Harper Lee To Publish "Mockingbird" Sequel

Heck, yeah!

Very cool. I at first thought it might be a parody article (maybe a dig at George RR Martin) until I kept reading/saw multiple sites post it.

Good for her. Can't wait to read it.

It was apparently going to be the first book she published, but the flashback elements got turned into To Kill a Mockingbird, so this is apparently some kind of would-be-pre-sequel-sequel.

edited 3rd Feb '15 2:56:27 PM by Ekuran

I am wayyyyyyyyyyy too excited about this. Also how old is Harper Lee?

I remember TKAM from way back when I was in high school. It was an okay book.

A 55-year-long gap between two books? Is there a precedent for that?

Also, Harper Lee is 88 years old.

edited 3rd Feb '15 10:21:38 PM by AHI-3000

I think most of the reason I didn't like it was I hate a spiteful bitch of a teacher who would curse at me (specifically me, to be clear) and praise the book as though it was the Holy Bible. Considering it was a Catholic Elementary School, that should say something.

I mean, I guess it was good with its themes and etc and I see why people like it, but honestly not my thing. There is so much that's just not integrated with everything else that I honestly felt like it was everywhere. There were so many chapters that just felt like padding. And I never got the point of Boo Radley's character. He felt more like a tool for plot in the finale. I don't know why people like him so much since, as far as I remember, he was void of any semblance of character.

Then again, its been ages since I was an 8th Grader and I certainly know a lot more about writing fiction now than I did that long ago and I certainly don't have a teacher who'll scream "You wouldn't know good literature if it bit you on the ass!" if I so much as suggest that John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath was a bit padded out and had a kind of creepy ending (in my opinion).

Sorry... I must sound like I'm ranting. I had... lot of strong emotions in the past.

I heard that the sequel was actually going to be the book that she first wanted to write and To Kill A Mockingbird grew out of flashback that was supposed to be in this book.

This is looking real suspicious.

Previously, there was Mrs Mike with 55 years gap (1947 and 2002) with a second sequel released the next year. But yeah, the more I learn about Ms. Harper's current circumstances, the more fishy this looks. I mean, it very likely is the book she wrote back then, but she was also adamant about not releasing it and it's only three months after the death of her sister, who was one of the chief fighters to maintain Ms. Harper's wishes in the face of dementia, that this is announced.

TKAM is Scout recalling the events in her childhood. It could be a sequel and a prequel.

I'm really looking forward to this. TKAM is probably the third (it's hard to compete with The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and The Once and Future King) best book I've read in years.

Majora - whether this is seen as a corporate cash grab, or a somewhat underhanded contribution to art history (see also: Franz Kafka), will have to be determined when it's actually released. :/

[cautious optimism]

Anyone here ever watch How to Kill a Mockingbird?