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The Help Review
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone. Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken. Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own. Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed. In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women—mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends—view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don’t. User Submitted The Help ReviewsSeptember 9, 2010 The Southern Mirror Never Lies I started it, read a few chapters, then last night I read 160 pages in one sitting.I couldn't put it down. Finished it tonight. Bravo, Bravo Bellissimo dear Kathryn. Thank you for your honesty,Thank you for telling the tale the way it was. This is an important book.It's actually hard to read at times, it hurt my soul. I was raised a caucasion in Tennessee. Born in 1960. I will continue to treat people with dignity but I will be even more aware how important this is after reading this book. You did a good job girl. From one southern woman to another I'm so very proud of you!!! September 9, 2010 Try the audio version I was given this book because I asked a friend to help with something to listen to while I was working. Note: I said listen to. I had the audio version which I think erased many of the problems that people had with the first person and the dialect. There were different voices for each of the characters and it was easy to figure them out. The dialects were not unusually off for me but I only lived in the south for about 4 years. I heard each one of these speech patterns but maybe that is the problem, maybe the speach patterns changed a lot since the 60's. I also did not notice that the black women were portrayed with bad speech and the white women had good speech as some reviewers commented on. It seemed to me to be more associated with the amount of schooling they all had. One negative review commented on how everything worked out just right. I didn't see that at all. I also did not think that Skeeter walked off unscathed from what had happened. I did get annoyed at her simple minded focus but I also thought that was a little more accurate for the time and situation. I thought she grew up a lot in the story and took her knocks with the rest. I thought there were many nuances to the characters even though some say they weren't developed enough. I wasn't interested in a civil rights narrative. I was interested in the complicated and interesting day to day events that shaped the average persons life during the 60's. I saw the book as Minnie and Abileens little rebellion. All in all, the story is good and really good on audio. Like others have said some of the historical facts are off but so what? The main idea is on day to day life and "complicated relationships". September 9, 2010 Outstanding! Really enjoyed reading this book. Written in dialect. Realistic portrayal of the South in the '60's. September 8, 2010 The Help This was a wonderfully written book that brought the Deep South to my senses. Ms. Stockett's prose is natural, intriguing, and irresistable. I highly recommend this book! September 8, 2010 Listen to the audio version!! I will not spend time reiterating how absolutely perfect this book is. There is no denying it. But I want to let you know how enjoyable this book was to LISTEN to. The four women who read the characters "become" the characters in a way I'm not sure I've ever experienced before. If you have the opportunity to either read or listen to the book, I would definitely suggest that you listen to the book. You will NOT be disappointed. For more The Help reviews click here.
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