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

By JUSTIN HEINZE and MARC TORRENCE

“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.

“We’ve had a great reaction already,” said Lori Fazio, manager of R.J. Julia booksellers in Madison, Connecticut. “We have pre-sold close to 100 books already, and we’ll have several hundred here. People are very excited. It’s created a resurgence—even though “To Kill A Mockingbird” sells continually, there are book clubs who are discussing it, people who haven’t read it in a while or don’t own it have come in and bought that.

“Everyone’s gearing up.”

“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, 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.

“You can’t take away what she’s created here,” Fazio said. “She was ahead of her time when she wrote ‘To Kill A Mockingbird,’ and when we look at what’s going on in the world, she really hits on some things that are even relevant today. I’m really, really excited for it.”

Bookstores around the Philadelphia region are preparing for the release of Lee’s novel.

Barnes and Nobles locations around the country are celebrating the event by hosting guest readings from local authors and celebrities.

The Valley Forge Barnes and Noble is holding the Get Pop-Cultured: To Kill a Mockingbird Read-a-Thon on Monday, July 13. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. No announcements have been made about guest readers, but customers are encouraged to contact the store about how to participate in the readings.

Similar events will be held at the North Wales, Plymouth Meeting, and Neshaminy Mall locations.

Big Blue Marble on Carpenter Lane in Philadelphia is holding a 9:30 p.m. screening of the “To Kill a Mockingbird” movie, followed immediately by a reading of the sequel.

Chester County Books and Company and Main Point Books will also hold events.

Read the first chapter of Go Set A Watchman here, accompanied by audio of a passenger rail rolling along its tracks.

Image courtesy Harper Collins