After watching The Help when it came out in theatres, I knew this was one book that I just had to read as soon as possible. And while many months went by before I picked it up from Chapters, I did read it in the end. The movie had me crying, laughing and reflecting, so I knew that the book would only intensify those feelings and reactions. And boy, was I underestimating its power. It took me all of 8 days to read it (granted, I had been working during those days; if I had my way, I’d have read it all in a day or two) and even so, 8 days truly wasn’t long enough for me to indulge myself further into the novel. Kathryn Stockett is absolutely amazing in my opinion. She has this undeniable gift of creating characters, creating settings, that are parallel to our own lives and experiences, and yet are set apart from us too. The black maids undergo such trials that it’s hard to believe life was actually like this in the 60s. Stockett spoke with such rawness, such honesty, that it was impossible to tear myself away from her words. From the get-go, I was rooting for every single black maid in Mississippi and Miss Skeeter — and hated Hilly Hollbrook with a passion. I wanted to slap Elizabeth Leefolt for her naivety and stupidity. And I wanted to embrace Celia Foote in the tightest hug, patting her on the back. Each character was so strong in his or her own way, whether they were right or not. The dialogue was flawless and the plot was seamless. There is a reason why this is a national bestseller — The Help can touch even the most skeptical person out there. To view more of my book reviews, visit: http://booksteame.com/

I was hesitant to read this at first, but I saw the movie and thought I'd give it a shot. I'm glad I did! It was excellent! Funny and moving.

the book is very touching and inspired me a lot. The book is very easy to understand and its suitable for all ages........... I recommend this book because the auother used very good words and desicrible the story very well.

imagine writing a book about a bunch of black women, who work as maids, who get paid ( badly ) to clean the houses of white people, in the early 1960's, in the American south. Not only were the women poorly paid, they were also poorly treated. In one case one of the maids tells a story, about how one employer made her eat her meals outside, even in the winter. The book gets good when the main character Skeeter decided to write a book about what it is like to work as a maid. And she has to interview all the maids. Then the story gets interesting, real interesting after the book is published. I must say, I did not think much of the ending. None the less, It is still a very good book, and very worth reading.

I'm always a little nervous to read a book with a lot of hype, but this for the most part lives up to the hype. This is a heart warming story and will keep you reading. I would have given it 5 stars if it had a higher level of writing - it's written in a very easy beach-read style.

This book was great couldn't put it down. Some parts made me cry and others had me laugh. Great read!

I have recently finished reading this book. I have to say that I could not put it down. The Help is a book about the lives of three women and what it is like for them living in Jackson, Mississippi. One of the women, named Skeeter, wants to be a writer and the other two are Mini and Aibileen, who are maids. In order for Skeeter to get a job she must write about something no one else has, and it has to be something she really cares about. Skeeter ends up writing a book about the points of view of 12 maids, and what it is like for them working for white people. The book is set back in 1962, when colored and white people where viewed as unequal. This book made me cry and made me laugh. I would recommend this book to read. That is, if you haven't watched the movie, because to me the movie does not do the book justice.

I was nervous when I started to read this book. I had bought it (like many others) based on the hype I was hearing. The Help, however, was worth the hype. The Help illustrates what it was like to be a black maid during the civil rights movement of the 1960’s in Mississippi. Stockett portrays the hate, abuse, and mistrust so well that, as a reader, I was mortified that any human could treat another in that way. In the same sense, though, there was love and dependence in some of the houses—Aibileen took care of Mae Mobley, who loves Aibileen. This love, however, has an end point, as Mae Mobley will soon learn that the maids are different and are the help, not family. Stockett writes amazing characters—unlike other books where the characters all seem like they’re really the same character (*cough*The Slap*cough*), each character had their own voices and were crafted so well. As a reader, you leave loving Aibileen, Skeeter (Eugenia), and Minny, and absolutely hating Hilly. The book is so full of emotions that, as a reader, you can’t help but feel them. If you’re like me, you ended up feeling so much towards these maids who were (for the most part) treated like garbage. The fact that Skeeter would want to write the story of how these maid’s are treated (not just the bad stuff, but all the good, too) is amazing. I hope that there were some people who didn’t treat people of colour like they’re lepers. The fact that the latter still exists in this world is unbelievable and sad (and probably not a rant for a book review). The Help is funny, heart-wrenching, and warm. It is also an eye-opener to what still goes on in some parts of the world. Definitely worth a read.

I couldnt get enough of this book. intriguing from beginning to end.

Books are always better than movies. But I did not expect just how much feeling Katherine Stockett put in those pages. A story of grace, courage and hope. Read everyone.