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The Mockingbird Next Door: Life with Harper Lee, by Marja Mills
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New York Times Bestseller
“A winning, nuanced portrait. . . . It seems unlikely we’ll ever have a better record of a remarkable American life.” —USA Today
"There are many reasons to be grateful for The Mockingbird Next Door….A zesty account of two women living on their own terms yet always guided by the strong moral compass instilled in them by their father…. It is also an atmospheric tale of changing small-town America; of an unlikely, intergenerational friendship between the young author and her elderly subjects; of journalistic integrity; and of grace and fortitude…. The world [Mills] depicts is sadly gone, but—lucky for us—she caught it just in time."—Washington Post
To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the best loved novels of the twentieth century. Yet for the last fifty years, the novel’s celebrated author, Harper Lee, known to her friends as Nelle, has said almost nothing on the record. But in 2001, Nelle and her sister, Alice Finch Lee, opened their door to Chicago Tribune journalist Marja Mills. It was the beginning of a long conversation—and a wonderful friendship. Mills was given a rare opportunity to know Nelle, to be a part of the Lees’ life in Alabama, and to hear them reflect on their upbringing, their corner of the Deep South, and how To Kill a Mockingbird affected their lives.
- Sales Rank: #107826 in Books
- Published on: 2015-05-05
- Released on: 2015-05-05
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.40" h x .80" w x 5.50" l, 1.00 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 304 pages
Amazon.com Review
An Amazon Best Book of the Month, July 2014: In 2001, Chicago Tribune journalist Marja Mills traveled to Monroeville, Alabama in search of something that no other journalist had been able to land: an interview with the reclusive Harper Lee. Instead, she got an interview with her older sister, Alice--content with that, Mills prepared to return to Chicago to write her story. But then she got word that Lee (known as “Nelle” to those close to her) wanted to sit down for a “visit.” Many visits later they were friends, and in 2004 Mills was even invited to move in next door to the Lee sisters’ home. Underneath the plain, clear language of The Mockingbird Next Door is an enchanting, atmospheric portrait of two sisters and the southern town they inhabit (when Harper Lee is not living in New York). Mills makes a point of avoiding gossip, but that hardly matters. The book is compelling and charming; and it brings Harper Lee and her world, both past and present, to full life. --Chris Schluep
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Harper Lee, author of the “national touchstone,” To Kill a Mockingbird, withdrew from the relentless vortex of fame and never published another book. Her silence, like that of J. D. Salinger, has been a compelling literary mystery. When To Kill a Mockingbird was chosen for One Book, One Chicago in 2001, Chicago Tribune reporter Mills traveled to Lee’s Alabama hometown, certain that she would never get anywhere near the author. Instead, Mills found herself living a literary fairy tale, as Alice, Harper’s older sister by 15 years, still working as an attorney in her nineties, ushered Mills into their book-filled home. Soon Mills, much to her astonishment, is watching football games, going fishing, and sharing meals with Alice, Nelle (Harper is her middle name), and their friends. When the Lees express their hope that Mills will record their reminiscences and “set the record straight,” she rents the house next door and devotes herself to listening to tales of the Lee family; Nelle’s relationship with their childhood neighbor, Truman Capote (“Truman was a psychopath, honey”); and the nearly overwhelming repercussions of Nelle’s novel. Mills’ struggles with lupus bring her even closer to the sisters. As she portrays the exceptional Lee women and their modest, slow-paced world with awed precision, Mills creates a uniquely intimate, ruminative, and gently illuminating biographical memoir. --Donna Seaman
Review
Washington Post:
"There are many reasons to be grateful for The Mockingbird Next Door, Marja Mills’s wonderful memoir of Harper Lee and her sister….Sympathetic and respectful it may be, but The Mockingbird Next Door is no sycophantic puff piece. It is a zesty account of two women living on their own terms yet always guided by the strong moral compass instilled in them by their father…. It is also an atmospheric tale of changing small-town America; of an unlikely, intergenerational friendship between the young author and her elderly subjects; of journalistic integrity; and of grace and fortitude…. Mills doesn’t avoid prickly issues, but she approaches them obliquely and accepts partial answers. Despite her enervating illness, Mills’s writing is energetic. The Mockingbird Next Door is warm yet wistful, a lament for the books Harper Lee never wrote. It ends on an elegiac note, since by the time Mills was able to complete it, the Lees were fading fast, in separate assisted-living facilities. The world she depicts is sadly gone, but—lucky for us—she caught it just in time."
