To Kill a Mockingbird

de Faoite_girl

Hi all,

I know that "To Kill a Mockingbird" has been critically acclaimed throughout the world and that it features in the "10 books to read before the Apocalypse" and "Books that have stayed with you" threads.

However, I started reading it a couple of weeks ago and I have to admit that I'm struggling to finish it. I've read it up to the point where Jem, Dill and Scout decide to write a note to Boo Radley.

Unfortunately, I just feel like giving up. The story so far is (IMO) way too slow, with nothing remarkable happening.

Can someone confirm that it's going to get better or have I just missed the whole point of this book?

Cheers,
DFG

Denerick

Ah man! Come on :eek:

Its a fantastic book, its meant to be read slowly as it is not a thriller or a fast paced plot. It is an examination of an unjust world through the eyes of children. Some of the symbolism in that book is amazing, I'll be forever grateful to Harper Lee for writing it.

I'm thinking of re-reading it, as it happens

Eliot Rosewater

It's a fantastic book. If you want me a Denerick will write an essay for you explaining our interpretations of it!

sudzs

I read it as a child a million years ago (!) and enjoyed it! Bought it recently and plan to reread it soon. (as soon as I get through Let the Great World Spin, not enjoying that)

Will post back and let you know how it goes! But I would stick with it if you can. I find bringing books on a long bus, train or plane journey helps when you get stuck midway!

JohnMearsheimer

I thought it was a great read. Harper Lee isn't John Grisham. If you're looking for instant gratification then I think you're reading the wrong book. Take your time and turn the issues raised in the book over in your mind. It will be rewarding.

KnifeWRENCH

de Faoite_girl wrote: »

Can someone confirm that it's going to get better or have I just missed the whole point of this book?

Cheers,
DFG

It does get somewhat better; can't say any more without spoiling it for you. But I would agree with your comments on the first part of the book; it takes ages for it to get going and is really slow moving.

Overall, I was very underwhelmed by it. It's not a bad novel, it's just hugely overrated imo.

Scuid Mhór

i've been in school for twelve years now and reading books has been compulsory each year. i can honestly tell you that to kill a mockingbird is the only one i truly enjoyed. the first half can seem sort of scattered, but everything comes together and it becomes much more fast-paced during the second half.

great book.

de Faoite_girl

Thanks for your input guys, much appreciated. It seems that the opinions slightly differ on this one (greatest read of all times/a wee bit overrated) but all in all, I will take your advice and keep at it.

I have decided to take a small break though to let that feeling of boredom (boredom is a bit too strong here, but I cannot think of a lesser word at the moment) evaporate in order to start reading it from the very beginning again with new, fresh eyes. In the meantime, I am re-reading In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Will let you know later how I get on with To Kill a Mockingbird.

Cheers again,
DFG

Eliot Rosewater

A good tactic when reading books, or short stories, is to pause at the end of every chapter/story and ask "Why did the author put this chapter in? What are they trying to say here?" I formulated this tactic when reading Harper Lee's book because there are so many sub-plots that appear unrelated to the main narrative, and the significance of these sub-plots is only realised when you give them some consideration.

I think books like To Kill A Mockingbird can only be fully appreciated when you give it such analysis and thought. You can still appreciate good books, mind, it's just such reflection enhances the experience.

time42play

de Faoite_girl wrote: »

I have decided to take a small break though to let that feeling of boredom (boredom is a bit too strong here, but I cannot think of a lesser word at the moment) evaporate in order to start reading it from the very beginning again with new, fresh eyes.

I had to read this for a book group and found it so boring that I skimmed through it. But I'm not a very analytical reader by nature, so books that require a lot of thought AND don't catch my interest are lost causes.

There were two Americans in the book group whose reaction to the choice was heavy groaning and exclamations of "I had to read that crap in school, I'm not going near it again."

It wasn't a successful choice in the end.

Monkeybonkers

Not everybody likes books that are considered 'greats' by others. Don't worry about it if you don't like it that much. Just move on to something else. Reading is about enjoying the book rather than reading something just because lots of others like it.

Btw I love that book!

Boo Radley

It might not be for you. Wouldn't worry about. I think you can decipher where I stand on the book.

AudreyHepburn

I read this book in secondary school and absolutly adore it!

I know it just might not be your thing but I'd advise you to try reading again and really let yourself get lost in the story because it's a great tale and it deals with some really interesting themes too.

It does require some deep thinking but if you read it like you would in school, analysing, questioning, really thinking about the story and the message etc you might find it more enjoyable.

