To Kill A Mockingbird (To Kill A Mockingbird #1) by Harper Lee
Publisher: Popular Library
Goodreads Summary: The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.

Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior—to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.
Rating: 4 Stars
Review: Jean Louise Finch narrates this tale of what could be nothing more than a story of her childhood adventures alongside her brother Jem. To Kill A Mockingbird also gave me a better understanding of the English language and Alabama, USA in the 1930s.

The synopsis refers to this book as a love story. I suppose it features love, but not in the 'I love you, you love me, let's have a relationship' way, more a sort of family and friendship love, accepting and supporting. Jean Louise, more commonly known as Scout is tied into the happenings of Maycomb in various ways.

Generally I don't read classics. Having tried to read Wuthering Heights and Dracula before, the only classic I've successfully read is Black Beauty and I'm not sure that even counts. I just dislike reading older English. I read To Kill A Mockingbird because I had nothing better to do and it was the best book available at the time. I still managed to enjoy it.

TKAM is certainly a simple tale. While you may not believe Scout's daily life can be interesting, Harper Lee certainly makes it so. One reason I really enjoyed this book is that the relationship between characters changes as they grow up, showing their personalities differ as they age.

In order t read this book I often had to read sentences more carefully rather than skipping them like my speed reader self is used to. The language is quite different from modern English but easily understandable. Millions have read this book, and so should you.
Purchase Location: Borrowed From Relative
Edition: Paperback (Large Print)