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To Kill a Mockingbird (平装)
by Haper Lee
| Category:
Fiction |
| Market price: ¥ 148.00
MSL price:
¥ 138.00
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Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Richly rewarding, Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of racial injustice is one classic that will continue to speak to new generations. |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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Chicago Tribune (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
A first novel of such rare excellence that it will no doubt make a great many readers slow down to relish more fully its simple distinction...A novel of strong contemporary national significance. |
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Vogue (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
That rare literary phenomenon, a Southern novel with no mildew on its magnolia leaves. Funny, happy and written with unspectacular precision, To Kill a Mockingbird is about conscience - how it is instilled in two children, Scout and Jem Finch; how it operates in their father, Atticus a lawyer appointed to defend a Negro on a rape charge, and how conscience crows in their small Alabama town. |
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Time (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
All of the tactile brilliance and none of the precocity generally supposed to be standard swamp-warfare issues for Southern writers...Novelist Lee's prose has an edge that cuts through cant, and she teaches the reader an astonishing number of use truths about little girls and about Southern life...Scout Finch is fiction's most pealing child since Carson McCullers's Frankie got left behind at the wedding. |
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Marilyn Meyer (500 Great Books by Women) (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
In 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird won the Pulitzer prize; thirty years later shopping malls may have replaced the main street of Maycomb, Alabama, but not even thirty years of Civil Rights laws or the gentrification of ante- bellum estates render this book an anachronism. Harper Lee combines two of the most common themes of Southern writing - a child's recollection of life among eccentrics in a small town seemingly untouched by the twentieth century and the glaring injustice of racial prejudice - to create a contemporary American classic. To Kill a Mockingbird has two main threads which carry the plot. The first involves the role of Atticus Finch, who is appointed to defend a shy black man accused of raping the oldest daughter of the town's least respected citizen. The second is the mythology arising out of the reclusive Boo Radley, about whom it was said "when people's azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed on them." But what saves the novel from cliche are the irreverent perceptions of the story's narrator, Atticus Finch's nine-year- old daughter Scout, who depicts mean racist aspects of Southern life as well as humorous and quite often satirical vignettes. To Kill a Mockingbird only gets better with rereading; each time the streets of Maycomb become more real and alive, each time Scout is more insightful, Atticus more heroic, and Boo Radley more tragically human. |
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Kona (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
In this unforgettable story, a woman recounts a part of her childhood in a small Alabama town during the Depression. Her father, Atticus Finch, was the local lawyer, an upright and wise man, who raised her brother Jem, and herself, Scout. The summer before Scout started school, their idyllic lives were full of imagination and adventure; their games often concerned their reclusive neighbor "Boo" Radley, and how best to make him to "come out." Scout began the first grade and found many things confusing, not the least of which was her teacher's admonition not to read any more with her beloved father. Summer came again, and with it, a controversial trial that would affect the children's lives forever: A black man was accused of raping a white woman and, despite pressure from racist townsfolk, Atticus was defending him.
The straightforward and innocent rural dialogue absolutely deserves to be read aloud to be enjoyed and appreciated. I often found myself rereading passages again and again, just because they were worded so perfectly. The children's adventures were very easy to picture in my mind, and the narration had a truth about it that was simple, inspiring and touching. This tale of childhood innocence teaches lessons about tolerance and kindness, and paints one of the most remarkable characters in literature, the courageous and loving Atticus Finch. This is a novel to be savored and enjoyed over and over again. It is wonderful. |
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Ed Uyeshima (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
Some books so fluidly transcend the stories they contain that the characters and setting almost become incidental to the universal themes they express without contrivance. Such a book exists in Harper Lee's masterful 1960 novel, one of the most revered pieces of fiction this country has ever produced. Set in rural, Depression-era Alabama, it is a classic coming-of-age story about a precocious nine-year old tomboy named Scout. What she experiences is palpable in the virulent racism surrounding the persecution of Tom Robinson, a black man unjustly accused of raping Mayella, the abused white daughter of an unrepentant bigot, Bob Ewell. Representing Tom in court is Atticus Finch, Scout's father and the moral compass of the story.
The plot moves toward a deepening exploration of the intractable conflict between tolerance and ignorance and how the pre-existing environment of hatred and mistrust makes innocent people guilty by pure circumstance. Scout embodies these themes within her own journey toward womanhood and her questions of what society expects of her. Through the travails of Tom and the town's outcast, Boo Radley, and primarily through her father's example, Scout recognizes how innate goodness can exist even in the direst circumstances. Likely because the story is semi-autobiographical, Lee is able to vividly capture the rural south and the pervasive mindset during the Depression with spellbinding accuracy. Yet for all that, the book's lasting legacy has more to do with Lee's particular literary gift in bringing a genuine universality to her themes.
Other characters weave in and out of the story - including Dill, Scout's wannabe boyfriend and the Truman Capote doppelganger - and each plays a key role in shaping the novel's core conflicts. I have to say that the author's particular literary strengths come to the fore in her empathetic depictions of the evolving relationships between these characters, for example, Scout and her father Atticus, Scout and her brother Jem, the children and Boo. Nothing seems extraneous in the story Lee tells, no small feat for a 336-page novel. She brings intense emotion to her prose, especially in describing the uncontrollable fury created by racial hatred and false accusations, for instance, in the lynch mob scene before the trial and in the vengeful attack on the children. The timing of the book's original 1960 publication turned out to be prescient, as the Civil Rights movement was just becoming national in scope thanks to the efforts of Martin Luther King and his brethren. Even if you have seen the masterful 1962 film, you owe it to yourself to read Lee's literary masterwork and sadly the only novel she ever wrote. |
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Jenny (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
To Kill A Mockingbird is the great American novel. Its characters are solid and believable, moving fluidly through a finely honed tale of love and sorrow. I remember the first time I read To Kill A Mockingbird. Flying through it in order to get my English paper done, I missed a lot. One summer later I found myself reading it again out of boredom. That boredom didn't last. In the years since I have reread the story three or four times; once even staying up all night. The power of the story lies in the words for me. The simple descriptions of complicated actions from the perspective of a small girl have incredible power. The final line of the novel regarding the fact that Atticus would be there when Jem "waked in the morning" exemplifies this by simply showing the love this man has for his son with out relying on overt emotionalism. In its' simplicity it avoids sensationalism and therefore comes across stronger and clearer. Yet in my rereading, I have always found a new level of understanding for the words and actions, growing to love the novel more each time.
