This book hit me in a big way.
My mum read this when it first came out. When I asked her how it was, she said that she was surprised that Atticus was a racist. I was confused ad disappointed, having read and loved "To Kill A Mockingbird" and especially looked up to Atticus Finch.
Having read it now, I understand where my mum was coming from. I also completely disagree with her reduction and interpretation of the meaning.
"Go Set A Watchman" follows a grown Jean-Louise Finch as she comes back home for vacation. I adored that this book detailed her growing up, especially little Scout figuring out that she's a girl and learning everything that comes with that. I laughed hearing that Scout thought she was pregnant and really enjoyed all of her childhood adventures.
The ending surprised me.
I was appalled at Jean-Louise's response to her dad, and I also understood where she was coming from. Her later conversation's with her uncle struck me and made me think a lot. I completely agree with uncle Jack - "bigot" has a much wider use than we use it for these days. It's important to accept what we see as "flawed" viewpoints and accept the people who hold them. That's something I see as a problem in today's society and I feel that this book was released at a pertinent time.
I talked about this book with my husband after I finished and he commented, "No wonder there was a lot of hype about it coming out and then no one talked about it again." He's right - so many in our society are so caught up in being exactly politically correct or completely accepting and tolerant of every culture and lifestyle that often, those who don't measure up exactly are called "racist" or "sexist". I love the message of this book - it's okay to accept people without completely accepting all their viewpoints.
Also, it was nice to see Scout grow up completely.