Monday, August 9, 2010

The Help

I have recently finished a book called The Help by Kathryn Stockett and loved it, so here I am giving it a plug...



GO, GET IT AND READ AND LOVE IT!

I have found various reviews on the book (after I had read it), all of them speaking of the brilliance of this first-time author's work. However, some seem to think it is about a young white woman with strong and controversial ambitions in the early 60s, others say it's about a coloured, middle-aged lady working as a housekeeper and child-minder for a middle-class white family in a time when segregation was "the law" in North America.

Both are right. In actual fact, the story is about three main characters, all with different backgrounds and ambitions and the story beautifully connects and intertwines their paths.

I find it interesting that people extract different things about the story line to represent this book. That must mean that different people identify themselves with their own character of (deliberate or unintentional) choice and thus point out that the book is about that "chosen" character.

I nearly fell into the same trap with one of the side-line characters, Mae Mobley. This little girl's story I can relate to the most. A thing I live with, but [I am] tall and straight. [I am] proud. [I] got a better haircut. And [I am] remembering the words [I myself] put in [my] head... 

The book is more than about a bunch of characters that each offer different things to us. It's about a time in history that was very real but seems almost forgotten. It's about the people that lived in those times covering different angles and view points. And lastly, the book is about the book itself! But you will just have to read it yourselves to find all of that out...

I use fishpond.com.au here in Australia to get my books

for the hardcover use
http://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Fiction_Literature/Literary/9780399155345/?cf=3&rid=464868928&i=5&keywords=the+help

for the paper back
http://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Fiction_Literature/General/9780141039282/?cf=3&rid=464868928&i=1&keywords=the+help

Amazon. com of course has the book as well
http://www.amazon.com/Help-Kathryn-Stockett/dp/0399155341

3 comments:

  1. Mom says this sounds like a great book to her! We will be checking it out!

    Love ya lots
    Maggie and Mitch

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  2. I’ve just popped in to say I have given you an award, Its ok if you don’t want to except it, cus it might not be your kinder thing or you might already have it, and it comes with some conditions, the reason you have got it is you are one of my recently discovered blogs and think your blog is fantastic. I have put a link from my blog to your blog on the post”Awards from my furiends”. Pop over to me blog and see if you would like it. It’s the one with the butterfly on.
    See Yea George xxx

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks, Tiger. I will pick this up and blog soon!

    ReplyDelete