USA Today:
“A lot of people have a lot of ideas about what it means to be American, but here’s one more: To Kill a Mockingbird . . .That fact alone makes The Mockingbird Next Door, a memoir by Chicago Tribune reporter Marja Mills about her friendship with the book’s author, Harper Lee, a valuable artifact. It’s also a thoughtful, sweet-tempered, witty piece of work . . . The Mockingbird Next Door offers a winning, nuanced portrait. Indeed, given Lee’s deep privacy and advanced age, it seems unlikely we’ll ever have a better record of a remarkable American life.“
People:
“[Marja Mills] has written an intimate, moving book about a rare talent.”
NPR Fresh Air, Maureen Corrigan:
“Charming . . . The Mockingbird Next Door offers a rich sense of the daily texture of the Lee sisters’ lives . . . The world that Mills was invited into over a decade ago has disappeared: both Alice (now 102) and Harper Lee (now 88) are in nursing homes, memories faded. Fortunately, in Mills, the sisters found a genteel family chronicler knocking at their door at the eleventh hour.”
O, The Oprah Magazine:
"Mills has done what no writer before her could: She got Harper Lee to open up about her life, her work, and why she never wrote another book.”
Boston Globe:
“A rare, surprising, and respectful look at the Lees and their milieu.”
Vanity Fair:
“Hot Type: The Mockingbird Sings: More important than these answers, however, is the voice of Lee herself—and her message, which we still need to hear.”
Elle:
“In telling their story in The Mockingbird Next Door, Mills writes with the amazement of one who feels kissed by fate. We in turn are blessed with an intimate portrait of Lee.”
Shelf Awareness:
“The development of trust and friendship between Mills and the Lee sisters took time, but even in those first minutes, the relationship was nearly unprecedented …Told charmingly in the Lees’ southern drawl and with the affection and closeness that the story reveals, The Mockingbird Next Door is quietly admiring and satisfyingly intimate, and will captivate not only fans of Lee’s great American novel, but fans of real people living modest lives in small-town Alabama, or anywhere.”
Southern Living:
“Reading The Mockingbird Next Door is like opening a window into Harper Lee’s private world. As the window closes on the last page, we’re left with nostalgia for one of literature’s greatest talents and the feeling we had the very first time we read her remarkable novel.”
OWN, The Oprah Winfrey Network:
“Another real discovery … This intrepid journalist … learned more about the stories behind To Kill a Mockingbird and Harper Lee than anyone before, after or since.”
Good Housekeeping:
“This glimpse of a rare bird is delightful.”
BookPage:“A winning and affectionate account….. The Mockingbird Next Door offers a tender look at one of our most beloved and enigmatic writers, as well as the town that inspired her.”
Garden and Gun:
“[Mills is] a skilled writer and storyteller…The Mockingbird Next Door has a near perfect combination of story and fact.”
Books & Culture
“…[U]nlike the masses that went before her, Mills pulls off a journalistic coup by getting first Lee’s sister Alice to open doors for her and then Lee herself . . . Mills has enjoyed unprecedented access to Lee, and we should be grateful for the tidbits she throws our way.”
Houston Chronicle
"For To Kill a Mockingbird fans it's a must-read."
Book Reporter
"Mills's book is remarkable."
Most helpful customer reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
A Talent Living an Everyday Life
By The Simply Luxurious Life
With each reading of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, my appreciation of her detailed imagery, of her devoted gumption to speak out during such a socially inflamed period and her skillful creation of characters that demonstrate the atrocity of segregation and racism, deepens.
And as an author who after the initial promotion of the book and movie in the early sixties, chose to stay away from the limelight and protect her privacy as much as she possibly could, the release of the first authorized biography of Nelle (pronounced Nell) Harper Lee was something I wasn't sure would ever come to fruition.
Journalist Marja Mills expertly creates a portrait of Nelle Harper Lee and her small southern Alabama town in The Mockingbird Next Door: Life with Harper Lee in which the myths are set straight and the appreciation and admiration of such a talent takes the reader for a journey that is free from drama and an absolute delight.
