karen's Reviews > The Help
The Help
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![45618](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1596291582p2/45618.jpg)
enthusiasm!!!
this book and i almost never met. and that would have been tragic. the fault is mostly mine - i mean, the book made no secret of its existence - a billion weeks on the best seller list, every third customer asking for it at work, displays and reviews and people on here praising it to the heavens. it practically spread its legs for me, but i just kept walking. i figured it was something for the ladies, like sex and the city, which i don't have to have ever seen an episode of to know that it's not something i would enjoy. i figured that this book was on the ladder one rung above chick lit. so i am to blame for my snobbish dismissiveness, but have you seen this cover?? what is with that sickroom color scheme? and i hate those stupid little birds. what is chip kidd so busy doing that he can't just pop over here and lend a hand?? it is not my fault for thinking it was a crappy book when that cover wanted me to think it is a crappy book.
but this book is good. really, really good. again, i thank you, readers' advisory class, for fixing me up with this book. it has been a long time since i have read such a frankly entertaining book. (if a book about the emotionally-charged early days of the civil rights movement can be called entertaining.) this is just an effortlessly told story, split between three different women, whose voices and perspectives never run together - the secondary characters are also completely believable and are all different brands of repellent, with some token sympathetic characters tossed in for the halibut. i don't even know what to say, i just feel all "aw, shucks, i loved this book" about it - there were several times i would catch myself grinning at a turn of phrase or a situation, and every time i would start to doubt myself, that maybe i would like sex and the city. or buffy the vampire slayer or all these things i have formerly judged without having read/seen/eaten. maybe i am like these white women in the book, taking their help for granted and assuming they have nothing to say to each other because of their unwillingness to talk to them and know them as human beings. maybe buffy and i have so much to learn from one another...
then i would snap out of it and remember that my gut opinions are 99.99% foolproof.
so for you other people, who need to be swayed by hype - i give you hype. this book's hype is merited - it would be a perfect book to read this summer when you are melting from the sun and need a good story.. this is a very tender and loving book, about hope and sisterhood and opportunity, but also about beatings and terror and shame.
still hate those birds, though.
come to my blog!
this book and i almost never met. and that would have been tragic. the fault is mostly mine - i mean, the book made no secret of its existence - a billion weeks on the best seller list, every third customer asking for it at work, displays and reviews and people on here praising it to the heavens. it practically spread its legs for me, but i just kept walking. i figured it was something for the ladies, like sex and the city, which i don't have to have ever seen an episode of to know that it's not something i would enjoy. i figured that this book was on the ladder one rung above chick lit. so i am to blame for my snobbish dismissiveness, but have you seen this cover?? what is with that sickroom color scheme? and i hate those stupid little birds. what is chip kidd so busy doing that he can't just pop over here and lend a hand?? it is not my fault for thinking it was a crappy book when that cover wanted me to think it is a crappy book.
but this book is good. really, really good. again, i thank you, readers' advisory class, for fixing me up with this book. it has been a long time since i have read such a frankly entertaining book. (if a book about the emotionally-charged early days of the civil rights movement can be called entertaining.) this is just an effortlessly told story, split between three different women, whose voices and perspectives never run together - the secondary characters are also completely believable and are all different brands of repellent, with some token sympathetic characters tossed in for the halibut. i don't even know what to say, i just feel all "aw, shucks, i loved this book" about it - there were several times i would catch myself grinning at a turn of phrase or a situation, and every time i would start to doubt myself, that maybe i would like sex and the city. or buffy the vampire slayer or all these things i have formerly judged without having read/seen/eaten. maybe i am like these white women in the book, taking their help for granted and assuming they have nothing to say to each other because of their unwillingness to talk to them and know them as human beings. maybe buffy and i have so much to learn from one another...
then i would snap out of it and remember that my gut opinions are 99.99% foolproof.
so for you other people, who need to be swayed by hype - i give you hype. this book's hype is merited - it would be a perfect book to read this summer when you are melting from the sun and need a good story.. this is a very tender and loving book, about hope and sisterhood and opportunity, but also about beatings and terror and shame.
still hate those birds, though.
