The Help - Book Review
Book: The Help
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Genre: Historical fiction (adult)
My rating: ***** 5 stars
Page count: 444
I first picked up The Help in high school and once I read it, I loved it! I have also loved it each time I have reread it and love the movie as well. This is one of my favorite historical fictions. It's definitely a five star book for me!
Summary
The Help is an historical fiction set in 1960 Mississippi, during the Civil Rights movement. Mississippi was the worst state for blacks during that time and this book follows two black maids and a white young woman and their relationship together as they work on a project together. There is obviously a lot of history throughout the book, just because of the time it's written about and the characters we follow. There's also so much more, really focusing on the relationships between the women in the book and the things they go through in their lives.
Review
The book is one for older teens or adults, because of some of the issues discussed in the book. Kathryn Stockett does a great job with how she handles those issues, but there is child neglect, spousal abuse, death and violence of blacks, infertility and stillbirth issues, and little petty emotional things (like lying or back talking). They really help you feel or the characters and make the characters feel real.
The book follows three points of view. The first is Abilene, a black maid who is older and has taken care of lots of white women's babies, kids who she has adopted in her heart. This is especially true since her son was killed in an accident while at work. The second is Minnie, another maid and friend of Abilene. Minnie is known for her fantastic cooking and her mouth (she often says things to the white women she works for that gets her in trouble). The third point of view is Skeeter, a white woman just graduated from college, an aspiring writer who, throughout the book, wants to be a serious writer who writes about something important.
The characters in the book are so well done. I love the main characters, but there are also a lot of the side characters that I really came to love as well (or to hate, which is also great). The characters were so memorable and I always understood their motives, even when I disagreed with what they were doing. There were quite a few side characters that at first it seems as if we'll only see the surface of their character, but by the end, we get to go so deep and see under that surface level. The other thing about the characters is that their relationships felt so real, so complex, and so moving.
I did learn a lot about the civil rights movement and what it was like at that time (when I first read it in high school, I honestly didn't know a ton about that). The thing this book really helped me do, though, was better empathize with minorities. Because of where I grew up, I haven't ever been part of a minority, so I really appreciate books that help open my eyes to what it might be like to not be in the majority and some of the struggles they might face.
The writing style of the book is also brilliant. Kathryn Stockett does a great job of making the reader feel as if they are there in Mississippi, it's transporting. Even on rereads, I could hardly put the book down.
The movie
I also want to put in a plug for the movie. There are, of course, differences between the book and movie, but I really felt like the movie lived up to the book. One thing I thought they did a brilliant job of was picking actors. Since seeing the movie, I cannot read the book without seeing and hearing the actors as I read, because they were each so perfect for their part and did such a great job. The other thing I enjoyed about the movie was some of the changes they made with some of the endings. They were definitely Hollywood-ized, but I am a happy endings type of person, so I actually really enjoyed those small changes.
Who do I recommend this to?
Anyone who enjoys historical fiction should definitely give this a read, especially if they're interested the civil rights movement. I also would recommend this to anyone who enjoys contemporary books, because of how prevalent the relationships and lives of the women are.
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Genre: Historical fiction (adult)
My rating: ***** 5 stars
Page count: 444
I first picked up The Help in high school and once I read it, I loved it! I have also loved it each time I have reread it and love the movie as well. This is one of my favorite historical fictions. It's definitely a five star book for me!
Summary
The Help is an historical fiction set in 1960 Mississippi, during the Civil Rights movement. Mississippi was the worst state for blacks during that time and this book follows two black maids and a white young woman and their relationship together as they work on a project together. There is obviously a lot of history throughout the book, just because of the time it's written about and the characters we follow. There's also so much more, really focusing on the relationships between the women in the book and the things they go through in their lives.
Review
The book is one for older teens or adults, because of some of the issues discussed in the book. Kathryn Stockett does a great job with how she handles those issues, but there is child neglect, spousal abuse, death and violence of blacks, infertility and stillbirth issues, and little petty emotional things (like lying or back talking). They really help you feel or the characters and make the characters feel real.
The book follows three points of view. The first is Abilene, a black maid who is older and has taken care of lots of white women's babies, kids who she has adopted in her heart. This is especially true since her son was killed in an accident while at work. The second is Minnie, another maid and friend of Abilene. Minnie is known for her fantastic cooking and her mouth (she often says things to the white women she works for that gets her in trouble). The third point of view is Skeeter, a white woman just graduated from college, an aspiring writer who, throughout the book, wants to be a serious writer who writes about something important.
The characters in the book are so well done. I love the main characters, but there are also a lot of the side characters that I really came to love as well (or to hate, which is also great). The characters were so memorable and I always understood their motives, even when I disagreed with what they were doing. There were quite a few side characters that at first it seems as if we'll only see the surface of their character, but by the end, we get to go so deep and see under that surface level. The other thing about the characters is that their relationships felt so real, so complex, and so moving.
I did learn a lot about the civil rights movement and what it was like at that time (when I first read it in high school, I honestly didn't know a ton about that). The thing this book really helped me do, though, was better empathize with minorities. Because of where I grew up, I haven't ever been part of a minority, so I really appreciate books that help open my eyes to what it might be like to not be in the majority and some of the struggles they might face.
The writing style of the book is also brilliant. Kathryn Stockett does a great job of making the reader feel as if they are there in Mississippi, it's transporting. Even on rereads, I could hardly put the book down.
The movie
I also want to put in a plug for the movie. There are, of course, differences between the book and movie, but I really felt like the movie lived up to the book. One thing I thought they did a brilliant job of was picking actors. Since seeing the movie, I cannot read the book without seeing and hearing the actors as I read, because they were each so perfect for their part and did such a great job. The other thing I enjoyed about the movie was some of the changes they made with some of the endings. They were definitely Hollywood-ized, but I am a happy endings type of person, so I actually really enjoyed those small changes.
Who do I recommend this to?
Anyone who enjoys historical fiction should definitely give this a read, especially if they're interested the civil rights movement. I also would recommend this to anyone who enjoys contemporary books, because of how prevalent the relationships and lives of the women are.
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