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“You might come to The Mockingbird Next Door to find out why
Harper Lee never wrote another novel. But you’ll stay with it for its
lush evocation of the South, and for the insight into what made this
reclusive author the person she became.”
— Elizabeth Berg, New York Times bestselling author of Open House
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“Marja Mills offers readers a rare
gift, the opportunity to know an American icon…I promise that the real Harper
Lee is more than worth the wait, and Alice Lee emerges as a fascinating
character in her own right. Mills was lucky enough to be invited into the lives
of the Lee sisters, and it’s a treat for all of us to join her there.”
— Andrew Carroll, New York Times bestselling author of War Letters
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“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.”
— Elle
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“This glimpse of a rare bird is delightful.”
— Good Housekeeping
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“An intimate, moving book about a rare talent.”
— People
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“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.”
— Southern Living
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“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.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine
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“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.”
— NPR Fresh Air
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“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 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.”
— USA Today
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“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.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review
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“For a decade, Chicago Tribune’s Maja Mills was not only welcomed into the home of
the Lee siblings; she was eventually encouraged to become their next door
neighbor. In this unique memoir, Mills writes about two unique women who
retained their dignity even in the midst of celebrity madness. (P.S. The Mockingbird Next Door contains fascinating
material on Harper Lee’s important friendship with her longtime friend Truman
Capote.) Editor’s recommendation.”
— Barnes&Noble.com, editorial review
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“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.”
— Vanity Fair
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“It’s a testament to one-time Chicago Tribune reporter Mills’
skill—and being in the right place at the right time—that she befriended Lee
and her lawyer sister, Alice, in the author’s hometown of Monroeville, Alabama,
and was chosen to set the record straight on Lee. A wonderful, insightful and
long overdue tale about the author of one of the greatest American novels.”
— New York Post
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“Wonderful…zesty…atmospheric…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.”
— Washington Post
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“A rare, surprising, and respectful look at the
Lees and their milieu.”
— Boston Globe
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“Mills recounts the surprisingly easy and natural way she did indeed
meet, first, older sister Alice, a still-practicing attorney in her eighties,
and then Nelle, whose sharp, eccentric personality, keen opinions, and
generous reminiscences make this a must-read for fans…Nelle’s sweet friendship with Mills elicits a forthcoming portrait of
the author, her family, her time, and her South that is thoughtful,
witty, and rich in feeling.”
— Publishers Weekly (boxed review)
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“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.”
— Booklist (starred review)
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“In her first book, a journalist offers a gentle, loving portrait of a reclusive writer…Mills portrays Nelle as a grown-up Scout, the feisty and defiant heroine of Mockingbird…[A] charming portrait of a small Southern town and its most famous resident.”
— Kirkus Reviews
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“A lovely voice, sincere
characterizations, and an engrossing story make this an exceptional listen.
Narrator Amy Lynn Stewart delivers a tender interpretation of literary giant
Harper Lee and her extraordinary older sister, Alice…Stewart expertly
differentiates between the sisters in this compelling biographical memoir.
Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile