I like the connection between the Mockingbird and the story
590490
I like the connection between the Mockingbird and the story. It's a story with morals on my side and prejudice on the other side. Good read!
1833256
I re-read To Kill A Mockingbird before I took up Go Set A watchman.  I cannot say which I liked better. Many people have discussed the issue of racism and how it is portrayed in the book. I found the portrayal of the civil rights issues, voter right issues, etc. very interesting. I am constantly educated on these subjects by the very talented Southern writers like Ms. Lee.  These grown up characters are as wonderful as their young counterparts. I still found Atticus to be endearing as well as his doctor brother.  I would love to see yet another chapter in Scout's life.
2960640
In my younger "non fiction reading years", I did not read Mockingbird. The reading of Watchman motivated me to go back to Mockingbird, a wonderful classic. Now I am sorry, Watchman did not have a preface re Mockingbird to set the stage: characters, setting and time. This book is rich with vivid images, very similar to my pleasant experiences with Huck Finn.
4202695
3.5 stars
The Marine in Unit A opens up with a heart pulling scene and as this part of the story builds, the reader learns that the residents of Mockingbird Place are family to each other. This part of the story was so well done, Mr. Cook bonded each character to the reader with glimpses into their backstory.
The reader soon learns that Oliver, the man we meet when the book opens, was disowned by his family and taken in by the now deceased owner of Mockingbird Place.  Witnessing the new lease on life Oliver was given and the love he now carries in his heart showed the beauty of humanity even after the darkest part invade one's life.
Olivers first meeting with Adam, the new resident of the apartment complex, was adorable.  Being a witness to Oliver and Adam's unlikely friendship kept me wanting to keep reading this story.  My heart was drawn to Adam as he was so unsure of what he wanted and how to navigate his life outside of the Marine Corps.
As a side note, I adored the use of Adams family; both his mom and grandfather added such layers and depth to the story.
I truly enjoyed Adams journey to happy, this wounded Marine (nope not telling you what because it adds to the unfolding of the story) touched my heart.  His pain was real and the opening of himself to these new people in his life allowed him to grab a happy he never imagined.
I was excited to learn that this series will continue, next up and on my to read list The Cowboy in Unit E.
4534885
The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion may remind you of Fried Green Tomatoes Yes, it is another story by Fannie Flagg, but it is similar only because you become accustomed to her proper Southern ladies. There are two story lines here, one in Point Clear, Alabama, beginning in 2005, and the other in Pulaski, Wisconsin, in 1916 when a Polish immigrant settled there. There is a connection between the two, and the reader begins to see it almost immediately. Dont be too sure, for there are hairpin turns along this road.
Yes, I was more interested in the immigrants than in the old-time Southern family. But Fannie will capture me with both stories.
There is a decent bit of history told from the Pulaski point of view, from the rise of the automobile and service stations to the Depression years and the beginning of World War II. Now I was reminded of A League of Their Own.
This is, among other things, a tribute to the WASP, the Women Aircraft Service Pilots, about whom I first read in Rita Mae Browns A Nose for Justice. The WASP played an important role in the war effort, despite a lack of respect from the men who were training them. It was, evidently, perfectly all right for the women to build the planes, but they weren't supposed to fly them. And of course, the entire division was disbanded when some man decided that they had enough men to take over the job.
Youve heard this before, the idea that was supposed to keep women in the home, where they belonged.  It would take at least thirty years before women were able to battle their way out of that mindset.
In Point Clear, our very proper Southern lady, Sara Jane Krackenberry Poole (Sookie), is a wife and mother to four adult children; she is still dominated by the opinions of her mother, the Grande Dame of the area. Having been notified of her connection to Pulaski, she is severely upset.
When Sookie realizes that her mother has lied to her about many things, she assumes it is because she is not good enough and not really who she thought she was.
Dr. Earl Poole, her husband, is a sensible man who helps her through her fears. Her children love her. She consults a psychiatrist but is afraid to be seen at his office because the whole town will knowand someone would be sure to tell her mother. So she meets with him at coffeehouses and restaurants, and her mother wants to know why she is conducting a clandestine affair.
Fannie Flagg, one of my favorite writers, produces feel-good stories that also teach something. Its a wonderful combination.
I highly recommend this book. It was a delight.
359109
I like the bits and pieces of history that were so involved in the make up of the story.
3229966
Five stars as a follow up to To Kill a Mockingbird, but not as powerful on its own (probably four stars).  Harper Lee treats the antagonists like humans rather than reducing them all to one dimensional evil people as we see so frequently today in our media.  People are complex and I enjoyed that this book explored the complexity of the issues of the period.  I think non-Southerners will struggle to "get" some of this novel and may be upset that the antagonists and protagonists are not treated as purely good or evil.
4600718
I found this work of historical fiction to be interesting because it takes place during the Civil War era. Ms. Durham based her story upon her own great-grandfather's life and times. In March of 1882, two best friends since early childhood join the Confederate army. The ups and downs of the war (mostly downs - i.e. the Battle of Gettysburg) can either tear the two apart or bring them together.

