'Go Set A Watchman' - Harper Lee's Sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird

[Bored of Canada]

Cripes.

Written back when she wrote the original, it's not been revised or edited since. 

The publisher calls it "a compelling and ultimately moving narrative about a father and a daughter's relationship, and the life of a small Alabama town living through the racial tensions of the 1950s."

Lee calls it "a pretty decent effort."

I find this pretty astonishing to be honest. I wasn't aware that this existed and I'd be interested to read it just to see more of her work and see her style. I can empathise a lot with her about only making the one book. I can imagine how terrifying it'd be to make something new after your last one explodes like that one did. The fear of getting the shit kicked out of your hope and emotions when everyone slates your next thing and you're doomed to just be a one-hit wonder, but if she enjoyed writing, then I do feel a sense of melancholy about fear overcoming that and not allowing her to express herself and hide from it all, which again, is why I'd like to read it.

I've been saying it for a while but Peter Jackson's been in this same situation for years now. After Lord of the Rings blew up, he tried doing the Lovely Bones and when that had such a large kicking by people, he ran back and somehow happily stretched The Hobbit into three films. Running away from trying to grow and challenge himself because people these days will rake you across the coals as soon as you stumble.

Hobbit was shit, though.

[Clatty McCutcheon]

When you've got a pretty much perfect one book 'canon' it almost seems a shame to risk diminishing it slightly by publishing something that might not be up to the same standard - if it already exists though, it would only seem right to get it out there.  I hope it will be a triumph.

[Ambient Sheep]

I wasn't aware that this existed...

Well neither did she until a few months ago...

BBC version, which has a few more details, here.

[Funcrusher]

I've been saying it for a while but Peter Jackson's been in this same situation for years now. After Lord of the Rings blew up, he tried doing the Lovely Bones and when that had such a large kicking by people, he ran back and somehow happily stretched The Hobbit into three films. Running away from trying to grow and challenge himself because people these days will rake you across the coals as soon as you stumble.

Hobbit was shit, though.

King Kong was so forgettable you've forgotten it

[Buttress]

Go Get A Watch, Man. It's 2015. People want to see a blood pouring out of a guy's every orifice while on fire, not listen to a well-meaning lawyer teach his daughter how to approach the ethical dilemmas of systemic racial exclusion.

[Mister Six]

I assume most people on here have seen articles like this one, which suggest that this book is, if not completely fabricated, not being published with the consent of Lee herself, as she is now sadly severely mentally debilitated and consigned to an old folks' home, incapable of understanding most of what's said to her. The fact that the book is being released just a little while after Harper Lee's sister/lawyer, who had spent most of her life keeping the wolves from Harper's door, died is also mighty suspicious. 

[Shaky]

I assume most people on here have seen articles like this one, which suggest that this book is, if not completely fabricated, not being published with the consent of Lee herself, as she is now sadly severely mentally debilitated and consigned to an old folks' home, incapable of understanding most of what's said to her. The fact that the book is being released just a little while after Harper Lee's sister/lawyer, who had spent most of her life keeping the wolves from Harper's door, died is also mighty suspicious.

It's hard not to be cynical about the whole thing, isn't it? "Oh, Harper forgot about the existence and whereabouts of the manuscript for 55 years but we've JUST THIS MINUTE FOUND IT AND SHE'D LIKE IT TO BE PUBLISHED!" Going by her apparent attitude towards producing new work over the last 6 decades, she can't be too bothered about acclaim or money, and she also doesn't exactly seem like someone who would want a reject published. Add in, as you say, her advanced age, ill health, the death of a loved one/adviser and it all seems damn fishy.

[studpuppet]

Just to add a little to this for context, her sister died at the age of 103 last year, so:

1. I'd be more sceptical about what kind of legal advice she was getting from a person in a nursing home, sister or not, and
2. While her sister was looking after her affairs, her previous agent managed to get Harper Lee to sign over her royalties for TKAMB to him. It sounds like she has a new 'team' of agent and lawyer that, while they obviously want to make money out of her, they will also be making money for her. Let's face it, although writing is an art, publishing is a business, and I'm guessing if her care costs are anything like my granny's were, she could do with some more royalties coming in...

There will always be conspiracy theories because she's a notorious reclusive, so the media have to fill in the bit where there would normally be a press conference and a big splash. A lot of what I've read over the last few days has seemed like sour grapes from industry insiders who would have given their right arm to be on the gravy train (a 2m copy print run in the US alone!).

Let's see what gets published shall we? And then if it was worth it, we can rejoice that it wasn't lost to a shredder. If not, we can see it for what it is: a massive payday for someone in their twilight years to keep her comfortable until she snuffs it.

[gloria]

Lee herself claims to be "happy as hell" about it all: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-31147034

[Squink]

This is definitely one of those issues for people to get very angry about on social media even though they almost certainly haven't got a clue whether any real wrongdoing is underway.

[chand]

This is definitely one of those issues for people to get very angry about on social media even though they almost certainly haven't got a clue whether any real wrongdoing is underway.

To be honest I think the reaction has been pretty understandable. The author has seemingly had no interest in publishing this book in several decades, then shortly after her sister dies (having seemingly been protecting her interests for years), suddenly the book is found (several different suggestions about where it was found) and about to be published, unedited, with no real suggestion Lee has even looked at it again. Factor in the fact that Lee's sister had literally said that Lee would sign anything people put in front of her, and it's reasonable to ask questions, no? None of this was helped by Lee's editor giving vague interviews in which it's clear he hasn't spoken to Lee and that she's now very difficult to talk to.

