Review

To Kill a Mockingbird

An excellent novel that comes highly recommended for good reasons. Everyone should read 'To Kill a Mockingbird.'

Onyekachi Osuji

Article written by Onyekachi Osuji

B.A. in Public Administration and certified in Creative Writing (Fiction and Non-Fiction)

To Kill a Mockingbird is Harper Lee’s literary masterpiece with commendable quality of universal appeal. It is a novel that can be enjoyed by everyone irrespective of age, race, or social class. The moral and intellectual value of the novel has made it have continued relevance for many decades after its publication.

Vivid Imagination and Storytelling

To Kill a Mockingbird is written in a manner that brings the imagination to life. The narrator practically holds the reader by the hand and them all the places and people of Maycomb County. The reader becomes a child again and begins to play as a child, react as a child, and see things from the perspective of a child.

Using a child as the narrator is a brilliant stroke that adds a fresh touch to the novel. The only downside to the child narrator Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird is that Scout sometimes exhibits intellect and wisdom that is unrealistic for a child of her age.

Meaningful Theme

The themes in the novel are meaningful and insightful. They teach the reader some truth about life, the good, the bad, the unfair, and the unjust, and leave a reader with a lot to think about.

Themes of injustice, race, parenthood, childhood, culture and law as a reflection of a people are all things that everyone reads about and draw lessons from.

Great Characters

The characters in To Kill a Mockingbird incorporate a wide spectrum of people from innocent children to villainous old men. It is difficult to not have stirrings of emotions towards the character in To Kill a Mockingbird. The characters are also very relatable, and one can imagine one’s self, a family member, an acquaintance, or a neighbor as one or more of the characters.

Brevity of Volume

One feature of a novel that is often underrated is brevity. Novels that are not very voluminous appeal to a wider range of readers because reading them consumes less time. To Kill a Mockingbird is a book that an average child or teenager can read without being intimidated by the size.

Given the powerful story that is contained in so brief a volume, it will be a shame for every book lover not to read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

To Kill a Mockingbird Review
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Digital Art

Book Title: To Kill a Mockingbird

Book Description: 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee combines a deep moral message with a vivid portrayal of 20th-century Southern life.

Book Author: Harper Lee

Book Edition: First Edition

Book Format: Hardcover

Publisher - Organization: J.B. Lippincott Company

Date published: July 1, 1960

ISBN: 978-0-451-52641-0

Number Of Pages: 324

  • Story
  • Characters
  • Style
  • Novel Length
  • Setting
4.7

To Kill a Mockingbird: A Laudable Literary Piece

To Kill a Mockingbird is a great novel that was the center of Harper Lee’s career as a novelist. The brilliant balance of reality and imagination makes the book a work of genius. It is not often that we read a well-crafted story with so powerful a message within a few pages and that is many points to the credit of the novel. The novel teaches morals without sounding like a preaching. It skillfully depicts small town life in the 20th Century Deep South and allows readers to see both the beautiful and the ugly aspects of the Southern culture of the time. It is written in an engaging conversational style that gives room for the readers themselves to put elements together and deduce their own meaning. This novel comes highly recommended.  

Pros

  • Profound Storytelling
  • Great Characters
  • Brevity
  • Meaningful Themes
  • Scenic Setting

Cons

  • The extent of wisdom exhibited by the children in the novel is somewhat unrealistic for their ages

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Onyekachi Osuji

About Onyekachi Osuji

B.A. in Public Administration and certified in Creative Writing (Fiction and Non-Fiction)

Onyekachi was already an adult when she discovered the rich artistry in the storytelling craft of her people—the native Igbo tribe of Africa. This connection to her roots has inspired her to become a Literature enthusiast with an interest in the stories of Igbo origin and books from writers of diverse backgrounds. She writes stories of her own and works on Literary Analysis in various genres.

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