Swampscott Library, Local Bookstore Gear Up for Harper Lee's 'Go Set a Watchman'

“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.

Lauren Fowler, store manager at Marblehead’s Spirit of ‘76 Bookstore and Cardshop, which had a Swampscott location for a brief period, said that customers have been asking about the book and the weekend brought a flurry of pre-orders to the store. Even so, she isn’t sure yet what to expect.

“It’s this huge thing, but at the same time, it’s sort of shrouded in mystery,” Fowler said. “It’s been a big deal, but not as big a deal as I expected it to be. I have a feeling once it hits and once we have it on displayed, it’s going to fly off the shelves.”

Fowler said the store plans to set up a display featuring “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Go Set a Watchman” and “Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist,” a coffee table book published a few years ago that Fowler expects to be a hit with book clubs who will be digging into Lee’s new novel.

Swampscott Public Library has ordered the book, according to Assistant Director Susan Conner, but you’ll probably be waiting awhile if you plan to check it out. As of Monday late afternoon, there were 12 holds on the book at the Swampscott Library alone and hundreds of holds on the copies ordered throughout the North of Boston Library Exchange system.

“I think it’s something we weren’t anticipating it, and it’s a really nice surprise,” Conner said of the opportunity to read another book from Lee. “So many people loved the original Harper Lee book, and it’s like a little birthday present. I wouldn’t be surprised if it brings up the attention for her original book and, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if some of the book groups in town do it.”

“Go Set A Watchman” takes place about 20 years 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, Ala., 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, Ala., the town after 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.

For more information, head to Spirit of ’76 Bookstore and Cardshop or the Swampscott Public Library.

Read the first chapter of Go Set A Watchman here.

Image courtesy Harper Collins

Editor’s note: References to out-of-area bookstores have been deleted from the article.