marshmallowbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I feel like this is a break-through book about a break-through event, albeit fictional. I have to admit I saw the movie first, although I prefer to read the book before seeing the movie. But I still enjoyed the book, and was even more eager to read it after having seen the movie.
This book is about people taking action to correct things that are not right; specifically in this novel, the treatment, or maltreatment, of the colored help in Jackson, Mississippi, circa 1962 - smack-dab in the civil right movement, Martin Luther King, Jr., etc. It is not about people making trouble, but of identifying the existing trouble for exactly what it is and doing what they can to bring about change. It is about trying with all your might to delay the time when a child acquires the judgments, divisions, and the idea of superiority and inferiority that may be forced upon her by her elders. It is about find overwhelming similarities instead of dwelling on insignificant differences. Ultimately, it is about defining yourself and risking everything to stand up for something, even if that means you may no longer have your friends, your family, or society standing next to you.
And finding out that in doing so, you are left with truer friends, a stronger resolve, and a confidence and capability that could not be cultivated otherwise.
This book is about people taking action to correct things that are not right; specifically in this novel, the treatment, or maltreatment, of the colored help in Jackson, Mississippi, circa 1962 - smack-dab in the civil right movement, Martin Luther King, Jr., etc. It is not about people making trouble, but of identifying the existing trouble for exactly what it is and doing what they can to bring about change. It is about trying with all your might to delay the time when a child acquires the judgments, divisions, and the idea of superiority and inferiority that may be forced upon her by her elders. It is about find overwhelming similarities instead of dwelling on insignificant differences. Ultimately, it is about defining yourself and risking everything to stand up for something, even if that means you may no longer have your friends, your family, or society standing next to you.
And finding out that in doing so, you are left with truer friends, a stronger resolve, and a confidence and capability that could not be cultivated otherwise.
franzidw's review against another edition
4.0
Historical fiction is the best genre. Try to change my mind. I’m torn between 4 and 4,5 stars. This book was so good to read, the story is captivating and easy to follow.
What I liked less, is that often, one event is adressed, and then the pov changes and when it switches back, said event is just being ignored. I though this was a pity in some cases.
Now I‘ve read and heard many critics about this book, and I totally get why. The main story line could be interpreted as white-saviourism, and the fact that there are two pov‘s from black women, while the book is written by a white woman bothered me too. However, in my opinion, white-saviourism goes a bit further than this book goes. (I hope that makes sense, I can‘t really explain it w/o spoiling stuff)
Additionally, Kathryn Stockett has a disclaimer at the end of the book where she explains that she is aware she cannot depict the circumstances of black (and white) women with a 100% accuracy. She wrote this book as an ode to the Help of her grandparents.
So I can see why people would criticise the book, and I totally support that. Nevertheless, it is incredibly well written and I loved reading it.
What I liked less, is that often, one event is adressed, and then the pov changes and when it switches back, said event is just being ignored. I though this was a pity in some cases.
Now I‘ve read and heard many critics about this book, and I totally get why. The main story line could be interpreted as white-saviourism, and the fact that there are two pov‘s from black women, while the book is written by a white woman bothered me too. However, in my opinion, white-saviourism goes a bit further than this book goes. (I hope that makes sense, I can‘t really explain it w/o spoiling stuff)
Additionally, Kathryn Stockett has a disclaimer at the end of the book where she explains that she is aware she cannot depict the circumstances of black (and white) women with a 100% accuracy. She wrote this book as an ode to the Help of her grandparents.
So I can see why people would criticise the book, and I totally support that. Nevertheless, it is incredibly well written and I loved reading it.
flufficorn's review against another edition
3.0
When I was about half-way done with this book, I was thinking that it really is a milk toast version of Race Relations 101. Very, very simple, easy to swallow pill of institutionalized racism. I was also mildly offended to think that a white woman had the audacity to think she could speak as a black woman and try and do justice to what I would consider a black narrative. From there, it was easy for me to compare The Help to every other book that I have read that is a legitimate black narrative as written by a black author and notice how the book absolutely does not measure up to those standards.
As I continued the book, though, I realized I was being a little unfair. Now that I have finished the book, my opinion has changed. I realize now that this book just isn't a black narrative, and that's fine. It is a story being told from a very delicate perspective: one of a white woman familiar with the type of relationships the book espouses. With that in my mind, I could see how important a book like this could be.
To a large degree, this book is about race relations in the South. But in my mind, the story is more about women and the lives that they live, together, but playing by a different set of rules as dictated by the society they live in. In the end, the story just seems very human to me. It is also a very good story, and a story I liked very much. Once I could embrace the idea of the narrative and driving force behind it, I could embrace the characters as they were written. Doing so enabled me to appreciate the characters, and the (relative) depth with which they were written. The author is not a black woman, but she is a woman, and she is a human. Focusing more on these characteristics makes the story better.
