To Kill a Mockingbird

'To Kill a Mockingbird' is finally finished! I have to say it was one of those books which took a very serious topic (racial inequality) and mediated it through the eyes of a small and innocent young girl; Scout. As I said before in one of my posts; Scout is one of my favourite characters of all time and her narration was extraordinary. This book has many comedic aspects to it as well as tugging on the heart strings; especially when Jem feels Scout is becoming too much a of a 'girl' the relationship hits a rocky area; the growing up stage of childhood is quite emotional in this book. The plot; well it is based around the childhood of Scout (Jean Louise Finch) and her brother Jem. Their lawyer father, Atticus, is defending Tom Robinson on the account of rape of a white woman, much to the towns dislike.
 What I particularly liked about this book was the fact that Scout matures through the years, to begin with her naivety is evident however by the end of the book she comes to terms with the fact that people, like Boo Radley (a neighbour she wonders even exists at one point, as he is never seen) live their life the way they want to live it because they want to and it is their decision. One of the most heart-breaking aspects of this book was when Jem found the court case between Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson, unfair and unjust; Harper Lee really shows here a child's perspective of how unfair life can be. I really love the way this book is written; through the eyes of Scout as it creates an innocent perspective on such a controversial topic; such a coming of age novel and how tensions in society and cause a close knit family to struggle to stay together. It is a masterpiece, a once in a lifetime novel, a book about forgiveness, understanding and growing up. There is no simpler way to put it, this book is magnificent.

My next conquest is 'One Moment, One Morning' a book just recently released by Sarah Rayner. I thought I would try my hand at a bit of modern literature,a thriller about passengers on a train from Brighton to London and how one journey can change the lives of three people for ever. I look forward to getting my teeth into this one. And remember; people spend a lifetime searching for happiness and looking for peace. They chase idle dreams, addictions and even other people, hoping to fill the emptiness that plagues them. The irony is, the only place they ever needed to search was within.