Friday, February 5, 2010

The Help by Kathryn Stockett


I'm guessing many of you have read this. I can't remember where I first heard it mentioned, but then I kept hearing it mentioned, and always in the context that someone really liked it.

I did too! I recommend this to everyone.

It is well-written. From the beginning I was drawn into the lives of each character. The characters are well-developed. I couldn't put this down, that's how interesting it was.

I've said this a bunch of times already when talking about the book, and my sisters said it to me before. There are times in this book where you brace yourself for something really horrible to happen, but it doesn't. I think Ms. Stockett wisely chose what she included in this book so that it is easier to read. Of course, I did not live in the 1960's in the south, so I can't judge it for it's accuracy.
I read this fast, and I've already passed it on so I don't have a list of quotes. My notes don't make sense with out the book. But really, I was too busy reading to jot as much down as usual.
I'd love to hear if and why you liked this book!

8 comments:

Sharlene, Mom, Grammy said...

Coincidently, I saw this book on Lori's reading list and she highly recommended it. So, when my daughters took me to lunch for my birthday, they said they wanted me to pick a book for the four of us to read and then we would have a mother-daughters book club over dinner after we had all read a book. I immediately said, "The Help," and Lori said, "Good, because I've read it." Lisa then bought it at Wal-Mart and is taking it with her to the beach this week. Soooooooo. I'm so glad to get your stamp of approval (as I value your judgment in these things). I look forward to reading it and will let you know how our "book club" rates it. :)

Kelly M said...

So I just went to see about putting this on hold at the library. . . there are 434 hold on it right now!! Yikes! Guess I better just go buy it if I want to read it anytime soon!

Kammy T said...

Sharlene--how fun! I love the mother daughter book club idea. I bet you will all like it. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Kelly--I'm still 147th on my library hold, but luckily Wendy had a copy to lend me, and we have now passed it on to my mom. It's pretty popular, you might be able to ask around and find a copy to borrow. Wendy did say she got a good deal on Amazon. Good Luck!

Tara @ Tales of a Trophy Wife said...

It's on my "to read" list

Lori said...

I wish I had made a list of my favorite quotes, there were so many. I think the writing was exceptional and the characters were so good--like you said.

Sharlene, Mom, Grammy said...

Me, again. I just finished *The Help*. I loved it. Couldn't put it down. I can hardly wait for our book-club get a way. Since I have the book right here, let me put in a few of my favorite quotes.

"All I know is, I ain't saying it. And I know she ain't saying what she want a say either and it's a strange thing happening here cause nobody saying nothing and we still managing to have us a conversation." (Love this! Probably my favorite quote.)

"They just think you got a better connection than most. We all on a party line to God, but you, you setting right in his ear."

"I need to know what constitutes breaking up forever. I need to know how many rules you can break before you're thrown out, and what those rules even are in the first place."

"I lie. So many lies have been told, the room is thick with them."

"It was almost four months ago that the door was sealed shut between Hilly and me, a door made of ice so thick it would take a hundred Mississippi summers to melt it."

Thanks for letting me indulge here. So many good descriptive sentences, paragraphs, etc.

Note: those that want to buy the book, there are tons of them at SAMS and Wal-Mart---marked at a lower price. Our library "wait-lists" are unreasonably long, too.

Kammy T said...

Thanks Sharlene! I loved the connections of Aibileen and her prayers that she wrote. One of my favorite parts of the story for sure!

lisa said...

I loved Aibileen's subtle attempts to instill tolerence in the hearts of the children....especially her adapted stories she told the children about Green Martian Luther King, etc. I also loved how Mae Mobley told her daddy it was her teacher that told her those stories :). I loved so many things in this book, but I wish there could have been a bigger change for good from the efforts of Skeeter's book.