Book Review - Go Set a Watchman

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Lee, Harper.  Go Set a Watchman.  2015.  Harper Collins, New York, New York.

"Every man's watchman is his conscience"

It was with great trepidation that I sat down to read this book.  I loved To Kill a Mockingbird, and I wasn't certain that this book would live up to my expectations.  I had to remind myself when I began reading that this was the book that started it all - this was the book that Harper Lee wrote first, and that she pulled To Kill a Mockingbird out of this story.  (After reading the book, and seeing only passing mention of the events in Mockingbird, I am more impressed than ever at her writing skill.)

This stand alone novel picks up when Jean Louise comes back to Maycomb as an adult.  She has grown up and changed, and time in Maycomb, Alabama gives off the impression of standing still.

Despite appearances, much has changed in Alabama.  Change - in the form of Supreme Court decisions is driving life in this small southern town.  Jean Louise, having lived in New York City for many years, is not prepared to find that not only has the town changed, but that her perception of her father has changed - and it shakes her to the very core.