![](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1528725630i/25720315.png)
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Reading Progress
April 8, 2010
–
Started Reading
April 8, 2010
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Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 86 (86 new)
message 1:
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[deleted user]
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Apr 13, 2010 09:12AM
i've ignored everyone, from coworkers to my grandma to the ny times bestseller list, who has tried to convince me to read this... but have been secretly waiting these past few days to hear what you thought. and i just added it to my to-read shelf. so thanks. i think.
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![karen](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1596291582p1/45618.jpg)
but i know what you mean - everyone told me how good it was, and i just sniffed. a solid 4 and a half stars, but i rounded up because of how impressed i was that i could actually be wrong in my gut.
![David](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1472052100p1/3073544.jpg)
I am shallow.
Now... if you'll excuse me, I have to go aesthetically purge. Sort of the graphic design equivalent of bulimia. This piece of shit is being ejected.
your review particularly swayed me because you addressed every reason why i have been avoiding it.
![Marissa](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1244680112p1/1287131.jpg)
![Courtney](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1287949334p1/1239892.jpg)
![Sarah](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1703783901p1/193255.jpg)
![karen](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1596291582p1/45618.jpg)
![Trish](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1252295186p1/1826682.jpg)
![Jen](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1451874923p1/1719442.jpg)
![Jen](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1451874923p1/1719442.jpg)
![Jen](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1451874923p1/1719442.jpg)
![karen](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1596291582p1/45618.jpg)
![Eh?Eh!](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1370013095p1/137273.jpg)
![Greg](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1368721201p1/42508.jpg)
![Jen](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1451874923p1/1719442.jpg)
I hate topaz. I love November. Autumn is nice.
The nicest thing to do with topaz is an Ezra Pound poem someone gave me once (a secret admirer-gotta love those). Anyway, he decided to let me know about how he felt by giving me a poem about a girl with the topaz eyes, or something like that.
![Jen](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1451874923p1/1719442.jpg)
http://www.poetry-archive.com/p/medal...
But I'm not as sure about how he felt anymore-this poem is a little, well, it's Pound.
![Greg](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1368721201p1/42508.jpg)
I'm glad I could help you remember when your birthday is too!!
![Jen](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1451874923p1/1719442.jpg)
I'm glad I could help you remember when your birthday is too!!"
Now every November 16th I'm going to want to eat shit and die- or something like that.
![Jen](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1451874923p1/1719442.jpg)
His name was Patrick. He was a very, very quiet tall guy in college. He had glasses and dark hair. And that is all I remember about Patrick. Except that he waited until the last day before I left to move the summer before my college to give me the poem. And even then shy Patrick made me promise to open it in the car driving away. It could have been a movie. Except I didn't yell to stop the car and run out with electric passion. I just thought, aw, well, that's nice. And then we drove away.
![Jen](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1451874923p1/1719442.jpg)
![Jen](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1451874923p1/1719442.jpg)
![Dave Russell](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1256777558p1/26185.jpg)
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-hid-...
Not very subtle, is it?
![karen](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1596291582p1/45618.jpg)
now that is subtle, people...
![Jen](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1451874923p1/1719442.jpg)
![Jen](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1451874923p1/1719442.jpg)
![Sarah](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1703783901p1/193255.jpg)
![Jasmine](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1616125477p1/1122151.jpg)
now that is subtle, people..."
I have trouble imagining this.
![Gwen Haaland](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1225679457p1/1679084.jpg)
It was assigned reading for two of my book clubs and quickly became one of my favorite books ever read for a book discussion group. Can't wait to discuss it at the upcoming local meetings.
I am happy to hear that this one was a winner for you as well.
For all of you hold outs, do your self a favor and read The Help.
5 stars all the way.
![Scott Sheaffer](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1266439832p1/3203625.jpg)
Karen's review also motivated me to take this one off the shelf. I'm about 1/3 of the way thru. So far I've learned 1) don’t judge a book by its cover 2) there are still some civil rights era stories that are untold. This one is especially creatively told.