Comments on: The Help

By: dianedoyenmiller

dianedoyenmiller — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 01:38:10 +0000

I share some of the same history as “Skeeter”: born in the South, same age, family employed a black maid during early years, college grad 1962, Chi Omega sorority, silver pattern-Grand Baroque. Although parts of the book were achingly familiar, I kept jumping ahead, wishing the story wasn’t so long, so wordy, and so “trite.” What was Ms. Sockett’s editor thinking? Naming the main character, “Skeeter” seemed to trivialize her – None of my girlfriends, nor any of my sorority sisters, had nicknames, not even double names ending with “Jo”, “Sue”, “Rae”, or “Fay.” An image of Sally Fields, playing someone named Bunny, continued to pop into my mind. I found it laughable that “Skeeter” thought that parking her car two doors down from Abileen’s house for a secret meeting wouldn’t attract attention. This was too Nancy Drew for me. Ms. Stockett was unable to convince me of Skeeter’s real intentions – her need to escape the tyranny of her white, racist mother, and her desire to become a “real” writer. What Stockett did well was to create a character with a hauntingly clear voice, Abileen. And, maybe even the character, Minny. As an editor, I would have suggested that they tell the entire story. Skeeter,the “helper”, would have a part about as important-sounding as her name.

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:13:50 +0000

I am loving reading the book. I just finished chapter 25 and wanted to know if there was a reason chapter 25 was lined in the margins

By: Mary Ellen

Mary Ellen — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:05:34 +0000

There’s a reading guide at http://kathrynstockett.com/reading-groups/

By: Marj

Marj — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:29:39 +0000

Are there questions available for discussion

By: Ana Naughton

Ana Naughton — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:37:33 +0000

I found The Help hard to read and slow though rewarding. It is written a lot in Southern patois and I had trouble as afast reader to
get through it. I liked the story and have taken the book out again to finish it.

By: janie

janie — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:55:27 +0000

This is a fabulous book. I listened to it on CD and found the characters, the dialog and the story absolutely mesmerizing. I was a child of the 60′s, not from the south, but I remember so much of the time. Don’t miss this one.