To Kill a Mockingbird

Rating:
Summary: Great Book! So glad I read it!
Review: I was required to read this book over the summer for an Honors English class for next year. I finished it the week after school was out. It was so full of plot, and so intruiging, that I couldn't put it down. It was so incredible. I never imangined I would enjoy it so much. Harper Lee does a wonderful job setting the scene, especially with the dialect and character development. You see Scout Finch's world just as she would as the events unfold. This is one of the few times I am glad I was required to read a book. If not, I would have never known what lies beneath the cover.

Rating:
Summary: Forever A Part of Your Personal Library
Review: Atticus Finch, the unforgettable protagonist of Harper Lee's masterpiece, To Kill A Mockingbird, provides the premise for the novel early on when he states to his daughter, Scout, "You never really know about another person until you walk around in his skin for a while and feel it. Then you start to see what life is like from his eyes." Told in the first person, the book is narrated by eight-year-old Jean-Louse "Scout" Finch, a motherless tomboy, who encounters many adventures and learns several lessons in the rural town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. With Scout's elder brother, Jem, by her side, she struggles to accept the racial and economic barriers which had, for too long, separated the townspeople of Maycomb. To Kill A Mockingbird is a love letter to a community steeped in hypocrisy and injustice; the novel suggests that the chains of the Old South would eventually change due, in part, to individuals such as Scout's sagacious and determined father, Atticus. When Scout's father, a local prominent attorney, agrees to defend a local Negro worker accused of raping a white woman, Scout begins to recognize the cancer that has all but choked Maycomb out of existence. As a result of the trial Scout loses her innocence and gains the wisdom that despite ancient grudges it is time for a change in Maycomb. Characterization is a vital ingredient to the success of To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee breathes life into all of her characters; she provides them with not only an outward appearance that rings true, but with also a motivation to every action that is plausible because the author makes the reader walk in each character's shoes. The novel possesses as many memorable figures as any other novel in American history. In particular, Scout, who narrates the book, is transformed from a highly naive and impulsive little girl to a perceptive and sensitive individual by novel's end. Jem, Scout's brother, converts from boyhood to manhood and gains a new respect an understanding for his surroundings. Unlike his children, Atticus remains remarkably true to his character throughout Lee's memoir. His character is so unforgettable that he remains as the most conspicuous role model for both fathers and lawyers in American literature forty years after the publication of the book. Another memorable figure in the novel, Tom Robinson, is a hardworking, caring, and honest "Negro" who is falsely accused of raping a white woman. Tom symbolizes the plight of all African Americans at the time where prejudice and injustice were commonplace. Perhaps the most compelling figure in Lee's work is the mysterious phantom of the town, Arthur Radley. He remains inside his house down the street from the Finches', a recluse who is neither seen nor heard. Arthur, better known as "Boo", provides the basis for many rumors and stories that keep the gossips guessing in the small community. "Boo" is thus held responsible for many ills and faults of the town. The mystery of "Boo" dominates the imagination and nightmares of Scout and Jem. The characters of the novel contain weaknesses as well as strengths. Lee's novel possesses accurate points of view for the time period that adds to the incredible realism that is conveyed through each individual's personality. Harper Lee's descriptive style provides the reader with remarkable characters and remarkable settings. The attention Lee focuses on small details brings To Kill a Mockingbird to life. Most scenes are enhanced by strong dialogue; dialogue that is particularly evident in the riveting courtroom scene that stays with the reader long after he or she has put it down. An example of Harper Lee's vibrant prose can be found when she sets the scene for 1933 Maycomb: "Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer's day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men's stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after three-o'clock naps, and by nightfall were soft like teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum." The several themes communicated through Harper Lee's brilliant plausible characters tie the novel together creating a beautiful masterpiece. A classic that ten years from now you will be able to pick up again and enjoy even more the second or third time. I am thankful to Harper Lee for allowing me to imagine walking around in the shoes of her characters.

Rating:
Summary: Do yourself a favor
Review: Do yourself a favor: do not buy this book. The storyline drags along. The only redeeming part is the emotional ending, which does do a good job of wrapping up the so called "Classic".

Rating:
Summary: Terribly tragic, yet a view for life
Review: The reason I first bought this book is because I was told that I would have to read it in the grade I am about to enter. Figuring that I would just get a head start on the rest of my class b*cuz I have nothing better to do. This book is THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ! It deserves more than 5 stars, but thats all they has to offer. I recommended this book for anyone past the age of 13 because I'm not sure if anyone youger than that would be able to understand it as well as older people. If you have the chance to read this book, then I highly recommend it. Please take my advise in consideration when you have nothing better to do on a rainy Sunday. A classic always and forever.

Rating:
Summary: Spectacular
Review: I found this book to be quite original and a great portrait of strength and courage. I liked the style that the author used in writing this novel and applaud his choice of a narrarator. Truly a great read and a must for everyone.

Rating:
Summary: One Of The Few Movies That Is As Good As The Book
Review: With all the reviews for this book, another surely isn't needed. But if you've never seen the movie version, you definitely won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: where do I begin?
Review: This is one of my favourite books for so many reasons. On the surface, it's an excellent piece of literature. The story is perfectly worked out, and some of the adventures have a Huck Finn feel to them. The underlying issues of racism and the judicial system are amazingly portrayed. I wanted to scream at the injustices, Harper Lee's writing was so vivid. For a drama presentation in grade 9 I chose the monologue of Atticus Finch in front of the jury. There was hardly any acting required, because the dialogue is astounding, and the emotion just comes. I highly recommend you read it before some high school English class forces you to do so and steals all of the meaning from it.

Rating:
Summary: To Kill A Mockingbird
Review: In the novel, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, by Harper Lee, a young girl named Scout learns that life isn't fair. Scout is very different from all the other girls because she doesn't want to wear dresses with big frills. She would rather climb trees and go on big adventures. Scout's dad is a lawyer and he has o defend a black man for the rape of a white woman. Word gets around, and soon everyone is telling Scout that her dad is a "nigger lover". Scout has many different friends, but one of her best ones is really poor. Because of this, he gets descriminated against. But Scout respects him, not because of his riches, but because he respects her. Overall, this book is a wonderful story about the hardships of that time. You really get to see what sexism, racism, and classism, was like for people in the 1930's.

Rating:
Summary: To KIll A Mocking Bird
Review: This book is great for children between the ages of 12 and 15. IT expresses the views of racism through a young girl. She lives in a small southern town which is known for its gossip, and its negative out look on racism. The characters are extremely well-developed and there are some great foreshadowing moments. There is great dramam and excitemnet through the book when an African american is accused of rapping a whit girl.... Especially your daughter will LOVE this book. I wouldnt recomend it for a child younger than 12, because of its descrition of the events when the "rapp" accured.

Rating:
Summary: All right, so it's kind of a given...
Review: But I had to make it clear that although this book is a classic, that in NO way, shape or form means that it is boring! Scout and Jem (accompanied by Dill every now and then) are amazing characters. And with a father like Atticus Finch, they're both a little weird -- too young to understand everything that goes on, but with a deeper knowledge that surpasses that of their peers. Pair that with their keen observation, the constantly underlying Boo Radley plot, and of course, a moral outrage, and there you have it! A great read!