Upcoming Novels

This seems to be confirmed by all major news outlets.

A previously unknown Harper Lee novel, entitled To Set A Watchman, is to be published this year.

More: It features an adult Scout. This was the first novel that she wrote. To Kill A Mockingbird was written and published after her editor read the first manuscript, and was taken by the flashbacks that Scout had to her childhood. Lee thought that the manuscript for Watchman was lost until recently, when it was discovered by a friend.

Huge, huge news.

Oh, I'm very excited about this. But also a little trepidatious. To Kill a Mockingbird is such a perfect novel. I can understand why it took her over 50 years to allow this one to be published as well.

I'm trepidatious too, but I just went and pre-ordered it because YAY!

I'm trepidatious too, but I just went and pre-ordered it because YAY!

Where? I want to order today!

dionneshea wrote:Oh, I'm very excited about this. But also a little trepidatious. To Kill a Mockingbird is such a perfect novel. I can understand why it took her over 50 years to allow this one to be published as well.

According to the article, at least part of that seems to be that she thought that it had been lost forever.

Mialoubug, Amazon has it up already. It's expensive, but I suspect it'll slide down a bit before the actual publication.

There's a lot of speculation that Lee never intended for this novel to be printed, and that her attorney does not have her best interests at heart. Lee has been in poor mental and physical health for years, and was shielded by her older sister from the spotlight. And then her sister got older and went into care, and now...this.

I love To Kill A Mockingbird. It is one of my all time favorite books. But I'm not sure I'm happy about this news.

Yeah, the timing is really odd. I think this is kind of a Mrs. Astor situation, potentially? The "it was lost until now" line might be just a cover story to make it seem plausible. (If that's the situation was it done...IN COLD BLOOD? *puts on sunglasses*)

Never mind!