Go Set a Watchman

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'Strikingly Opaque' Harper Lee Will Unsealed

It's not clear how estate has been divided up

(Newser) - Harper Lee's will was unsealed Tuesday in response to a lawsuit filed by the New York Times —but anybody hoping the document would answer some of the mysteries surrounding the author would have been extremely disappointed. The will, described by the Times as "strikingly opaque," does...

Harper Lee Writes the Nicest Rejection Letter
Harper Lee Writes the
Nicest Rejection Letter
THE RUNDOWN

Harper Lee Writes the Nicest Rejection Letter

Plus, a look at the author's legacy in the wake of her death

(Newser) - Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird—which Today praises as "a single perfect novel that's still mandatory reading in schools more than five decades later"— passed away Friday at the age of 89. Here are six things you need to know about her life, her...

Parents Change Name of Son From Atticus

New Harper Lee novel changes their view of Mr. Finch

(Newser) - Lots of To Kill a Mockingbird fans are angry that the newly released Go Set a Watchman depicts their beloved Atticus Finch as a racist. For Colorado parents David and Christen Epstein, however, it was especially galling—they'd named their baby boy Atticus 14 months ago. Solution: They've...

Lawyer Defends Harper Lee's New Book, Hints at 3rd

Tonja Carter maintains she found 'Go Set a Watchman' manuscript last year

(Newser) - Harper Lee's lawyer is standing her ground after the New York Times cast doubt on the discovery of Go Set a Watchman , the sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird out tomorrow. Though the Times suggested the manuscript was uncovered in the presence of Tonja Carter in 2011, she says...

The First Chapter of Harper Lee's New Book Is Here

It includes a 'bombshell' about Jem

(Newser) - Days before the official release of Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman—a book surrounded by controversy —the Wall Street Journal has gotten a look at the first chapter. It begins with Jean Louise Finch, aka Scout and now in her twenties, having "turned from an overalled,...

Discovery of Harper Lee Book Sounds Fishier Now

Lawyer may have had it for years

(Newser) - Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman will be released on July 14, and the New York Times reports on another development that casts doubt on the supposedly chance discovery of the manuscript last year. It seems to have been found in 2011 and not, as Lee's attorney maintains,...

Ala. Agency: Harper Lee Aware of New Book

Securities Commission says author 'able to answer questions ... to our satisfaction'

(Newser) - Alabama investigators looked into whether the recent deal to publish Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird sequel involved financial fraud, but they've closed the inquiry, a state official said yesterday. Alabama Securities Commission Director Joseph Borg said his agency sent an investigator to speak with Lee because the...

Ala. Investigates Claim That Harper Lee Is Being Abused

Still much debate over author's competence

(Newser) - Harper Lee has been depicted as alternately obstinate , humiliated , and "happy as hell" since HarperCollins announced her second novel would be published —and now more red flags have popped up. Amid the debate over her mental competence, the state of Alabama has jumped into the fray to investigate...

Harper Lee Scrawls Response to Journo

Four words: Two are 'go away'

(Newser) - AL.com reporter Connor Sheets has been covering the controversy surrounding the upcoming release of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird sequel, and just over a week ago, he mailed the author a two-page letter on the matter. The letter came after "repeated attempts" to reach the 88-year-old,...

Harper Lee's Lawyer: She's 'Humiliated' by Controversy

Assisted-living worker says author is 'sharp as a tack'

(Newser) - As debate swirls over how much input Harper Lee had in a decision to publish a second novel, her lawyer and friend Tonja Carter—who found the text last summer—says the author is certainly capable of making the choice. In fact, Lee is "extremely hurt and humiliated" by...

Harper Lee: I'm Still 'Kicking,' 'Happy as Hell'

Author statement in wake of concern she's being taken advantage of

(Newser) - Harper Lee has apparently heard planet Earth's misgivings about her forthcoming novel and has this to say: "I’m alive and kicking and happy as hell with the reactions of Watchman," she says in a statement put out by publisher HarperCollins, as reported by the Wall Street ...

Red Flags Raised About Harper Lee's 2nd Novel

Questions emerge about publicity-shy author suddenly releasing book

(Newser) - The literature world rejoiced yesterday in hearing that Harper Lee would be publishing her reportedly long-lost second novel more than 50 years after To Kill a Mockingbird. But others aren't so sure everything's on the up-and-up, citing the author's notoriously publicity-shy nature, the recent death of her...

Harper Lee Is Publishing Her 2nd Novel

'Go Set a Watchman' features Scout as an adult

(Newser) - To Kill a Mockingbird will not be Harper Lee's only published book after all. Publisher Harper announced today that Go Set a Watchman, a novel the Pulitzer Prize-winning author completed in the 1950s and put aside, will be released July 14. Rediscovered last fall, Go Set a Watchman is...

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