Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 251
 Timeless, ageless masterpiece August 8, 2007
Mockingbird (London, UK)
92 out of 103 found this review helpful
I first read this book when I was very young, too young to understand it, and then again when I was at school. But this is one of those books that becomes more profound, more accessible and more relevant the more you read it.
On the surface, it is a tale of racial prejudice in the search for justice, but in fact the story goes beyond that. It is about all prejudices, about the importance of walking around in someone else's shoes in order to truly understand them. Jem and Scout are delightfully child-like, and the effect of a hindsight narrative only adds to the many layers to be found here. Atticus Finch is the man to beat all men - he is the ideal father, the ideal man. He stands for justice, for righteousness and for "fighting back", even when you know you have lost. He is the ideal against which all men should be measured.
This is the most brilliant story of one community's injustice in small-town America, the consequences of which resonate throughout society at large. There has never been (and can never be) another "To Kill a Mockingbird", and the most amazing thing about this novel is that it can be read, re-read and read again generation after generation, and its magic only ever increases. A must-have in your collection!
Classic Story June 19, 2010
Mel Waites
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
Great book and a genuine classic. Written with strong characters and a teasing story which will leave you wanting more and more, to the point of making some read it in one sitting!
The story is fascinating, engrossing, and utterly captivating as the drama cleverly unfolds. The narrating character 'Scout', unveils the hypocrisy of some people in a fictional American town during the Great Depression - in their attitudes towards people of a different colour, economic status and different religion as well as people with disabilities. Human nature in 'To Kill A Mocking Bird' is drawn bare as people pass judgement on others without judging themselves first.
Another really enjoyable book I would like to recommend, although totally different, is the new time travel fantasy 'Godstone - The Kairos Boxes' by G.A Williams
Godstone: The Kairos Boxes
Scout's story March 17, 2003
71 out of 80 found this review helpful
I must have read this story at least five times in the two or so years since I first picked up a copy, sometimes returning right back to the start after closing the book. I only wish I could remain immersed in Harper Lee's bygone age and beautifully crafted characters, and not have to reach that last page.The main thread of 'To Kill A Mockingbird' is the trial of a black man, the symbolic 'mockingbird' of the title, who is accused of raping a white woman, but I much prefer the subtext of a widower father struggling to raise his children with the correct values in a deeply prejudiced society. The story is told through the eyes of the eight year old daughter, 'Scout', which at once paints a more honest picture of events whilst presenting a biased opinion of the central adult protagonist. Whether or not Scout is blinded by love for her father, Atticus Finch is probably one of the most heroic characters in fiction, and a role model for fathers everywhere. Although the trial itself is a tense moment in the story, and educational from a historical point of view, it is the Finch family dynamic that has made me so attached to this story. The first part of the book, when the children are younger and still relatively blind to the world that surrounds them, provides the most enjoyable reading. I don't know whether it is a good or bad thing that Harper Lee has only written this one story, because I doubt 'To Kill A Mockingbird' could be surpassed. Scout's narration presents both a child's world in adult terms, and an adult world from a child's point of view, providing much comic relief amidst the drama and heartfelt emotion.
The best book I have ever read. September 1, 2000
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I loved "To Kill a Mocking Bird the first time I read it 15 years ago and I've loved it each of the dozens of times I've read it since. Scout's fragile innocence as she learns about the injustices of the world touches my heart.
Great edition of great book August 1, 2010
Jo (UK)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Bought this as a present for a huge fan of the book - she was thrilled
Showing reviews 1-5 of 251
|
![To Kill A Mockingbird [DVD]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000HT1XVY.01._AA75_PU_PU-5_.jpg)
