enough credit.

I have just finished doing TKAM for my GCSE's aged 48!!! I'm quite excited. I thought that TKAM was an ok, if somewhat clumsy, take on racism, but an absolutely fabulous retelling of a childhood in 1930's America.

Hopefully this book will have more of that observational tone and less of the sledgehammer moralising.

Although i quite liked the idea of someone writing, one book, winning a pulitzer and thinking, ok i'm done with that writing lark now.