To Kill A Mockingbird is a sensational book to read for yourself and pass to others. Atticus Finch is a wonderful role model for all ages. He stands up for what he believes in without giving into pressures placed upon him during the story. Jean-louise Finch, also known as Scout to most people who know her, is a wonderful role model for all young and old children. She is placed in situations that many of us at one point are. She learned many lessons through out the book along with Dill Harris and her Brother Jeremy Atticus Finch. The children had their own goals set for themselves. They were "after" Arthur "Boo" Radly, and the story behind him.
Harper Lee's love for people swells from the pages of this book. Her characters are exquisitely drawn, their story is believable and thrilling. Read this book and see the movie! It's too bad she went into seclusion after she wrote this book.
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Seabass Och (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
I first read this classic novel during my eighth grade year of junior high. Although I loved the book the first time I read it, I recently decided to pick it up and read it again for fun. Today, I am a high school chemistry teacher in a struggling school on the southside of Chicago. In light of both the education I have received since I last read the book and my experience with the wonderful students I wok with on a daily basis, I now realize that I missed much of the book's significance and wisdom my first time around.
Whether you grow up in the suburbs, the country, or in an urban metropolis, the lessons of love, race, class, justice, and personal growth contained within the pages of To Kill a Mockingbird are invaluable to an individual's growth and development as a citizen of a our diverse democracy. The story narrates the events that occurred in the lives of a sister and brother, Scout and Jem Finch, over a time period of three years. Told through the viewpoint of an innocent child, Scout, the tale brings to life a town's struggle with racism. The book also brilliantly exposes the complex varieties of good and evil that exist within each of us.
In Lee's tale, Scout's father and brilliant lawyer, Atticus Finch, defends a black man, Tom Robinson, wrongly accused of raping a white woman. Atticus's pursuit for honesty and truth demonstrates to all the importance of standing up and fighting for what is right. Without the individuals like Atticus Finch that have lived throughout our nation's history, we would not have the freedom we often take for granted.
This novel is essential to the education of all children. It helps them understand the historical background behind of the social problems that still exist within our society today and, hopefully, inspires our youth to take an objective look at these problems and work to discover effective solutions to them. |
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Wharton Wang (MSL quote), Taiwan
<2007-01-08 00:00>
To Kill A Mockingbird is a must read. Harper Lee has just actually drawn out the entire book by using descriptive scenes, Southern dialogues, and a variety of mood. She also vividly described the 1930s typical town environment that mingles with the Great Depression. Harper Lee has placed herself in a 6 year-old child's feet, giving the readers a funny and enjoyable perspective of what a little girl would think of reality and the cruel world.
The story begins when Scout (the narrator and the major character) introduces and brings us back to her past during the year where her brother broke his arm. The book portrays Scout as a child who is advanced her age. Her behavior and actions are barely like a girl, but more like a carefree boy. Instead of crying and screaming when she is upset, she punches people. During the story, many conflicts happen. Scout and his friends try to force a spooky and notorious man out of his house. They later also witness the case where his father defends an African American who is accused of raping a white girl. This case hits disturbing waves in the town, causing his father's reputation to go down.
Even though this book is nearly 300 pages, it becomes very short when one starts reading. Other than the major conflict of the "Rape" case, the book contains paragraphs anecdotes, characters' analysis, and setting portrayals. And because of these, the entire story seems more like a picture rather than a literature. Reading the novel, you can see many elements such as the problem of discrimination, prejudice, class, and sex. This novel is like 2 books in one: an adventure and a history book. I would advise people to read this book for sure. It wins 100% of my approval and recognition! |
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G. Shkodra (MSL quote), Canada
<2007-01-08 00:00>
...is a person's conscience...before I can live with other folks, I've got to live with myself. I can't live one way in town and another way in my home!
This is a precious little novel whose reading should be mandatory for children at school...and also for adults sometime in their long journey. It may not change their lives, but at least it could bring some guidelines in their existence...
...you never really understand a person until you climb into his skin and walk around in it...sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of another man...there are just some kind of men who're so busy worrying about the next world they've never learned to live in this one...it's not necessary to tell all you know - folks don't like to have somebody around knowing more than they do. It aggravates them. You're not gonna change any of them by talking right, they've got to want to learn themselves, and when they don't want to learn, there's nothing you can do but keep your mouth shut or talk their language...it's never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn't hurt you personally...if there's just one kind of folks, why can't they get along with each other? If they're all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? How can you hate Hitler so bad and then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home...they convicted an innocent young black man tonight - they've done it before, they did it tonight and they'll do it again tomorrow, and when they do it, seems that only children weep...a court is no better than each man sitting on the jury...a court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up...there's something in our world that makes men lose their heads - they couldn't be fair if they tried...people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box...it's not okay to hate anybody...having a gun around is an invitation to somebody to shoot you...
I wish every father in this planet were like Atticus Finch...then the children wouldn't be the only ones to weep when faced with injustice. |
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1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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