by Charles J. Shields
Called "A portrait of Harper Lee" by the author, I would call this: "A portrait of Harper Lee, but not the details people really care about", but that's me. Honestly, it seems to be a little bit more about Truman Capote than his friend Nelle Harper Lee. Personally, I would have liked to spend a little less time in the novel talking about her time helping Capote with "In Cold Blood" I also thought that there was too much talk about the people that surrounded Lee.
I was interested in the little details about the similarities between Lee's childhood and the world of Maycomb she portrays in the novel; and the looks into the reasons that she did not write a second novel, but I also somewhat disapprove of the fact that the book was written directly against Harper Lee's wishes.
Chelsey,
ReplyDeleteI wish there was more to know about Miss Lee too, but she has led a rather unremarkable life EXCEPT for her association with Truman. And had she not had the support of friends, and especially the expertise of Tay Hofhoff to assist her with TKAM, I don't believe she would have written the novel. But I enjoy reading and hearing people's opinions about Mockingbird. I keep thoughts like yours in mind as I work on my current biography, the life of Kurt Vonnegut. And this time, it's authorized!
Best,
Charles Shields