Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I know, I know...I'm a little late on the bandwagon. Everyone has moved on to The Hunger Games, but I just had to publish a review of The Help. I have no excuse for my tardiness-- I got my hands on the book just before the movie was released and finished it within a few days. I just couldn't put it down. Eagerly turning each page, I devoured Kathryn Stockett's easy prose and enthralling storytelling. She wove such a convincing story that when I finally (and quite reluctantly) closed the book, I wanted to host a bridge club and cook everything with Crisco.
The Help transports readers to civil-rights-era Jackson, Mississippi. This heartwarming tale contains all the right ingredients for a best-seller: romance, drama, heartache, a coming-of-age story, endearing characters, and a larger moral lesson. The story unfolds from the perspectives of black maids and their employers. Skeeter Phelan, an aspiring writer who grew up in Jackson, decides to do the unthinkable: write a book from the perspective of the help. She sums up the heart of the story and the motivations behind her endeavors when she says,"I was raised by a colored woman. We love them, and they love us, but they can't even use the toilets in our houses." Skeeter secretly petitions her friends' maids to share their experiences working as housekeepers. The women reluctantly agree, but wish to remain anonymous. A touching story ensues as the women breach invisible boundaries during a time when racial tensions ran especially high.
Stockett delicately addresses a shameful part of Southern history while managing to weave an uplifting story of triumph over adversity. The Help reads like a beach novel with more serious undertones. This is a book for anyone who enjoys a story of redemption mixed a bit of scandal and humor.
I know, I know...I'm a little late on the bandwagon. Everyone has moved on to The Hunger Games, but I just had to publish a review of The Help. I have no excuse for my tardiness-- I got my hands on the book just before the movie was released and finished it within a few days. I just couldn't put it down. Eagerly turning each page, I devoured Kathryn Stockett's easy prose and enthralling storytelling. She wove such a convincing story that when I finally (and quite reluctantly) closed the book, I wanted to host a bridge club and cook everything with Crisco.
The Help transports readers to civil-rights-era Jackson, Mississippi. This heartwarming tale contains all the right ingredients for a best-seller: romance, drama, heartache, a coming-of-age story, endearing characters, and a larger moral lesson. The story unfolds from the perspectives of black maids and their employers. Skeeter Phelan, an aspiring writer who grew up in Jackson, decides to do the unthinkable: write a book from the perspective of the help. She sums up the heart of the story and the motivations behind her endeavors when she says,"I was raised by a colored woman. We love them, and they love us, but they can't even use the toilets in our houses." Skeeter secretly petitions her friends' maids to share their experiences working as housekeepers. The women reluctantly agree, but wish to remain anonymous. A touching story ensues as the women breach invisible boundaries during a time when racial tensions ran especially high.
Stockett delicately addresses a shameful part of Southern history while managing to weave an uplifting story of triumph over adversity. The Help reads like a beach novel with more serious undertones. This is a book for anyone who enjoys a story of redemption mixed a bit of scandal and humor.
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