Saturday, February 27, 2016

REVIEW: Capote in Kansas: A Ghost Story by Kim Powers + Bonus Suggestions for Further Reading

Ever since the news about Harper Lee was announced last week, we've been a little sad here at BCPL. However, we've also been thinking about the contribution Lee's work and life have made to the literary world despite the fact that she only published two books during her lifetime. So in honor of that, Beth—Assistant Branch Manager of our Lebanon Junction location and a HUGE Harper Lee fan—is contributing her very first review here at Book News & Reviews.

Together, we've also compiled a list of related readings we think will appeal to Harper Lee fans. The list includes titles by and about Harper Lee as well as those inspired by her work and life. We've also included several "read-alike" titles that we feel reflect similar themes or characters as Lee's classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird.


Beth's Rating: 5/5 Stars
Genre: Historical Fiction/Paranormal Mystery
Audience: Adult

Summary: A fictional tale of the friendship between Harper Lee and Truman Capote with a twist. Here, after a decades' estrangement that followed the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird, the former friends are drawn together again when Truman fears he is being haunted by the Clutter family.

First Lines: "She's back. She's after me."

Beth's Review: Author Kim Powers takes the story of Truman Capote and Harper Lee and spins a tale full of mystery and haunting memories. Is it the past that comes back to haunt you; or ghosts of those who have touched your lives, revisiting you in your aging years? Or is the ghost regret for what once was? What really happened to end the friendship of Capote and Lee?? A story based on facts will take you back to 1959—the true story of the murder of a Kansas family of four that took four years to become Capote's In Cold Blood—and to 1960 and the book that took the world by storm, To Kill a Mockingbird. Can someone tortured by the past atone in the present?? A great read that makes you feel like you're watching a movie as it unfolds.

Check for availability in the library catalog.


Related Readings

By Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird - Check Library Catalog | Read C.W.'s Guest Review
Go Set a Watchman - Check Library Catalog | Read C.W.'s Guest Review

By Truman Capote
In Cold Blood - Check Library Catalog

Nonfiction about Harper Lee & her work
Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee - Check Library Catalog
The Mockingbird Next Door: Life with Harper Lee - Check Library Catalog
I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee - Check Library Catalog
Scout, Atticus & Boo - Check Library Catalog

Fiction inspired by Harper Lee & her work
Capote in Kansas: A Ghost Story - Check Library Catalog
I Kill the Mockingbird - Check Library Catalog
In Search of Mockingbird - Check Library Catalog

Recommended for To Kill a Mockingbird fans
The Dry Grass of August - Check Library Catalog
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter - Check Library Catalog
A Land More Kind Than Home - Check Library Catalog | Read My Review
A Lesson Before Dying - Check Library Catalog
Mudbound: A Novel - Check Library Catalog
Revolution - Check Library Catalog | A Best of 2014 Selection
The Secret Life of Bees - Check Library Catalog
A Time to Kill - Check Library Catalog
The Undertaker's Daughter - Check Library Catalog
Whistling Past the Graveyard - Check Library Catalog


Related Films
Capote - Check Library Catalog
In Cold Blood - Check Library Catalog
To Kill a Mockingbird - Check Library Catalog

4 comments:

Patrick Yaeger said...

That friendship and the history surrounding that friendship between Lee and Capote is so fascinating. I would be interested in seeing how the author explores and imagines these two great figures in American literary history and their complex relationship.

Tracy said...

I know! I've been interested in this one for ages but keep putting off reading it in favor of more recent books. Now that Beth has told me how much she enjoyed it, I'm even more intrigued.

Unknown said...

Friendship shoul be as between Lee and Capote

Tracy said...

Steve, their lifelong friendship is absolutely inspiring, isn't it? :)

For those who aren't as familiar with their history, Barnes & Noble published a great blog post about them. You can find it here: www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/14-things-you-didnt-know-about-harper-lee-and-truman-capotes-friendship.

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