If you dislike the new Harper Lee novel, Go Set A Watchman, and you happened to purchase the novel from Brilliant Books in Traverse City, Michigan…well, you’re in luck.
This independent bookshop is offering refunds to its readers, claiming the novel has been advertised as a “nice summer novel” instead of an “academic insight.”
“It is disappointing and frankly shameful to see our noble industry parade and celebrate this as ‘Harper Lee’s New Novel’,” Brilliant Books said on its website. “This is pure exploitation of both literary fans and a beloved American classic (which we hope has not been irrevocably tainted). We therefore encourage you to view Go Set a Watchman with intellectual curiosity and careful consideration; a rough beginning for a classic, but only that.”
That’s a noble gesture, for sure, but I don’t understand how someone could buy this novel without at least understanding a small bit about what’s to come.
There’s tons of information out there about Go Set A Watchman and how it came to be published. How could someone honestly view this novel as a “sequel?”
The book is a #1 bestseller but, overall, the reviews have been mixed. The New York Times called it “lumpy tale,” but novelist Ursula Le Guin praised the book on her blog: “I’m glad, now, that Watchman was published. It hasn’t done any harm to the old woman, and I hope it’s given her pleasure.”
I’ll be reviewing Go Set A Watchman next week.
More about the bookstore refund here.
