Title: The Help
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books/Penguin Group
Publication Date: 2009
Source: Book club (borrowed)
Genre: Literary Fiction
Set in 1962, in Jackson Mississippi, The Help follows the story of twenty-two year old Skeeter as she returns home from graduation, Aibileen, a black maid raising her seventeenth white child and Minny, Aibileen's best friend, a great cook and one to speak her mind. When Skeeter finds her beloved maid Constantine no longer works for her mother she is determined to find out why but nobody will tell her where she's gone. After Skeeter's friend Miss Hilly Holbrook announces she is starting The Home Help Sanitation Initiative, a decree that all homes should have a separate toilet for the help, these three characters find themselves brought together to write a book from the perspective of the help. A project that will put them all at risk.
"I'd like to write this showing the point of view of the help. The colored women down here. They raise a white child and then twenty years later the child becomes the employer. It's that irony, that we love them and they love us, yet... We don't even allow them to use the toilet in the house."
I find writing a review for this book a little tricky as I know many of you would have already read it. But for the odd one or two of you who haven't I'll just dive right in. I have been hanging out to get my hands on this book for a few weeks now and I wasn't disappointed. The book is narrated by the three different women and at first I was put off a little by the dialect of Aibileen and Minny. Predominantly because written it looks like there are a number of spelling and grammar mistakes but once you get into the flow of it your brain starts to fall into the southern accent. I think this is the type of book that would have been wonderful to have as an audio book so you can really get into the southern setting.
Here's an example
"I tote her into the kitchen and put her in her high chair, and take the tray a devil eggs out to the dining-room. Miss Leefolt setting at the head and to her left be Miss Hilly Holbrook and Miss Hilly’s mama, Miss Walter, who Miss Hilly don’t treat with no respect. And then on Miss Leefolt’s right be Miss Skeeter.
I make the egg rounds, starting with ole Miss Walter first cause she the elder. She scoop a egg up and near bout drop it cause she getting the palsy."
It was a really pleasant story but if you think you are going to get a hard hitting book about the civil rights movement than you may need to look elsewhere. However I did find it a really enjoyable read with beautiful characters and a fantastic premise. I found myself getting caught up in the characters lives and I feel like a good book is one that takes you into the story and you can feel like you're there and your apart of it and I really felt that with this book. I have to admit I loved curling up in bed each night and delving back into their lives.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the side stories that really seemed to enhance the overall book. We are introduced to the story of Cecilia Foot whose 'white trash' background has ostracised her from the rest of white ladies of the Junior League and reading about her life and back story was one of my favourite parts of the book especially her dialogs with Minny.
I think my favourite thing about this book is that it did feel very real. A lot of it details the day to day lives of the characters and I was pleased that the author didn't simply try and create happy fluffy outcomes. If you haven't managed to pick up this book yet, I can definitely recommend that you do. The characters in this book really will stay with you long after you have flipped the final page.
Last week I finished The Help (Kathryn Stockett)
which was a great read as most of you probably know since I'm sure I was one of the last to read it! But you can check out my review here. Now I'm reading Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
from my 100 book challenge and I'm really enjoying it so far. I'm always a little nervous with classics because I need to be in the right frame of mind to get into the older style language but I haven't had any difficulty with Jane Eyre and have found myself happily immersed in the story.
I am also listening to Bossypants (Tina Fey)
as an audio book. I have never listened to an audio book before but I needed something to keep me occupied on the bus into work in the mornings. And I knew that Jane Eyre would be a bit much for bus journeys so I needed something a little lighter. I've never been good at reading more than one book at a time so I thought maybe an audio book would be the way to go. And thanks to some great reviews out there that love the audio version of this book because Tina reads it herself, I thought it was the perfect one to choose as my first audio book to try. And so far it's working really well. I definitely couldn't multi-task with an audio book like others can but sitting on the bus and listening to it works really well.
, 
, 
, 
, 
, and 
. I can't wait to read them all!
set in 1888 Scotland and 
about the MacDonald massacre of 1692 are both going on my list. In fact the premise of Corrag is especially intriguing for me as I have been to Glencoe and was fascinated about it's history while I was there. I have even been to the 
reviewed by 
, a story about two sisters during the Bosnian War is definitely going on my list. Thanks to 
thanks to 
set in 1930s Russia, and although I don't read YA something about 
really intrigues me and hey you've got to step out of your comfort zone every once and awhile right?!
, a book based on a biblical women? Yes please! And 
sounds like a great book. I don't know how it has slipped me by. And well I couldn't help putting 
and 
will be a great read if I can get my hands on it.
