Harper Lee to Publish “To Kill a Mockingbird” Sequel

Posted February 3, 2015 by Holly in News, Promotions | 1 Comment

More than 50 years after “To Kill a Mockingbird” was released, Harper Lee is publishing her second novel. Go Set a Watchman, which is slated for a July 2015 release, features Scout returning home as an adult. According to the publisher:

“Scout (Jean Louise Finch) has returned to Maycomb from New York to visit her father, Atticus,” the publisher said in an announcement to the AP. “She is forced to grapple with issues both personal and political as she tries to understand her father’s attitude toward society, and her own feelings about the place where she was born and spent her childhood.”

Per a statement released to AP, Lee says this is a book she wrote before “To Kill a Mockingbird“.

“In the mid-1950s, I completed a novel called `Go Set a Watchman,'” the 88-year-old Lee said in a statement issued by Harper. “It features the character known as Scout as an adult woman, and I thought it a pretty decent effort. My editor, who was taken by the flashbacks to Scout’s childhood, persuaded me to write a novel (what became `To Kill a Mockingbird’) from the point of view of the young Scout.

“I was a first-time writer, so I did as I was told. I hadn’t realized it (the original book) had survived, so was surprised and delighted when my dear friend and lawyer Tonja Carter discovered it. After much thought and hesitation, I shared it with a handful of people I trust and was pleased to hear that they considered it worthy of publication. I am humbled and amazed that this will now be published after all these years.”

It’ll be interesting to see how this novel is received. What are your thoughts?

Preorder Go Set a Watchman now. Amazon | Barnes and Noble

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Tagged: Book News, Harper, Harper Lee, New Releases, To Kill A Mockingbird, Upcoming Releases

Three Reviews: Silk and Steel, To Kill a Mockingbird, When Strangers Marry

Posted November 5, 2007 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

First of all, my home computer is down. I have a lot more time so I’m finishing my books faster. Unfortunately it takes me a while to get on a computer and type out a review. So I’m giving you quickie reviews.

She could take his name,

Lady Kathryn Grayson is a gently bred noblewoman with a privileged future ahead of her..until her greedy uncle decides to steal her fortune by committing her to an insane asylum. Her only escape is to stow away in the carriage of Lucien Montaine, Marquess of Litchfield, who hears her story with disbelief and suspicion. Yet Kathryn’s instincts tell her Lord Litchfield is a man of honor-and her only salvation. Desperate to save herself, she attempts to seduce him and forces him into marriage.

But she couldn’t take his heart.

The moment Lucien encounters the ragged, hungry waif with the dignity of a queen, he fights against wanting her. Though captivated by her intellect, strong will, and beauty, he will never love the woman who has deceived him.

Or so he thought…

Though their battle of wills grows stronger every day, desire threatens to overpower his fury. Can this maddening woman who is now his bride melt his heart of steel? Or will her silken touch only strengthen his vow never to fall prey to the dangers of love?

This is a sequel to Nothing But Velvet.

Ok, I was enjoying this book until the end. What happens is Kathryn is accused of poisoning her uncle. Since he had her committed already, all fingers points towards Kathryn. She refuses to be sent back to the asylum so she runs away thinking she is doing everyone a favor.

She returns a year later. A year. I could understand a few days, weeks, but a year? And the only reason why she returned was so that the son she had with Lucien wouldn’t be denied his birthright. She plans on running away again. Lucien asks Kathryn not to leave.

What I don’t get is why he wasn’t all that mad. He was upset when he found out she lied (she told him she was a vicar’s daughter in the beginning of the book). He was upset when he found out she was sneaking out to learn about human anatomy with her doctor friend. Yet she’s missing for a year and he’s not that upset. I get he loves her and all but come on now.

Other than that, the book was all right. I enjoyed Nothing But Velvet more.

Grade: 3/5

At the age of eight, Scout Finch is an entrenched free-thinker. She can accept her father’s warning that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, because mockingbirds harm no one and give great pleasure. The benefits said to be gained from going to school and keeping her temper elude her.

The place of this enchanting, intensely moving story is Maycomb, Alabama. The time is the Depression, but Scout and her brother, Jem, are seldom depressed. They have appalling gifts for entertaining themselves—appalling, that is, to almost everyone except their wise lawyer father, Atticus.

Atticus is a man of unfaltering good will and humor, and partly because of this, the children become involved in some disturbing adult mysteries: fascinating Boo Radley, who never leaves his house; the terrible temper of Mrs. Dubose down the street; the fine distinctions that make the Finch family “quality”; the forces that cause the people of Maycomb to show compassion in one crisis and unreasoning cruelty in another.

Also because Atticus is what he is, and because he lives where he does, he and his children are plunged into a conflict that indelibly marks their lives—and gives Scout some basis for thinking she knows just about as much about the world as she needs to.

This is one of my favorite books I read back in high school. All I can really say, is that I love it. I remember being misty eyed when the verdict came in for the Tom Robison case and when Scout finally got to see Boo Radley.

Grade 5/5

Kleypas has given Only in Your Arms, her first title for Avon, a makeover, and the resulting book boasts a tighter plot and richer characterizations. Set in New Orleans in the early 19th century, this atmospheric tale portrays the romance between Lysette Kersaint, a strong-willed Creole who is on the run from her abusive stepfather and an arranged marriage to a man she loathes, and Maximilien Vallerand, a notorious rake and widower who is rumored to have strangled his adulterous wife. Lysette finds protection in Maxs home, but she soon learns that he plans to use her as a pawn to exact revenge against her intended, Etienne Sagesse, his sworn enemy. The tension between the two quickly heats up, but before they can find happiness together, they must settle the mysteries of Maxs past. The romance between Max and Lysette is compelling, but what really sets this book apart is Kleypass ability to make the period come alive. With the ease of a skilled seamstress, Kleypas weaves in dozens of details, touching on everything from the political tensions between Mexico and the American territories to the cultural differences between Creoles and Americans. Kleypas doesnt shy away from developing her characters either. Max emerges as a tortured but admirable hero, and even secondary figures like Maxs mother and brothers take on a life of their own. (Aug.) Forecast: Kleypass fans will undoubtedly be eager to get their hands on this long-out-of-print gem, so expect strong sales. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.