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

By Marc Torrence/CT Patch

“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.

Barnes and Noble at Shoppers World in Framingham will open at 7 a.m., on Tuesday, July 14, two hours earlier than usual.

Those who visit the Barnes & Noble Café from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. will get a free tall hot coffee with their purchase of Go Set a Watchman. Plus, in every store, the first 20 customers to buy the book will receive a free exclusive To Kill a Mockingbird reusable tote.

“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.”

“Everyone at Barnes & Noble is excited for the launch of Go Set a Watchman, which we expect to be the number one book when it’s released on July 14 and one of our top-selling books this year and beyond,” said Mary Amicucci, Vice President, Adult Trade and Children’s Books at Barnes & Noble. “There’s a built-in audience for Go Set a Watchman because To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most widely read backlist books we have, with sales doubling at Barnes & Noble this year alone. Generations of adults and teens have shared Scout’s story, and with Go Set a Watchman, they can revisit many of their favorite characters from To Kill a Mockingbird again.”

Read the first chapter of Go Set A Watchman here.

Image courtesy Harper Collins