That Toast piece linked above seemed fair enough to me; it acknowledges the possibility that this could all be totally legit, but I think it's fair enough that the story is questioned given the circumstances. I'm sure everyone wants it to be the case that Harper Lee is cool with it being released.

[Buttress]

I'll laugh pitilessly if the entire book is in first draft level prose. With hilarious inconsistencies and not so 'kid friendly' rounded edges as in Mockingbird.

Atticus: "I've got cases coming out of my ears because I helped one black guy get a break in this town."

Scout: "You telling me you want a vacation, Atticus? Pulease. All this town know that all the niggas come knocking on Atticus Motherfucking Finch's door asking for real low prices for that representation you all up giving and all that."

Atticus: "I'm asking you to stop that offensive lingo. You're not black Scout, you can't use their language. It's theirs. Besides, I'll help the black people with their financial irresponsibility so long as I get a goddamn medal and a pension at the end of it."

[Rev]

There will always be conspiracy theories because she's a notorious reclusive

I don't know why this is said about her, because before she had to shuffle to the nursing home she'd show up at public events and would give talks now and then, just on more of a local than national level.  She was never hiding away, just not trying to amp up some sort of public profile.

This book is, obviously, ghostwritten bollocks along the lines of 'the NEW Virginia Andrews'.  If I were her at her age, I'd go along with it too - it'll be seen through quickly enough, and you've made your position about publishing only one novel pretty much clear.  The real test will be, if it's unedited as they claim, how much of TKAM crops up in the 'flashbacks'.  It would have to be quite a bit, you'd think, for the editor to suggest ditching one novel and attempting another - if it turns out to be three scenes inserted just before some crucial action takes place each time, we'll know.

[newbridge]

If it's total crap then I guess we'll know that Truman Capote really did write TKAMB

[Ambient Sheep]

BBC News - Harper Lee 'extremely hurt' by Mockingbird sequel claims

...her lawyer has told the New York Times.

To be honest I was trying to be positive about this, but that article, especially the various quotes, has had the opposite effect to that which her lawyer intended.

[popcorn]

Cripes.

I've been saying it for a while but Peter Jackson's been in this same situation for years now. After Lord of the Rings blew up, he tried doing the Lovely Bones and when that had such a large kicking by people, he ran back and somehow happily stretched The Hobbit into three films. Running away from trying to grow and challenge himself because people these days will rake you across the coals as soon as you stumble.

The Lovely Bones was genuinely fucking dreadful, though, and this is coming from someone who had very low expectations indeed (I hate LOTR). I really don't think any criticism it received was because LOTR was so successful.

e: I also don't see it as Jackson "challenging" himself or trying anything particularly new or dangerous. He played it incredibly safe.

[holyzombiejesus]

It's been out an hour or so. I will probably get this but wasn't particularly encouraged by the first chapter published in this Saturday's Guardian. It wasn't bad or anything but it didn't make me want to join any of Waterstones' ghastly launch parties. Also, not sure if it'd be good to read TKAM again first. I've not read it in about 30 years and it would feel a bit odd to read the (presumably) superior book first. Anyway, here's a BBC report with some spoilers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33510168

and here's a cunt on a train

[Serge]

Yeah, I'm not sure whether I'm going to bother - I think it would be more profitable to just re-read 'Mockingbird' at some point. I notice there was a bit of a fuss that Atticus in the 'new' book is portrayed as having racist tendencies which don't square with his character in 'Mockingbird'. I think the only way to view 'Watchman' is in the same way as a band releasing their demos on an anniversary re-issue - it's just work in progress, it's not meant to be viewed as the finished product in the same way the original, well-known work is. It's the out-takes.

[touchingcloth]

Atticus Lynch, more like. I always suspected the man was hiding some rotten secrets, and now he's gone and proven himself to be worse than Savile.

[Doomy Dwyer]

The whole imbroglio is effin' phenomenal. The lawyer Tonja Carter seems to be a chronically inept Aldridge Prior figure. If she'd have been defending Tom Robinson they'd have lynched that po' boy for being black, a rapist and glad to be gay. Because he has the same name as the lead singer of the Tom Robinson Band whose hits include 'Glad to be Gay' and the execrable '2-4-6-8 Motorway'.

Now they're claiming that there "may" be a third book in which Atticus is revealed to be some kind of BDSM nut with an interest in Qudditch, whatever the fuck that is, I don't even want to know. This Harper Lee chancer's taking the fucking piss.

[Queneau]

I think it would be more profitable to just re-read 'Mockingbird' at some point.

Er, no it wouldn't be. That's exactly the reason they wanted this published!

[greenman]

Atticus Lynch, more like. I always suspected the man was hiding some rotten secrets, and now he's gone and proven himself to be worse than Savile.

What was the comedy show that introduced the concept of books being rewritten for a right wing audience where "that black guy really did rape that white woman" in TKAMB?

[Ambient Sheep]

Funny and apt...

http://www.theonion.com/article/harper-lee-announces-third-novel-my-excellent-care-50840

[Head Gardener]

I think I will just watch the movie instead

[Mister Six]

Bollocks, I came up with that pun a few years back and hoped nobody else would.

[Queneau]

Has The Onion ever been funny?

[El Unicornio, mang]

It's consistently funny, imho.

[Dr Rock]

Funnier than To Kill A Mockingbird.

[Queneau]

Back on topic, kind of, I saw the cover in a shop today. Hardly news, right? But it's one of the worst covers I have ever seen. I'd seen pictures of it online but close up I realised what a total smear of shit it is. Ghastly.

[Ambient Sheep]

Yeah, they had both the hardback and paperback piled high in Sainsbury's today.  Had to resist the urge to spit at it.