
This is a tricky one; let’s ease into it by talking about the quality of the writing, which is, at best, inconsistent. Some reviews have given positive notice to the chapter recounting the morning tea (called a “coffee”) given for Jean Louise on her return to Maycombe, and it is pretty well done. On the other hand, some sections appear to have undergone no editing at all after being spewed out by the author in one sitting. Following a particularly clunky passage, I found myself thinking, “this reads like juvenilia”, and suddenly realised I had found the key to how to think about this novel. It’s the first go round of a woman who became a good writer, but wasn’t yet. Continue reading Go Set a Watchman