Obv though if it's not for you that's fine!

emeraldstar

Have to admit it's a surprise to me that there are quite so many who don't like this book. I read it for the first time when I was quite young and found it gripping, and it became a firm favourite immediately. I've read it a few times since then and still love it. I'm trying to recall, but I don't think I've actually known anyone to find it awful before. Interesting.

Kayly

I read it recently too, for a book club. I had read it as a teenager, but realised reading it as an adult, how much more there was to it than the story.
Btw the movie is quite a good adaptation and Gregory Peck made a mighty fine Atticus. (Though the depth in a good book can never really be 100% captured in a movie, in my opinion.)

Dorcha

I first read “To Kill a Mocking Bird” many moons ago - and even at that time I wasn’t young! I found it quite interesting. Lee didn’t write it because she wanted to make any point, or point to any morals, but because she felt she had to (get it out of her system, as one would say nowadays). It’s essentially autobiographic , based on her own childhood. I think you can appreciate her sincerity in the matter when you realise she never wrote another book.

I wouldn’t worry too much about not liking it. It’s an individual thing. I though the writing in “Gulliver’s Travels” was awful, and as for anything by Henry James – don’t get me started; he must be one of the most boring writers ever. Another writer that I find to be a bore is Edgar Allan Poe. I read “The Hobbit” (J.R.R. Tolkien) and thought I’d embark on “The Lord of the Rings”. The core plot is good, but the meanderings bored me out of my mind and the pages and pages of battle descriptions were endured only because I felt I had to finish the thing before I could criticize it.

eamor

been doing a lot of commuting recently and I decided to 'Listen' to the audiobook version. I did read T.K.A.M.B when I was younger but I decided it would be nice to have a story read to me...:D Its narrated by Sissy Spacek and my word...she does a FINE job...I was totally and utterly transported....:D

budgemook

Brilliant book and you should get back to it. However, if you don't, you should watch the movie. It too is excellent.

Eliot Rosewater

Dorcha wrote: »

Lee didn’t write it because she wanted to make any point, or point to any morals, but because she felt she had to (get it out of her system, as one would say nowadays). It’s essentially autobiographic , based on her own childhood. I think you can appreciate her sincerity in the matter when you realise she never wrote another book.

Well, either that or she dried up. Or the rumours about Truman Capote writing it were true, and he refused to do any more books for her.

But I think there is merit to what you said. Often times literary writers, like Ernest Hemingway, are viewed as merely artists whose primary goal is to create some artistic thing to be artistically appreciated by people similar to themselves. But I think much of the great writing, Grapes of Wrath, 1984, Slaughterhouse 5, To Kill A Mockingbird etc, is motivated primarily by the desire to communicate an idea or a belief or a perceived wrong in the world. It is good to be reminded that writing is first and foremost about communication, and that literature is there as a medium through which individuals of the world can share their frustrations, fears and, sometimes, hopes.

fionav3

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my top tens, I've reread it several times over the years. I know the book might seem slow to start with but about halfway through, everything comes together and the book just flows. Beautiful writing IMO and I think if you stick with it, you'll never be sorry.

thenakedanddead

Other than the trial section (which took up a good percentage of the book, and which I thoroughly enjoyed), I didn't get anything out of this novel. I'm a slow reader by nature, but this book took the productivity out of 5 days of my life.

"In Cold Blood", however, was an enjoyable read

thenakedanddead

budgemook wrote: »

Brilliant book and you should get back to it. However, if you don't, you should watch the movie. It too is excellent.

I truly should give that movie a chance. I tried to watch it once, but I doubt if I even made it to 30 mins.

Zxc

thenakedanddead wrote: »

I truly should give that movie (To Kill A Mockingbird) a chance. I tried to watch it once, but I doubt if I even made it to 30 mins.

I really liked the book but I never warmed to the film much.

Psychedelic

Just finished reading this book for the first time. It's a belter. I thought I'd find it boring but it's one of those books where you know from the very first page it is something special.

Gneez

I read it in school didn't think it was all that great either OP.

TheoBoone

It's a great book, but it does spend a little bit too much time on the runway before taking off. For me, the court case was the most interesting part of it. I was really surprised when I found out that Harper Lee hadn't written anything else. It would be awesome if she wrote an action thriller sequel to it just to mess with everyone.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

I first read it when I was 13 and absolutely adored it. When I found out a few months later that we were studying it for the Junior Cert I wasn't too pleased I'd have preferred to read something new!

Definitely a novel I mist take another look at.

