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To Kill a Mockingbird
Price: $7.99
Description
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.
Description
"When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.... When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewells started it all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before that. He said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out." Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression, To Kill a Mockingbird follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus--three years punctuated by the arrest and eventual trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman. Though her story explores big themes, Harper Lee chooses to tell it through the eyes of a child. The result is a tough and tender novel of race, class, justice, and the pain of growing up. Like the slow-moving occupants of her fictional town, Lee takes her time getting to the heart of her tale; we first meet the Finches the summer before Scout's first year at school. She, her brother, and Dill Harris, a boy who spends the summers with his aunt in Maycomb, while away the hours reenacting scenes from Dracula and plotting ways to get a peek at the town bogeyman, Boo Radley. At first the circumstances surrounding the alleged rape of Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a drunk and violent white farmer, barely penetrate the children's consciousness. Then Atticus is called on to defend the accused, Tom Robinson, and soon Scout and Jem find themselves caught up in events beyond their understanding. During the trial, the town exhibits its ugly side, but Lee offers plenty of counterbalance as well--in the struggle of an elderly woman to overcome her morphine habit before she dies; in the heroism of Atticus Finch, standing up for what he knows is right; and finally in Scout's hard-won understanding that most people are essentially kind "when you really see them." By turns funny, wise, and heartbreaking, To Kill a Mockingbird is one classic that continues to speak to new generations, and deserves to be reread often. --Alix Wilber
There is a reason this book will be read for centuries and centuries...
Date: 2008-11-12 Rating: 10 out of 10
... mainly because it is such a good story and so well written. Come to think of it, not much of this book is really about the rape and crime. It is about childhood, growing up and growing prejudice. It is about not only racism but also feminism. Scout, the main character, has such a lovely personality and I really started to like her. It was almost like I knew her and parts of me fell in love with Jem, her brother. I found parts of the slang a bit hard to read and it took a good 100 pages before the story had me that intrigued that I couldn't put it down. Sometimes you read a book and you really do realize why some books last with us and literature forever and why some don't. This book deals with human joy and suffering, ideals and rebels, crime and punishment and of course of race and sad part of the history of the south.
Even though this book was so good (or maybe because this book was so good) I thought it was very tough to get through. I read five pages then I had to just take a breather. But after 100pages I really found it hard to put the book down. I do think, however, that it will benefit from a second reading. Therefore it will not be long until I follow the adventures of Scout and Jem once again.
BewertungenExcelent Book!Datum 2008-10-27 Rang: 10 von 10I've always heard really good things about the book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The first time I tried to read it I had to put it down because I got really confused at the beginning. However, I tried it again later on and I realized what a good book I had put down. For me it was still a little confusing at the beginning because the setting and characters were being introduced. It was also kind of boring, and that's another reason I didn't continue it the first time. You have to keep reading though because it gets much better. The story is about a brother and sister, Jem and Scout (Jean Louise Finch), growing up in a small town with their dad, Atticus. Throughout the book, they experience a number of exciting adventures. At the beginning, the story focuses on a neighbor down the street who appears to be very strange and never comes out of his house. In other words, he's a recluse. Jem and Scout, along with another friend Dill, are very curious as to why this is. They do some exploring and investigating that might just have you biting your nails. As the book moves on, it only makes you want to read more. Atticus is a lawyer and is involved with a very important case that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It's really interesting and gives you a chance to make predictions to yourself on who should win the case. In a way, it gets you into the book and creates suspense that makes it exciting. Towards the end, there is an unusual twist that involves a Halloween party, a ham costume, and a walk through a very dark field at night. This book is extremely well written and shows the innocence of childhood. I recommend it to anyone who likes classics and is in the mood for a very good read. Tequila MockingbirdDatum 2008-10-13 Rang: 10 von 10Funny thing when my daughter requested this book she kept saying Tequila Mockingbird. Other than that, we received this on time and everything was great, it looks brand new and it was here when she needed it. Actually a week before.Great!!Love this bookDatum 2008-10-03 Rang: 10 von 10it was all great the shipping was fast the price was just right loved itLOVE THIS BOOK!Datum 2008-09-29 Rang: 10 von 10I bought from this book after I watched the movie. I haven't finished the book yet,but it is really a great book to read. Strongly recommend!
Produkt InformationAutor:
Harper Lee
Recording label: Grand Central Publishing Hersteller: Grand Central PublishingEAN: 9780446310789Format: Mass Market PaperbackDewey decimal number: 813.54ISBN: 0446310786Artikelzahl: 1Seitenzahl: 281Erscheinungsdatum: 1988-10-11Sprache: English (Original Language)
Sprache: English (Unknown)
Sprache: English (Published)
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