Beginning in 2001 and continuing through 2006, Mills had an opportunity that so many journalists and writers have only dreamt about for more than 40 years. With Nelle Harper Lee's older sister Alice permitting the first on-the-record interview that cleared the way to meet the author herself, a respect and ultimately a friendship blooms between the journalist and the Pultizer Prize winning author who chose never to publish a second novel.
Many of the questions are answered that have been patiently waiting for answers - her friendship with Truman Capote, the mental stability of her mother - Frances, and why she chose never to publish again. But what captured my attention and is always something that my attention gravitates toward is her everyday life, and that is precisely what the book reveals.
In many ways, Nelle reveals herself to be an adult Scout (the protagonist of the novel). Fiercely independent, intelligent and insatiably curious about life, history, and unphased by feminine sartorial dictates. The gift of her novel, while it did bring unwanted and unexpected endless fame, allowed her to live her life on her own terms.
As Mills is allowed access to Nelle's closest friends and morning coffee with the author at her rental house (which is next door to the Lee's - thus the title), readers begin to discover that Lee is far from a recluse. With an apartment in the Upper East Side in Manhattan which she visited regularly beginning in her thirties until her seventies (in 2007, at the age of 81, she suffered a stroke), she would make her home in New York for part of the year and return via train to Monroesville, Alabama, to live with her sister Alice (15 years her senior) for the remainder of the year.
Both Nelle and Alice conferred on the final manuscript of the book, and as Mills describes, Nelle seemed to exhibit a subtle excitement for the book's release, if nothing more than to put into print her elder sister's library of a mind (Alice will turn 104 in September) as a way to have on record the facts as they occurred, not as others would like to dramatize them to be.
Upon meeting Marje, Nelle contemplated why Alice had opened up to Mills so quickly, and then she revealed the reason - "Quality met quality". With the high reverence for her sister, Nelle Harper Lee took a risk welcoming Marje Mills into her closely guarded world, but just as her instincts about how to write a novel that would resonate with readers for generations were acutely accurate, so too was she correct about making this invitation.
~Note: Much brouhaha has been made that Nelle Harper Lee did not consent to this book. There are many contradictory back and forths, all of which can be seen here (note Alice's letter at the bottom, who is still "of counsel" at the firm). But after pouring over not only the EW site, but additional sites that all claim the same quote from the letter sent to Entertainment Weekly (which started the debacle), I can only wonder, would Nelle Harper Lee send her disdain via her attorney to Entertainment Weekly of all the news media outlets that would have gladly published her story? As a woman who subscribes to British periodicals (the Weekly Telegraph, Times Literary Supplement), The New York Times Book Review, New York magazine and local Alabama newspapers, EW seems to be in odd company. After reading the book, one can quickly ascertain that she was not one for keeping up with idle "pop" drama. I highly doubt that Nelle was behind the letter that was sent to EW, but rather someone else who may have benefited greatly. My two cents - take them or toss them.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
The Mockingbird Next Door Does No Disservice to Harper Lee
By Michael K
It was hard to pass up on a book about the life of the author of one of my all-time favorite books -- and movies. Harper Lee never wrote another book and retreated from the spotlight. We don’t know much about her. I saw the alert here that Harper Lee had problems with The Mockingbird Next Door: Life with Harper Lee. I chose to read Marja Mills' biography to create my own opinion of whether it does a disservice to Lee.
The cover is captivating: an image of Scout from the movie on a swinging bench on a porch, with a woman behind her, who we can gather is Nelle Harper Lee. Scout was Nelle, which is Lee’s first name.
What are we expecting when we read this book? I'm not sure what I was expecting.
No writer has ever had the access to Nelle Harper Lee that Marja Mills did. It wasn't just a few sit down interviews. Mills, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, made her initial visit to Monroeville, Alabama in 2001. Chicago had launched "One Book, One Chicago,"and Mayor Daley recommended his favorite book from his childhood, To Kill A Mockingbird. Mills is assigned to see if she can accomplish what many before her had been unable to - interview Harper Lee. Even standing outside the door, Mills didn't know if she would get across the threshold. Alice Lee, Nelle's older sister by 15 years (who turned 103 on September 11, 2013 and died recently), answered the door. Mills is not sure why she was "allowed in." She suspects that one reason might have been, that she contacted them ahead of time.