Niles

I first read it for the Junior Cert and later on studied it in college, can't fault it to be honest. Has a cross-generational appeal, it's engaging and its message is clear. Plenty of humour without taking away from the serious issues it discusses. Overrated? Maybe, but even the best works are going to get overrated at some point.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

thenakedanddead wrote: »

Other than the trial section (which took up a good percentage of the book, and which I thoroughly enjoyed), I didn't get anything out of this novel. I'm a slow reader by nature, but this book took the productivity out of 5 days of my life.

"In Cold Blood", however, was an enjoyable read

I enjoyed it when I read it but I do remember thinking that it was about the kids and Boo Radley and then all of a sudden the trial thing started and I realised that was the main point of the story. Still thought it was a fantastic book though.

UnLuckyAgain

Definitely one to read. Though I will agree the plotline is slightly slow, I found that keeping the cultural and social context of the book in mind whilst reading can help keep up interest levels.

squeakyduck

emeraldstar wrote: »

Have to admit it's a surprise to me that there are quite so many who don't like this book. I read it for the first time when I was quite young and found it gripping, and it became a firm favourite immediately. I've read it a few times since then and still love it. I'm trying to recall, but I don't think I've actually known anyone to find it awful before. Interesting.

I was late reading it, my first year in college I had to read it for an assignment. I remember gasping out loud when I read "hey boo" people laughed at me!

I must pick it up again and reread!

niall mc cann

I found an old copy that my girlfriend read in school when we were moving house a few years back, and I was between reads at that point, so I tried it on a whim.

It blew me away; I just loved it. In retrospect, I suppose it may seem kind of slow, but that never occurred to me while I was reading it. It was Atticus that made it readable to me... all through the first half you get to see what an adoring little girl thinks of her Daddy, but as the book goes on you start to understand that it's not just the rose-tinted glasses of a child's love for her father, but that Atticus is (in a very unobtrusive, ordinary-daily-life kind of way) a man of genuine courage and real moral conviction.

It's like for the first half you see these shadowy, clouded glimpses of unassuming modesty and moral insight, and then in the second half the veil slips and you see just how commited and courageous an ordinary man can be. Then, of course, you see the other side of that, how little the world will bend for those qualities, and how little one man can do in the face of a society that isn't willing to live up to his example.

I just didn't have your experience with the book... I thought it was a rollercoaster ride, about the unexpected places you can find strength and courage and loyalty, about how little those qualities can achieve, and how tremendously, irreplaceably valuable they are despite that.

Great stuff.

funkey_monkey

Just finished reading the book. I thought it was really well written and I had clear visions in my mind of what was being written about by the author. However, I agree that the begining of the book was quite slow. There were times where I was wondering what the point of many subplots were.

A really good book, but not in my top 10. I feel bad and really disappointed about saying that

Dirty Dingus McGee

Great book.It definitely is slow moving at the beginning but everything before the trial is setting the scene for the main plot.You really get to know the town and without this the story as a whole wouldnt be as good .Its a beautiful book easy to read and very funny aswell.Its the ony book I read in secondary school that I enjoyed and I reread it last year and it was equally enjoyable.

Hrududu

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

Well, either that or she dried up. Or the rumours about Truman Capote writing it were true, and he refused to do any more books for her.

I love the idea that Truman Capote would be able to keep his yap shut about that

To Kill a Mockingbird is a big favourite of mine. I never found the start of it slow as it builds its world and characters so well. And Atticus Finch is one of the great 'good' guys in literature.

I saw a British film a couple of months ago called Broken that seemed to borrow heavily from TKaMB. I enjoyed it but your mileage may vary.

Tom Joad

One of my favourite books of all time - it does take a while to build but didn't mind that as the scene was being set for the main act.

Ormus

I can never understand all this talk about the pace of a book. Some books are supposed to have pace, some aren't.

Some books aren't supposed to 'get going'.

To Kill a Mockingbird is not a thriller, although it has a few suspenseful moments and it moves quite fast in most of the second half.

In my opinion, it's a great story, brilliantly told, and Atticus is one of the truest heroes I've ever read.

Ormus

squeakyduck wrote: »

I was late reading it, my first year in college I had to read it for an assignment. I remember gasping out loud when I read "hey boo" people laughed at me!

I must pick it up again and reread!

Spoiler!

funkey_monkey

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Just finished reading the book. I thought it was really well written and I had clear visions in my mind of what was being written about by the author. However, I agree that the begining of the book was quite slow. There were times where I was wondering what the point of many subplots were.

A really good book, but not in my top 10. I feel bad and really disappointed about saying that

Watched the movie version last night and enjoyed it. Although I really didn't warm to the girl playing the part of Scout - she wasn't quite as endering as the character in the book, nor as prominant. Follows the book very closely though, which was nice.