The Help ~ Kathryn Stocket
The Help is about maids in Jackson, Mississippi back in the 1960s, but it's beyond that. It is narrated by three characters; two maids and a white young lady. They're trying to tell their story to the world so we hear them and understand what it is like for them. It's about how much maids such a role nobody ever acknowledges.
Aibileen, one of the maids, works because of the kids. Raising them, and being there for them when their mothers are too busy with their social lives. She cares too much which is why she doesn't stay long on one job. She's very wise because of what she's gone through in her life, and always knows the right thing to say.
Minny is a hot tempered maid who says exactly what is on her mind. Her skills ensure her her job, yet do not stop her from getting into trouble. However, she's blessed with a good soul which helps her through the hard times.
Miss Skeeter, a white young woman who's just finished college, is different. All her life she tries to please her mother, fit in with people she doesn't see eye-to-eye with. Once she tries to break free from all the rules she's supposed to live by, she starts truly living for something bigger than herself.
Personal Opinion: I loved it. I didn't know what it was about when I picked it up, so with no expectations whatsoever I found myself thrilled with the book. The author is so brilliant with telling the story, knowing just when to switch from one narrator to another. Just when you're absolutely hooked. You find yourself even more so with every chapter. It gets so deep, you hear stories you never even imaged. You feel their anger, their disgust, their submission. You wish it was different for them, you wish you could slap that character who couldn't be more annoying or insensitive, you wish you could tell them things get better. They don't need that though. They've learned how to coop. I couldn't get my hands off the book when I was halfway through, things got even more interesting.
The stories were compelling. The characters even more so. The ladies some of the maids worked for were ruthless, yet some had a lot of compassion. How Skeeter fought for what she believed in, how she found herself in the process being freed from the worries of what might people think. The book took me to a whole new place, I've never read about this before. You get to know only a glimpse of how racism is, how maids are treated back then, and it's heartbreaking to say the least. I was actually crying over the bad and the good things happening to them at the end. It's that good.
It teaches you that if you do something you believe in, you stop caring about the people who might be disappointed in you, and though you constantly doubt yourself, there's a sense of righteousness in you that makes it all worth while.
I recommend it to everyone who's looking for a perfect summer read that will teach you so much about life. Every reader needs to read The Help.
My rating: 10/10
Minny is a hot tempered maid who says exactly what is on her mind. Her skills ensure her her job, yet do not stop her from getting into trouble. However, she's blessed with a good soul which helps her through the hard times.
Miss Skeeter, a white young woman who's just finished college, is different. All her life she tries to please her mother, fit in with people she doesn't see eye-to-eye with. Once she tries to break free from all the rules she's supposed to live by, she starts truly living for something bigger than herself.
Personal Opinion: I loved it. I didn't know what it was about when I picked it up, so with no expectations whatsoever I found myself thrilled with the book. The author is so brilliant with telling the story, knowing just when to switch from one narrator to another. Just when you're absolutely hooked. You find yourself even more so with every chapter. It gets so deep, you hear stories you never even imaged. You feel their anger, their disgust, their submission. You wish it was different for them, you wish you could slap that character who couldn't be more annoying or insensitive, you wish you could tell them things get better. They don't need that though. They've learned how to coop. I couldn't get my hands off the book when I was halfway through, things got even more interesting.
The stories were compelling. The characters even more so. The ladies some of the maids worked for were ruthless, yet some had a lot of compassion. How Skeeter fought for what she believed in, how she found herself in the process being freed from the worries of what might people think. The book took me to a whole new place, I've never read about this before. You get to know only a glimpse of how racism is, how maids are treated back then, and it's heartbreaking to say the least. I was actually crying over the bad and the good things happening to them at the end. It's that good.
It teaches you that if you do something you believe in, you stop caring about the people who might be disappointed in you, and though you constantly doubt yourself, there's a sense of righteousness in you that makes it all worth while.
I recommend it to everyone who's looking for a perfect summer read that will teach you so much about life. Every reader needs to read The Help.
My rating: 10/10
Loved the lines where you described your impression on the characters. Makes it all the more interesting.
ReplyDeleteYou really should read it. It's so interesting and definitely worth-reading.
ReplyDeleteThe book is touching and disturbing, but there is also a modicum of hope. Is the relationship between black maids and white employers still the same in Jackson? I don't know. I suspect it is better but that racial prejudice is still close to the surface. I know it is wherever I've lived in this country.
ReplyDelete