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Kelly Marsh28 December 2010
I got this book from my mum for christmas and at first I thought it might be a bit too serious for me but so far I am enjoying it although there are quite a few sad bits early on. This is really a book about racism in america and about how that racism effected the lives of three women - one white woman and two black women. As you would probably expect there are lots of moments that bring tears to your eyes but there are also some funny moments (not as many as I normally like in a book) and also I find that I am really drawn to each of the three woman main characters and that I hope something good will happen. Because of the subject and the time it is set I am not sure if I will like the ending but I am going to keep going with it.
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Anonymous01 December 2010
Kathryn Stockett has crafted a beautiful and fascinating first novel that I just couldn't put down and managed to read in one weekend. The story is told through the voices of three of the main characters.
Skeeter has a strong bond with Constantine, the maid who raised her prior to being educated at Ole Miss University, and she had naive ambitions to leave the South for a editors role at one of New York's publishing houses. Guided by advice to look for opportunities to write closer to home first, and by a curiosity to find out what has happened to Constantine, Skeeter becomes inspired by the lives of the maids who serve her and her affluent white friends. Recognising the power imbalances that occur within the relationships and the problems of segregation, she experiences for herself the effects of being ostracised from within her own community.
Abilieen is 56 and has been looking after white people's homes and families all her life. She has learned how to keep her head down and avoid conflict with her employers. Abilieen is an observer, and spends some time every evening, writing down her prayers; her friends all believe that there is a profound effect of being on Abilieen's prayer list. Abilieen is looking after a two year old girl and she witnesses the lack of emotional bond the child has with her mother and is disturbed by this more than than her boss's friends insisting that they should have provided a separate toilet for their coloured maid to avoid spreading diseases from blacks to whites.
Minnie is a coloured maid who is raising a family and has a husband who regularly gets drunk and aggressive. Minnie has reputation for amazing food and a loud mouth but she loses her job when the Hilly, the chairwoman of the local benefits committee, puts her own mother into care and Minnie's prospects are damaged by a vicious lie suggesting that she was dismissed because of stealing.
These three women are drawn together by the prospect of bringing about change at a time in history when it was enormously risky for whites and blacks to be so intimately involved with each other. Kathryn Stockett is able to portray a real sense of empathy with the characters and their situation and the story is both fascinating and very exciting.
The Help is a brilliant page turner and I would recommend it to anyone!
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Amazon
It's Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Miss Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. No one would believe they'd be friends; fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend and rely upon one another. Each is in a search of a truth. And together they have an extraordinary story to tell...
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Play
The Help is the phenomenal international bestseller (that inspired the Oscar nominated film) by Kathryn Stockett. Enter a vanished and unjust world: Jackson Mississippi 1962. Where black maids raise white children but aren't trusted not to steal the silver...There's Aibileen raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her own son's tragic death; Minny whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; and white Miss Skeeter home from College who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared. Skeeter Aibileen and Minny. No one would believe they'd be friends; fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries they come to depend and rely upon one another. Each is in a search of a truth. And together they have an extraordinary story to tell..."The other side of "Gone with the Wind" - and just as unputdownable". ("The Sunday Times"). "A big warm girlfriend of a book". ("The Times"). "Harper Lee's classic novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" has changed lives. Its direct descendent "The Help" has the same potential ...an astonishing feat of accomplishment". ("Daily Express").Kathryn Stockett was born and raised in Jackson Mississippi. After graduating from the University of Alabama she moved to New York City where she worked in magazine publishing and marketing for nine years. She currently lives in Atlanta with her husband and daughter. "The Help" is her first novel.
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Foyles
***The phenomenal international bestseller that inspired the Oscar-nominated film***Enter a vanished and unjust world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Where black maids raise white children, but aren't trusted not to steal the silver . . .There's Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her own son's tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; and white Miss Skeeter, home from College, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared.Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. No one would believe they'd be friends; fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend and rely upon one another. Each is in a search of a truth. And together they have an extraordinary story to tell...'The other side of Gone with the Wind - and just as unputdownable' The Sunday Times'A big, warm girlfriend of a book' The Times'Harper Lee's classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird has changed lives. Its direct descendent The Help has the same potential . . . an astonishing feat of accomplishment' Daily Express
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TheBookPeople
Jackson, Mississippi in 1962 was home to a vanished and unjust world. Black maids raised white children, but weren't trusted not to steal. Meawhile, three women are about to embark on a compelling friendship - they are Aibileen, who is raising her 17th white child and nursing the pain caused by the tragic death of her son, the sassy cook Minny and the white Miss Skeeter, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared. No one would believe the three of them would become friends, and fewer still would tolerate it. But in Kathryn Stockett's The Help, the three very different women manage to find the courage to cross boundaries and come to depend and rely upon one another. This extraordinary story is one to truly cherish.
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BookDepository
The Help : Paperback : Penguin Books Ltd : 9780141039282 : : 13 May 2010 : Enter a vanished and unjust world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Where black maids raise white children, but aren't trusted not to steal the silver... There's Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her own son's tragic death; and, Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue.
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Blackwell
Enter a vanished and unjust world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Where black maids raise white children, but aren't trusted not to steal the silver... There's Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her own son's...
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