fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2953 ]

[ SECRET POST #2953 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2953 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 034 secrets from Secret Submission Post #422.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

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Apparently, it's been lying around unpublished for decades. The New York Times is enthused; Jezebel, less so. It's probably not a coincidence that this comes three months after the death of her sister (who acted as her lawyer), and after her new lawyer said she's so senile she'll sign anything that's put in front of her.

I just watched a news program on this and they said that it was because of the death of her sister -- they were cleaning out a safe-deposit her sister had and that's where the manuscript was.

I hope that's all it was.

I'm so freaking excited. Who would not be excited? I don't get it.

What if it's awful? What if it's awful and only being released as a completely crass exercise in money-making by a cold, emotionless publishing company?

That would be a major bummer, to me.

Just don't read it if it has terrible reviews

Even if I don't read it, it would still make me sad?

Sorry if I'm harshing peoples' vibes though. I hope it's great and everyone can just be happy about it!

But what if it's not? Jesus, it's another published work by one of the most impactful authors of the last century. I can't understand why everyone's freaking out about it. Even if it's mediocre, I'm just so, so curious about it.

Really.

Ironically though, I suddenly wonder if this sort of reaction is why she never published anything else.

I think, just speaking personally, if she'd published a bunch of other stuff I wouldn't have this reaction. It's that fact, combined with the wonky circumstances, that makes me fearful. She chose for such a long time not to publish anything, and while we can't know her reasons, it's just... weird to have it change now.

AYRT

Of course it is. It's exciting to see something new from the mysterious author who only published one book, and that book was amazing. I don't think that fact detracts from my excitement at all.

Maybe I'm just a pessimistic worrier by nature.

I mean, we shouldn't rule the possibility out.

I'm not excited. I had to read her book in grade 10. I hated it; the only required reading I hated more was Lord of the Flies. This is coming from someone who was and is an avid reader.

Well, I mean, if you don't like Harper Lee, I can of course understand why you're not excited. "Meh" I get. "Oh my god no!" I don't get.

I don't know... To Kill A Mockingbird is one of my favorite books, and Atticus is one of my favorite fictional characters, and I like the way the novel ended. It felt like a definite end, not something that needed a follow up.

If it's great then whatever, but I'm wary.

I'm just not even wary. I am so looking forward into being able to read something else from Harper Lee. Even if it's not great, it's an insight into her writing that predates To Kill a Mockingbird. Freaking win.

I can see where you're coming from (given I think she's a very talented writer)! I think if it was unrelated to TKAM I'd be more excited, because again, to me that book is perfect as is and doesn't require a sequel. However, I imagine I'll read it regardless, and who knows, maybe it'll be just as amazing.

From what I understand, this book was written first, and only when someone (her editor?) commented that they loved the character of Scout and were interested in her backstory that Lee went and wrote To Kill A Mockingbird. TKAM was alluded to in flashbacks in this manuscript, but fleshed out to be a novel of its own later.

Wow... That's actually difficult to wrap my head around. To Kill A Mockingbird is a classic, it's weird to think that it wouldn't even have existed if not for an editors curiosity.

That seems to bode well for this book though. At least to me.

Well, there are significant concerns that Ms. Lee is being exploited by a person who has power of attorney, as well as concerns that it's a possibly ghost-written or cobbled work based on material that was left unpublished for some very good reasons (see Christopher Tolkien as to why publication of abandoned work by an executor is not necessarily a good idea).

I find the fannish idea of publishing everything an author touches with no regard to the importance of revision/editing as part of the process to be misguided.

Do you have links to articles stating those viewpoints? The one I read was from BBC, and seemed nothing but positive:

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-31118355

http://jezebel.com/be-suspicious-of-the-new-harper-lee-novel-1683488258

And this article from last year about Lee's declining health and issues with Tonja Carter's representation:

http://gawker.com/how-unauthorized-is-the-new-book-about-harper-lee-1605214844

So it may all be smoke, but the rediscovery of a manuscript originally shared with her agent and editors, all of this happening shortly after Alice's death, her prior reluctance to publish, statements which are sourced to a press release from her lawyer and publicist, and multiple news stories about Harper Lee's declining health add up to something that's mighty suspicious.

I saw the Jezebel article after I commented to you, but for me Jezebel has to be taken with about a bucket of salt. I'll check out Gawker, thanks.

Re: Harper Lee is going to finally publish her sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird

(Anonymous) - 2015-02-04 16:27 (UTC) - Expand

This cannot possibly end well.

It's funny but I keep forgetting about Harper Lee still being alive. Since it's one of those books you have to read in school when you're a kid, I just tend to think of her as one of those classic authors who are dead. It's kind of weird that the author is still alive, and the possibility of the story still being alive is almost uncomfortable in how weird it is.

Oooooooh I'll be reading that. Also, I also didn't know the author was still alive. That lawyer sounds way scuzzy, but welp.

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