Friday, January 4, 2008

Book Review: Mockingbird


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Mockingbird




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.

1 comment:

  1. Chelsey,

    I 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

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