Booksellers, Readers Bring High Expectations to Harper Lee's 'Go Set a Watchman'

By WENDY ANN MITCHELL (Patch Staff) & MARC TORRENCE (Patch National Staff)

“Since Atlanta, she had looked out the dining-car window with a delight almost physical.”

So begins the most-anticipated novel perhaps in the history of publishing in the United States. Harper Lee’s ”Go Set a Watchman” goes on sale July 14, and the first chapter was released Friday morning, adding yet another layer of excitement to the frenzy of media coverage that has accompanied the publication of Lee’s first book in 55 years.

The release is not without its fair share of controversy. Still, booksellers across the country are excited for the novel.

“I just reread To Kill a Mockingbird and read the first chapter [of Go Set a Watchman] this morning. I could not wait to read it. The style is so familiar and the characters are like putting on a familiar jacket. It was a pleasure to go back there again even though it takes place 20 years later,” said Alice Hutchinson, owner of Byrd’s Books in Bethel.

“Go Set A Watchman” takes place two decades after the events of “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Lee’s only other novel, which won a Pulitzer Prize and is regarded as one of the greatest works in the history of American literature.

The new novel, like the old, is told from the point of view of Scout Finch. Chapter One follows Scout as she journeys home to Maycomb, Alabama, from New York City.

Without giving away plot points or spoilers, a few updates to some characters and events already have some readers surprised and upset.

Lee, now 89, still lives in Monroeville, Alabama, the town for which fictional Maycomb is modeled. With her health declining, many have questioned whether she was competent enough to approve the release of the manuscript, which was found by her lawyer in 2014.

The state of Alabama opened an elder-abuse investigation against Lee’s lawyer, Tonja B. Carter, but found Lee was capable of giving consent to the publication of the novel.

On the day of the release, Tuesday, July 14, Byrd’s Books in Bethel will be open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and will serve sweet tea and pecan tart “because it’s Southern,” Hutchinson said. Pre-order by calling the store at (203) 730-2973 or order online by clicking here.

”We’ll celebrate the day because the release of this book is such a historic literary event. We want everyone to know about it,” Hutchinson said. She also encouraged readers to shop at their local independent book store.

“It is important to support any small local business because it maintains the culture of a downtown and ours is no exception. If people remember to support their local businesses, then you support the culture of your community.”

Byrd’s Books is one of the only independent booksellers in the greater Danbury area. They are located at 126 Greenwood Ave. in historic downtown Bethel, Conn.

Also close to the Redding, Easton, Weston area in nearby Ridgefield is Books on the Common. They are located at 404 Main Street, Ridgefield. Call (203) 431-9100 for more information.

Read the first chapter of Go Set A Watchman by clicking here.

Image courtesy Harper Collins