This is the second time that I have read To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee - and I must say that I enjoyed it just as much the second time around as I did on the first occasion.
What Lee does very intricately here is weave a tale of such a heinous crime but through the innocent eyes of a child. For instance, there are frequent examples of the child's naivety when confronted with dangerous and more 'adult' situations, with the general assumption made by the older characters that she is 'too young to understand'.
Reading this I began to feel that I, myself, was part of Maycomb County and that I was a member of their society, an onlooker if you will on the events unfolding across the narrative. It was extremely engaging, and I must admit I was on the edge of my seat on a couple of occasions.
Dialogue is essential to bringing about a cultural awareness and bringing the reader with you along the narrative journey. Here, Lee uses this to great effect throughout the novel, where I was unintentionally mimicking the Southern American accent along with the characters; thus bringing forth a familiarity with each of them.
I am not surprised that this has been deemed a 'classic piece of literary fiction' by many avid readers. It has undoubtedly provided not only satisfaction, but also a wider sense of education of early 1900's America - across the southern states. It transfixed me so much, which is the reason for my 5 star-rating, and also the reason why this book is most certainly within my top-10 reads of all time.
The only thing I can add here is that I am very intrigued to see Lee's subsequent sequel to this amazing book - Go Set a Watchman. #WatchThisSpace