I may chat about my books, what I'm writing or reading, or just general thoughts. You may read posts about my cats or just my crazy life in general. Comments are welcome, if anyone wants to interact with me. Maybe we can share war stories, whether it's writing related or just about life in general.

Saturday, April 9, 2016

H is for The Help – A book Review



WOW!  What a book - 5 stars

This book is one of the best I’ve read in a long time.  I knew right from the start that I was going to be sad when I came to the end.  The characters are wonderful, although there is a couple I’d like to knock on the head.  This is writing at its best.  I can picture everyone in the book, from the black maids talking in the kitchen, or the privileged white ladies at their benefits.

This book is about diversity and segregation in the south in the 1960’s, particularly Mississippi.  The reader gets a look into the daily lives of the colored ladies who keep house and raise the kids for the white people.  Although this is a serious story and there are some awful moments in this book, there is enough humor to keep the reader chuckling throughout.  It was definitely hard to put this book down each night and go to bed.

I grew up in the South during this time, and can relate to all the issues in the book.  The dialogue is wonderful and the author accurately portrays the food and the weather, bringing back many memories for me.

I was interested in the lives of all the maids in the book and the awful conditions they had to endure in that time of great civil unrest.  The maids are desperate as they tolerate abuse from the white ladies they work for, who ultimately hold their fate in their hands.  I wanted to cry when I see them wrongly accused for stealing, and then fired because if it.  There are times when false rumors are spread too, making it impossible for the maid to find other work.

Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny are the main characters in this book.  I loved each of these unique women, who had enough guts to stand up and try to change the terrible conditions that existed in those days.

Ambitious Skeeter wants to become a writer, much to her mother’s disgust.  Her mother wants to see her married and taking her place in white society when she comes home from college.  Skeeter befriends the maids, kind-hearted Aibilene and sassy Minny, who gradually begin to trust her, after she has planted the idea of a book project to shed light on the working conditions for maids in Mississippi.  More maids jump onboard the book project, as black people are beaten and killed in their town.  They all take a risk and that risk comes with a price.

Hilly, the white Queen Bee you love to hate adds fuel to the fire by constantly spreading her message that colored folks carry diseases.  She questions their hygiene, although she allows her own maid in the kitchen to cook all the food, take care of the kids, and clean the house.  Hilly goes on a toilet campaign to make sure every white household in Jackson has a toilet for the colored help.  This crusade only spurs Skeeter and the maids on to tell their story, hoping the book will be published and that they will remain anonymous, so as not to bring anymore ill will down on themselves.  At the same time, they are hoping that conditions will change and people will look deeper than the color of someone’s skin.

Not all the white people treated the maids badly, although most did.  We see how strange it was growing up in the south in those days when Minny goes to work for Celia Foote, the “white trash,” who allows her to sit at the table, drink coffee, and eat with her.  They really begin to care for each other when Minny sees she is different from the many employers she’s had in the past.


There was never a dull moment.  I really LOVED this book and want to read it again.  I checked this copy out of the library, but I will now buy my own copy.  What a great debut novel.  I hope Kathryn Stockett writes a sequel.

14 comments:

  1. I read it about a year or so ago; I agree, very good book!

    betty

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    1. Betty,

      I found The Help quite interesting. I was wondering if anyone who commented today would have read the book. I actually didn't know it existed before a friend told me about it.

      Thanks for reading and your comment.

      Sunni

      Delete
  2. I read the book a while ago and I couldn't agree more with your review. The characters are wonderful except for the couple I'd like to punch in the face. Very entertaining book. :D xx

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    1. Vashti,

      Doesn't every book need to have a couple of characters you'd love to punch in the face? That just adds to the entertainment value.

      Thanks for reading and leaving a comment.

      Sunni

      Delete
  3. I read the book a while ago too and saw the film also. She's a good writer and I wonder if there will be another book?

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    1. Hi Inger,

      I liked the book so well that I rented the DVD from my local library. The film was good but books are always better, in my opinion.

      I wish she'd write a sequel, but I have no idea if that will happen or not.

      Thanks for stopping by my A to Z

      Sunni

      Delete
  4. I have heard about the book for quite awhile. I never read it though because I'm pretty sure it would just make me angry at conditions the maids had to endure. A fb friend of mine posted a photo of a black maid holding a little white baby and called it "The help." That is what gave me the idea for my theme this A to Z. The woman's name was on the back of the photo and I wanted to find out who she was and what her life was like, to make her more than an anonymous maid. She will be my "P". I am really enjoying finding out the stories. Finding Eliza

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    1. Kristin,

      The book might make you angry because some of the white families were not all that nice to their maids. But like it or not, this is part of history and things like that did take place.

      It's such a good book and is written so well and really gives you insight into that era. The maids are so nice. I really rooted for them throughout the book and wanted to slap some of those women employers. The story made me laugh in places too.

      I think you should read the book if you get a chance. The maids did take care of the white children and many times the kids were fonder of the maid than their own mothers because the maids were always there teaching them about life and taking care of them while the mothers socialized.

      Being "the help" wouldn't be a great life, but it wasn't all horrible.

      I think all your research is fascinating. Thanks for stopping by.

      Sunni

      Delete
  5. I've heard great things about the book, but I've only seen the movie.

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  6. I read the book long before the movie, and so I was hesitant about viewing the film lest I be disappointed.
    They did a good job with the movie. My Mom wanted to see it, and afterward she told me a little about what it was like to be a "Yankee" living down South in the 50s. (She was an "Army" wife and my Dad was stationed down in S. Carolina.) Sometimes she felt like she was living in a foreign country.
    Sot on review of the book!

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  7. LOL "Spot on review", not sot on and definitely not sod off.

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    1. Li,

      I'm glad you enjoyed the book and the movie. I grew up in the south so it wasn't so much of a shock to me. Situations were definitely different from north to south. The book pretty much depicted how things were. We never had slaves but were only one step above that (maybe) because we grew up in a sharecropper's shack. My grandmother's family had slaves when she was growing up.

      Thanks for visiting me for the A to Z and for your comment.

      Sunni

      Delete
  8. Great review. I've heard wonderful things about this book. I've never read it. The topic saddens me.

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    1. Sandra,

      Of course the topic saddens all of us but this is history - like it or not. You should read the book. Some of the characters in it are wonderful.

      Thanks for stopping by on the A to Z and leaving a comment.

      Sunni

      Delete

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comment on my posts. I appreciate it.
Sunni