The Help

This past weekend I finished my most recent read, The Help. I have to admit, I thought this book would take me a month to finish. Typically, I’m the girl that picks up a book and if it’s too many pages…back on the shelf it goes. But, I’ve heard so many great things about this book and I received it from “santa” for Christmas, so I gave it a try. For those of you who haven’t read it, it takes place in the 1960’s at the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. It’s about the relationship between the southern whites and the black maids that work for them. The author gives the story from both sides of the divide. The first 200 pages took me a week to get through. The chapters are narrated by the characters, which really brought the characters to life. It was also a little frustrating at the beginning for me. As soon as I was getting into one character, the chapter would end and it left me wondering. But, the book wouldn’t have been what it is without that element of voice. The last 200 pages took me 2 days to finish. I really enjoyed reading this book. I felt connected with the characters, there was never a dull moment. It’s far from a light summer read but totally worth the time. I would definitely recommend it. I give this a 10 out of 10. I didn’t want to put the book down but I also didn’t want it to end. My favorite characters in the book were Minny and Skeeter. Both are two completely different women who weren’t afraid to be themselves, no matter what the risk. The strength of the women in this story is inspirational. Reading it evoked lots of emotion from sadness to anger to fear for the characters to humor and joy. I could go on and on about this book but I don’t want to give anything away. If you haven’t read this yet, go to the store/library and get it!

Next, I’m back to a light summer read with Tori Spelling’s sTori Telling.