On the Southern Literary Trail discussion

Comments on this board are made with the assumption that readers have finished the book and may include spoilers.

Finished reading "Furious Hours" yesterday. Impressed by it and look forward to more by this author. All three parts of the book were interesting but i especially enjoyed the part about Harper Lee. Had seen the PBS[?] documentary about her but not read any books about Lee yet.
I wonder if Lee approved of publication of "Go Set a Watchman". What do other members of the group think?
Was distressed to learn of her problems with drinking and her apparent unwillingness to realize there was a problem.
I wonder if "Mockingbird" had been only a moderate success---would Lee have been able to write more? Perhaps its temendous success was a distraction for such a long time and perhaps Lee feared the inevitable comparisons.
By the way: i applaud Cep for writing a book about Harper Lee and NOT including the word "mockingbird" in the title!
Because Lee was such a help to Capote in researching the Clutter murders in Kansas it seems that she could have had a career as a researcher and/or editor. Perhaps she would have been more content and less frustrated.
Oh and one more thing: if you have interest in Alabama serial killers: Audrey Marie Hilley! Haven't read a book about her yet--followed her story in the news as it happened. If the same events had been in a movie there would have been howls of "unrealistic". Her story makes the Reverend's story look mundane.

Finished this one last night. My main interest was Harper Lee. I was surprised to learn that "Go Set a Watchman" was written before "To Kill a Mockingbird." I haven't read 'Watchman' yet. I learned a lot about Alabama politics of the George Wallace era. Some I knew and this book brought it back to memory.

I had the same thought as you, Nancy, that if "Mockingbird" had been less successful, perhaps Lee would have been able to continue writing. It seems she was too much a perfectionist. I enjoyed reading about her friendship with Capote and the differences that cropped up between them. Capote's willingness to stretch or ignore facts and Lee wanting to stick to reality.

Also, it seems thanks to Tay Hohoff that Lee's novel took the form it did. What an excellent editor; makes me hope they get the credit they deserve. And what about Lee's contribution to Capote's book? Her research was so detailed, it seems rather phenomenal, not to mention that the Kansans liked her better than Capote, so she was able to get more information from them. Reverend Maxwell's story because it was muddy water, did not lend itself to the same kind of coverage that Capote's "In Cold Blood" did. The reality of what happened to the Clutters was cut and dry, lots of facts, which it seems, according to Cep, that Capote managed to mangle. It's exactly the kind of case that Lee needed to write about.

Here's my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Sorry, I bailed on this. It was just too boring to me and I could see it would be forever before I got to anything to do with Harper Lee. I'm just not in a mood where I can force my attentions where they don't want to be. Too much other stuff going on right now. Glad you guys enjoyed it.

I finally finished, I was a little behind in my reading this month (nothing new there). I felt like I was reading three books in one, history, true crime, and biography. I thought this book would be disjointed but it wasn't. The story and how it was told flowed seamlessly.

I don't think an author could make up the story of Willie Maxwell and the alleged crimes he committed, his murder, and the subsequent trial. I would have seemed like a badly written work of fiction. It's amazing that it's a true story.

While I enjoyed the biographical information about Harper Lee, she lived a rather sad life. I really didn't know anything about her,

Gem wrote: "I finally finished, I was a little behind in my reading this month (nothing new there). I felt like I was reading three books in one, history, true crime, and biography. I thought this book would b..."

So true Gem, Maxwell’s real life certainly seemed stranger than fiction. I thought Harper Lee’s life somewhat sad as well. She never enjoyed her fame or celebrity.