Books : To Kill a Mockingbird

Rating: - One of the best and moving books ever written
I first read this book as a compulsory text for school and since then have read it countless number of times. It is such a beautiful story that is relevant to every society. You must take your time reading it and not rush it because there are so many hidden depths and meanings. "Shoot all the bluejays you want but remember it is a sin to kill a mockingbird". Everyone must read this book, it's beautiful.

---

Rating: - Good but not that good
This had been on my list of books to read for years so I was really looking forward to it. This is a lovely book, well written and different in being written from the perspective of a child. I loved the character of Atticus, his wisdom and intelligence which he uses in rearing his children to think for themselves and learn from their own mistakes rather than laying down rules. This to me is a wonderful example of good parenting and shows how left alone, children are quite capable of forming their own opinions, even on serious issues. I was quite dissapointed however in the book, I was expecting this great work of art, a masterpiece of literature; this is not the outstanding piece of literature I expected, its a good book, enjoyable read and well written but not one I'd want to read again.

---

Rating: - To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
'To Kill a Mockingbird' is one of the best books I have read. I was moved to tears when finishing the last page. It is read through the eyes of Scout, a young girl, living in Maycombe, with her brother and father. Her father, Atticus, is a lawyer, who defends a black man accused by a white family. The book explains about predjudice in the 1930's, deep in the Southern States of America, and has a wonderful story line. The book tells of the events before, during and the aftermath of the trial of Tom Robinson, the man accused.
Many of the first chapters are about Boo Radley, a man locked up by his family, for committing a crime. We discover more about him as the book goes on. The book also has a wonderful finish.
The book is one that will stay with me for the whole of my life.

---

Rating: - An absolute jewel of a book
Sometimes it just happens. You come across a book in a bookshop about which you have heard so much but just never got round to reading it. On impulse, you buy it. Hence my introduction to Harper Lee's timeless classic "To Kill a Mocking-Bird". In danger of stating the obvious, this is an absolute jewel of a book, beautifully written, profound, compelling and highly evocative. My only regret is not reading it 30 years ago.

---

Rating: - If you only ever read one book....
....you should read this one. Literature is a very personal thing, and there's more to it than the prima facie quality of the story, the characters, the setting, etc etc. More important than any of these things, is the point in your own life when you read a particular book and the relevance it has to you. You don't have to be Boo Radley or Atticus Finch, that's not it at all; but there's something in you at certain times in your life, when something like this picks you up and sweeps you along.

That's why, for me, this is the best book ever written. It captured and captivated me at a certain point in my life; and I'm taken back there whenever I re-read it. Very few other books have achieved the same feat; Moonfleet by J Meade-Falkner, Dickens' Great Expectations, Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and George Eliot's The Mill on The Floss.

Try them all and maybe they'll capture you like they did me. After all, it would be a shame if all you had ever read was Tom Clancy....