The book has some very interesting and often humorous moments. It is well written, but don't expect a sweet story with a typical story format. This book is different than that. It reminds me more of a lot of short story remembrances put together to make a sensible plot. For me, it can leave me scratching my head as I try to figure out what happened when, where, and to what end. However, that sort of thing also makes it appealing to a lot of readers. Also, I am not a fan of a lot of vernacular that might be true to the area and times, but makes it difficult for the modern day reader to sift through. Uncle Tom's Cabin is the last book that I successfully read that included this sort of thing and I did muddle through that. As for Promises, I ended up skipping some of the dialogue because it was hard for me to get through.

All in all, I did like this story and I feel that Ardyce Durham has done a pretty good job of writing it. I especially think she has a great sense of humor, as is evidenced by her funny tales spread throughout the book.

*I received a copy of Promises in exchange for my honest opinion. My thoughts are my own.*
16552
**Few moderate spoilers!**

Seeing red is a book about facing your fears. The book was written by Kathryn Erskine in 2013 by Scholastic. She wrote books like Quaker and Mockingbird. I myself have read Mockingbird and if you enjoyed that one, then you should definitely read this one. I liked this book and would recommend it highly to the tween age group. It takes place in the small town of Stony Gap Virginia during a time of prominent racial divide. Red Porter lives with his widowed mother in a house next to a repair shop he and his friend Beau run fixing cars in the summer. Besides going to school and fixing up cars, he spent most of his time with his friend Thomas and Miss Georgia. Thomas is an African American kid one year older who loves nothing more than roaming wild with Thomas. They were two peas in a pod until time split them apart. Red finds that living without his beloved father and best friend is a recipe for disaster. His mother however is trying to find any way possible to move on from her husbands death and unfortunately for Red, she plans on selling the house and moving out of Stony Gap. So in order to keep people from buying the house and leaving Stony Gap, Red turns to his bad side. He begins to hang out with a boy named Darrell, brother of his new best friend Rosie. Rosie and Darrell are Polar opposites, Rosie being the sweet one and Darrell being sour. Rosie and Darrells father is an abusive Confederate by heart who hates Red.  Red tries spray painting the for sale sign, busting up the shop and painting bad words on the house. But his actions start to go far when he begins to hang out with Darrells whole gang, a group of white power teenagers. They get him to burn a cross and even hit Thomas when he is tied to a tree. Red never expected he would be with the people his father despised, but if he wants to stay in Stony Gap, then he will do whatever it takes.
2916879
You should definitely read To Kill a Mockingbird first. Reading this book/manuscript next, makes it clear why the editor and publisher saw such promise in Harper Lee's writing. It's interesting to read the perspective and message she was originally delivering with this manuscript and see how it evolved into the masterful novel she is famous for. This book's themes of southern historical views and race relations are still relevant today. So is the experience of learning that your childhood understanding of your parents and other adults will sometimes unfold very differently as you become an adult.
1312398
I give it 5 stars for introducing an interesting concept; that our civil war was really not about slavery but about a culture of identity based on racial strata. I didn't lose any respect for Atticus. I believe his actions in both books were based on his love of the law and not any kind of racial philosophy. The main character remained just as childish in Watchman as she was in Mockingbird, which was charming there but inexplicable at age 26. Not a fun but a thoughtful read.
683815
As a German I did not read Lee's book at school but only now, when the buzz about her second book drew my attention again to her first. It was a very moving and satisfying read and I understand why "Mockingbird" is popular, loved and read at school. To me it seems an excellent introduction to moral issues, public and private, viewed through the eyes of a child. Maybe Scout is a bit to precocious but it is easy to sympathize with her and see the plot develop through her eyes. Atticus is maybe too saintly but don't we need positive role models. Lee does not shy away from opposing views. Overall it is a very satisfying read that I can only recommend.
3771723
I know that there has been some controversy about this book. I can see why, but I wonder if everyone had been required to finish the book before commenting on it if there would be less of it. Since the book is written from Scout's perspective, the reader, like Scout, does not fully understand all of the reasons that Atticus does the things that he does until they are explained very near the end of the book. Some may argue, with good reason, that he is still wrong. Scout certainly does. But how many of us are perfect? How many of us would like to have all of our actions and motives for them argued on a national stage? Atticus is human with human failings. Okay, actually Atticus is a fictional character. But how many reviews have you read where the reviewer complains if the characters are one dimensional. That the bad guys are pure evil with no redeeming qualities and that the "hero" has no flaws at all? Harper Lee's characters are certainly well rounded with good and bad qualities all mixed up together.