I also had a realization about the power of this book. The author very much used her privilege as a white person to shed light on the relationships society had (has?) with the black people in their lives. The book does make it easy for someone who has never thought about racism and micro-aggressions to better understand these things. Sure it's not A Raisin in The Sun. It's not an Alice Walker or Maya Angelou novel. But it's a start into expanding the minds and beliefs of a large set of our society that do not pay attention to the lines they cross. I can appreciate the good work that the author is attempting to achieve. Work that she perhaps did achieve the year this book was released, as I remember it being a smash hit.
In the end, this book is about the lives and relationships that a set of women all share. There is love, loss, anger, hatred, and sadness. Don't go into this book thinking of it as a black narrative. Go into this book thinking it's a story about humans. Heck, we should go into the world thinking of other people as just people. That, to me, is what the author is trying to tell us. To quote the book: "We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought."
As I continued the book, though, I realized I was being a little unfair. Now that I have finished the book, my opinion has changed. I realize now that this book just isn't a black narrative, and that's fine. It is a story being told from a very delicate perspective: one of a white woman familiar with the type of relationships the book espouses. With that in my mind, I could see how important a book like this could be.
To a large degree, this book is about race relations in the South. But in my mind, the story is more about women and the lives that they live, together, but playing by a different set of rules as dictated by the society they live in. In the end, the story just seems very human to me. It is also a very good story, and a story I liked very much. Once I could embrace the idea of the narrative and driving force behind it, I could embrace the characters as they were written. Doing so enabled me to appreciate the characters, and the (relative) depth with which they were written. The author is not a black woman, but she is a woman, and she is a human. Focusing more on these characteristics makes the story better.
I also had a realization about the power of this book. The author very much used her privilege as a white person to shed light on the relationships society had (has?) with the black people in their lives. The book does make it easy for someone who has never thought about racism and micro-aggressions to better understand these things. Sure it's not A Raisin in The Sun. It's not an Alice Walker or Maya Angelou novel. But it's a start into expanding the minds and beliefs of a large set of our society that do not pay attention to the lines they cross. I can appreciate the good work that the author is attempting to achieve. Work that she perhaps did achieve the year this book was released, as I remember it being a smash hit.
In the end, this book is about the lives and relationships that a set of women all share. There is love, loss, anger, hatred, and sadness. Don't go into this book thinking of it as a black narrative. Go into this book thinking it's a story about humans. Heck, we should go into the world thinking of other people as just people. That, to me, is what the author is trying to tell us. To quote the book: "We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought."
koalathebear's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn't sure I was going to like this novel because it looked a little Worthy and didactic but once I started reading, Stockett's writing style is so light and engaging that despite only intending to read a chapter before bed, I ended up reading three and then finishing it the next day.
The novel is certainly a novel about and against racism and prejudice but the richness of the novel also stems from Stockett's evocative writing, from the voices of the women whose stories she is purporting to tell. Both Aibileen and Minny seemed very real to me, as did the very tragic and pitiful Miss Celia. Interestingly enough, the "main" voice - Skeeter is probably the least three dimensional of the characters even though I still liked her very much.
The book is set in 1962 Mississippi. A young woman named Skeeter has just returned home after graduating. Despite having a degree, this is worth little in her mother's eyes - her mother just wants her to get married. Skeeter's distressed to discover that her beloved maid Constantine who raised her and has always been more of a mother-figure than her own mother has disappeared. No one will tell her where she's gone.
Written in the first person, chapters in "The Help" are told from the perspective of the three main women - Aibileen and Minny, who are black maids in Jackson, Mississippi and Skeeter, the college-educated woman who is an aspiring writer.
Tall, gawky and not particularly pretty, Skeeter's the only one of her friendship group who is unmarried - her friends Hilly and Elizabeth both being married with children. Aibileen works for Elizabeth, one of Skeeter's friends and a particularly unmaternal mother. Minny worked for Mrs. Walters, Hilly's mother, until Hilly successfully moves her mother into a nursing home and fires Minny, telling everyone that Minny is a thief and warning them not to hire her. Hilly's the 'leader' of sorts of the group, being attractive, socially well-connected and very dominating.
Minny eventually finds employment with Celia, a very troubled and fragile young woman with many issues and problems.
When Skeeter initially attempts to get published, her list of suggested topics are somewhat bland and uninteresting. It's only when she takes it into her head to tell the stories of the black maids working in white homes does she get a nibble of interest. I loved reading about the world through the eyes of Aibilen and Minny and 'hearing' their voices. I was halfway through the book when curiosity made me Google the author to see if she was black or white. It didn't really matter - I was just curious.
Aibilen and Minny risk dismissal and much worse as they tell their stories to Skeeter. Around them, blacks are being beaten up for using white toilets, for getting ideas above their station - one is shot in the back. It's a terrifying and unjust world, even as Aibileen tells one of her charges a fanciful tale about Martian Luther King, a being who is discriminated against because his skin is green.