Nelle had become overwhelmed by the constant attention of uninvited press and tourists, who came to Monroeville, the model for Maycomb County in To Kill A Mockingbird. She was irate by misrepresentations, allegations she didn't write most of the book, that much was written by childhood friend and neighbor, Truman Capote, the inspiration for Dill. This was why she retreated.
I had thought how odd she would become reclusive like Boo Radley. That wasn't the case.
There were ground rules and which comments were off the record. Mills made additional visits to Monroeville before the article was published in the Tribune, with virtually no quotes from Nelle Harper. On one of those visits, Mills suffers a lupus flare, and wakes up in the hospital to find Nelle standing by the bed. Mills' health forced her to take a medical leave and she moved to Monroeville in 2004 to pursue the book. It was a coincidence she was able to rent the house next door to the Lees, which Mills says was with their blessing and assistance.
Alice and Nelle shared the house that Alice and their father moved into after their mother died in 1953. A few weeks after Frances Lee's death, Nelle and Alice's brother, Ed, died suddenly. They also have a sister, Louise. Nelle Harper is the youngest. Neither Alice nor Nelle ever married. It can be said The Mockingbird Next Door is about both of them.
A.C. Lee was a well respected lawyer and the inspiration for Atticus Finch. His wife's maiden name was Finch. He died in 1962, before the To Kill A Mockingbird movie was released. Alice joined A.C. in the law practice and kept going to the office daily into her 90s.
Their house was stacks of papers, books and no computers. They only conceded to a television when their African American help, Julia, insisted. Since both Lees were hard of hearing, they used a fax machine to communicate. For a long time, Nelle spent a part of every year in New York City, which she loved.
The Lee sisters directed Mills to whom she could talk, including the minister of their Methodist church. Nelle had an active social circle and Mills became part of this “posse.” Nelle introduced Mills as trustworthy and not like other reporters. Mills was invited to join them when they went to feed the ducks, on rides to small towns in Alabama, dinners, breakfasts, a Super Bowl party, or just talking over coffee. Nelle wanted Mills to learn about the history and culture of small town Alabama and encouraged her to visit the different churches, white and African-American.
Mills spent 18 months in Monroeville, leaving in 2006. A friendship had developed with the Lees, as well as with their friends. That was an eventful year, which caused angst for Nelle. Two movies were released that talked about her and Capote. She helped Capote with his research for the book, In Cold Blood. Catherine Keener played the young Nelle in Capote. Sandra Bullock got the part in Infamous. There was also a biography of Harper Lee that was published. She refused to talk to the author, who also did not talk to the people Mills did. Yet, he was still able to publish the biography. This is the type of misrepresentation Nelle railed against. So compare that book to Mills’. I find nothing in The Mockingbird Next Door that is critical of Nelle. In the book, Mills says she reviewed the notes with Nelle and Alice, confirming what was not to be included in the book.
In 2007, Nelle suffered a stroke and was placed in an assisted living facility. She is now 89. Alice contracted pneumonia and after recovering, was put in a separate home. Mills visited them and again reviewed the notes. Could it be the combination of the effects of a stroke, hearing loss and Nelle’s usual reaction to anything written about her account for her feelings about Mills’ book?
About the only thing missing for me was whether there was a case like the one in To Kill A Mockingbird in Monroeville? Or was this an example of similar type cases that occurred in the South? What motivated her to write the book? As for her never writing another book, it was Alice who said, “when you reach the pinnacle with the first book, how do you write the next book when you’re competing against yourself?”
Read the book. It’s the only chance of a glimpse at our favorite author. (7/21/15) Especially, in light of the current controversy over the publication of Go Set A Watchman.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
Delightful Visit With The Lee Sisters
By Leapin Lemur
Despite the controversy regarding the release of this book, the author has written a lovingly respectful glimpse into the small window of time that she spent with Nelle Harper Lee and her remarkable sister, Alice Finch Lee. Fans of To Kill A Mockingbird will appreciate reading the adventures of Miss Nelle and Miss Alice as they go about their daily lives in a small town in southwestern Alabama. The Mockingbird Next Door painted a beautiful portrait of two gifted women and their circle of trusted friends. Far from being a recluse, as many others have portrayed Harper Lee, Marja Mills shows the reader a witty, charming woman who lives for adventure and fun.
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