Certainly one of the best books I have read recently. A wonderful writing style, a gripping story, a subject to think about, even today. It combines important issues about race and humanity and creates a very touching story about characters we can't help but love.
A friend of mine said "This should be read by everyone. It should be near the top of a required reading list for the human race." I couldn't agree more.
It certainly belongs to the classic books that will stay on the classic list and one of my top favourite ones forever.
And then there is the fantastic film with Gregory Peck (see here).
From the back cover:
"'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 thirties. 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.
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."
We discussed this in our book club in November 2010.
And it was discussed in our international online book club in January 2018.
See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2021.
Harper Lee received the Pulitzer Prize for "To Kill A Mockingbird" in 1961.
... and a rare case where the film was as good as the book. Thanks to Gregory Peck's brilliant take on Atticus Finch, it was possibly even better. The courtroom scene was transformed by the way it was sensitively presented.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful book, one in which I remember the first few pages - the descriptions of Maycomb County - almost word for word, after all these years :-)
And yet another one of your comments that went unnoticed at the time. Good thing we are such good friends, otherwise you might have given up on me a long time ago. LOL
DeleteAnd it's true what you said about the film and the book. It happens very rarely but this is definitely one of the cases. I'm sure it's due mainly to Gregory Peck's great acting skills.
Have a good weekend.
I love this book too and would like to reread it.
ReplyDeleteCertainly not a bad idea. I seem not to be in the best reading mood at the moment, so probably a good idea to pick up some good old ones. We'll see. Thanks and have a good weekend.
DeleteIt is a great book and a great review, thanks for sharing with me. I didn't know there was a movie - will have to look that up.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kat. It's a classic movie from the 60s with Gregory Peck, brilliantly made. I think they are too afraid to do a remake because this one was so fabulous.
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