Synopsis (credit: introduction page)

Scout and Jem Finch's summers drift by in a round of make-believe, fishing and fun with their friend Dill from Meridian. As the years pass and the children grow up in the small community of Finch's Landing, they begin to learn that life is not as straight-forward and fair as it seemed through the eyes of their childhood. They discover why Mrs Henry Lafayette Dubose always seems so vicious, the truth about the mysterious and much maligned Boo Radley, and how people react when they are forced to choose between their prejudices and what they know is right.

Winner: Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 1961.
On the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List.

(Bought second-hand at Books for All, Plumstead.)

The book forms part of my permanent collection.

To all of you who, like me, may have been delaying reading this book because of the heavy themes it touches on: read it right away!

What a marvellous book. It's one of those that one wants to read again immediately, mining for the special bits that may have slipped through or aspects better understood a second time. Cleverly, and with spark and compassion, the author tells the story as experienced by a very young girl. It makes all the difference: pointing out the silliness of the games adults play, questioning what the establishment regards as a given — without ever getting sugary. One can't help loving her. Both the author and the protagonist, that is.

Having discovered second-hand bookshops, I very seldom buy new books nowadays. However, reading this persuaded me to place a pre-publication order for a copy of Harper Lee's much-discussed follow-up novel, Go Set a Watchman. Controversial? Disappointing sequel? Instant classic? We'll have to wait and see.

Go Set a Watchman has since arrived. I've posted my review in this journal entry.