For me, I suppose Skeeter never really rings true because for a period of time she is 'socialising' with Aibileen and Minny as well as Hilly and Elizabeth. Elizabeth is weak and bland, Hilly sounds like a complete and utter psychopath with very few redeeming qualities. It may be true that Skeeter didn't have a lot of options for friends in that town but it's hard to feel much liking for someone who would choose to be friends with and socialise with the likes of Hilly in particular.
Furthermore, for me she didn't really start writing the book for noble reasons. It wasn't to smash racism or give a voice to women who were being silenced - she wanted to be published and this happened to be a hot topic. I don't doubt that she genuinely felt bad and did like the women - but I can't help thinking that she was using them in a way for her own personal gains and she had a possibility of escape elsewhere if things went bad but these women were trapped.
Nonetheless, it's a really good read. I particularly loved reading Minny's frustration as she is dealing with the helpless and very damaged Miss Celia. I liked how her initial disdain eventually transforms to pity and then affection.
The story of Constantine unfortunately happens in the wings most of the time so it was difficult to get a sense of the woman. I liked how Stockett did manage to bring humanity to Skeeter's parents - to her father and even to her mother to a certain extent, even though her mother in particular was imbued with the bigotted views of the time.
The novel is certainly a novel about and against racism and prejudice but the richness of the novel also stems from Stockett's evocative writing, from the voices of the women whose stories she is purporting to tell. Both Aibileen and Minny seemed very real to me, as did the very tragic and pitiful Miss Celia. Interestingly enough, the "main" voice - Skeeter is probably the least three dimensional of the characters even though I still liked her very much.
The book is set in 1962 Mississippi. A young woman named Skeeter has just returned home after graduating. Despite having a degree, this is worth little in her mother's eyes - her mother just wants her to get married. Skeeter's distressed to discover that her beloved maid Constantine who raised her and has always been more of a mother-figure than her own mother has disappeared. No one will tell her where she's gone.
Written in the first person, chapters in "The Help" are told from the perspective of the three main women - Aibileen and Minny, who are black maids in Jackson, Mississippi and Skeeter, the college-educated woman who is an aspiring writer.
Tall, gawky and not particularly pretty, Skeeter's the only one of her friendship group who is unmarried - her friends Hilly and Elizabeth both being married with children. Aibileen works for Elizabeth, one of Skeeter's friends and a particularly unmaternal mother. Minny worked for Mrs. Walters, Hilly's mother, until Hilly successfully moves her mother into a nursing home and fires Minny, telling everyone that Minny is a thief and warning them not to hire her. Hilly's the 'leader' of sorts of the group, being attractive, socially well-connected and very dominating.
Minny eventually finds employment with Celia, a very troubled and fragile young woman with many issues and problems.
When Skeeter initially attempts to get published, her list of suggested topics are somewhat bland and uninteresting. It's only when she takes it into her head to tell the stories of the black maids working in white homes does she get a nibble of interest. I loved reading about the world through the eyes of Aibilen and Minny and 'hearing' their voices. I was halfway through the book when curiosity made me Google the author to see if she was black or white. It didn't really matter - I was just curious.
Aibilen and Minny risk dismissal and much worse as they tell their stories to Skeeter. Around them, blacks are being beaten up for using white toilets, for getting ideas above their station - one is shot in the back. It's a terrifying and unjust world, even as Aibileen tells one of her charges a fanciful tale about Martian Luther King, a being who is discriminated against because his skin is green.
For me, I suppose Skeeter never really rings true because for a period of time she is 'socialising' with Aibileen and Minny as well as Hilly and Elizabeth. Elizabeth is weak and bland, Hilly sounds like a complete and utter psychopath with very few redeeming qualities. It may be true that Skeeter didn't have a lot of options for friends in that town but it's hard to feel much liking for someone who would choose to be friends with and socialise with the likes of Hilly in particular.
Furthermore, for me she didn't really start writing the book for noble reasons. It wasn't to smash racism or give a voice to women who were being silenced - she wanted to be published and this happened to be a hot topic. I don't doubt that she genuinely felt bad and did like the women - but I can't help thinking that she was using them in a way for her own personal gains and she had a possibility of escape elsewhere if things went bad but these women were trapped.
Nonetheless, it's a really good read. I particularly loved reading Minny's frustration as she is dealing with the helpless and very damaged Miss Celia. I liked how her initial disdain eventually transforms to pity and then affection.
The story of Constantine unfortunately happens in the wings most of the time so it was difficult to get a sense of the woman. I liked how Stockett did manage to bring humanity to Skeeter's parents - to her father and even to her mother to a certain extent, even though her mother in particular was imbued with the bigotted views of the time.
mayaperkins's review against another edition
5.0
I fell in love with the characters. I didn’t want it to end!!
klizeck12's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
oliviaalbion's review against another edition
5.0
Incredible book, well worth reading before watching the film. This book got me back into reading fiction again after a very long time.
appletonkelli's review against another edition
5.0
I was touched by this inside look at the relationship between white families and their black maids/housekeepers/nannies in the 1960's south.