I do not think this book would have been so controversial if it had been published at the time it was first written because generations would not have read about and known Scout and Atticus. In fact, if you have not read To Kill a Mockingbird, or at least seen the movie, you may have trouble following and understanding the book. I can't say for sure since I have both read the book and seen the movie more than once. The book is a little unpolished. More than once I wondered if a paragraph or two might be missing. But I could hear Harper Lee's voice in the writing and it reminded me how much I liked reading To Kill a Mockingbird. Especially how much I liked reading it for the first time. In fact I intended to re-read it before starting this book but did not. I will, however, do it now.

There are flashbacks and memories that Scout has of herself, Dill, Jem, and Hank during and after the events of To Kill a Mockingbird. These are the best parts of the book although that may be because I liked the first book so much. I laughed out loud several times during these flashbacks. I do wish that the book had told more of what happened to Jem and Dill in their later lives but they are not really central characters of this book so I can understand why it did not. But, like old friends, you hope to hear what they have been doing since you last heard news of them.

Back to the controversy. I am not an English teacher, and I realize that this may be unreasonable to expect, but I would love to see both of Harper Lee's books studied back to back and I would love to listen too, and even participate in, a discussion comparing them and trying to understand them together.
405640
I read this after reading To Kill A Mockingbird.  I was surprised that I liked this book even more than Mockingbird.  While there parts, especially at the beginning, similar to Mockingbird, I enjoyed Scout's memories of her teens that bridge where we leave her in Mockingbird to when she's an adult.  She is by far, one of my favorite literary characters.  Ms. Lee did an amazing job!
4796500
Read it as if you never heard of To Kill A Mockingbird .
I love the coming of age that a daughter experiences about her beloved
parent being a human being with flaws as well as goodness .
Living in a real world in a real time, with real people in that particular place and time.
It is about what is in our hearts and learning to make a difference
with what we can do little by little to learn to make changes in
justice and fairness.
1443323
I don't know what drew me to this book, ratings, available on Kindle and Audible for the right price, or maybe the ratings were already good? I really wasn't sold when I started it, it seemed like "To Kill a Mockingbird" to me at first, and after all is Cassie Dandridge Selleck another Harper Lee? But I listened and occasionally read it up in my Kindle library.. So back and forth I went.
The writing, the characters drew me in. They were very well developed and quite deep and yet each stood independently in this book yet  they were so woven into each other. A family evolved along with the story. The characters all learned and kept learning. I can't give away the plot. If it is the same topic as TKAM in some ways, it is far different in approach.
The story is about what happens when very real circumstances push us into very bad decisions and the consequences of it. I hated for the book to end and but was not disappointed in the story.
This story sings. Yes, Cassie,  you are a young Harper Lee. Keep writing. I always hoped to meet Harper Lee, I guess, so did everyone else. But I like your story and hope you keep writing on this level. Maybe I can see you at a new book signing.
3766843
I like how it goes into the background of how everyone became friends and it even fills in the gaps of what the characters were talking about when they would bring up "old memories" its a HUGE filler for some spots of the story and one that I couldn't put done until I was finished reading it and a great addition to my collection.