The Help rings so true for the times and the people that it amazes me. The rich white girl didn't start out to be a crusader, she just wanted to write something that would get her a job, and she falls into the story that becomes so compelling that she can't stop. The amazing voices, though, are the maids. I loved that the stories included examples of goodness as well as the stupid and the mean. This book simply will not leave my head.

Just finished THE HELP and I too wanted it to go on. This is an astonishing work. Look forward to future writing of Kathryn Stockett. Also hope a movie is in the offing..Read another book in tandem , non fiction, that was a can't put it down read, SAME KIND OF DIFFERENT AS ME. Two that are about the south and will stay on your mind and on your heart for time to go.

Raised in the south in the 50's and 60's I could relate so well to this book. Mostly, I am embarassed by the way blacks were treated and the way southerners thought they were "helping" them. Ironically, they were called The Help. Do not hesistate to read this book!

Although I did find that the book took a little getting into, there was never a doubt that I would do so. I cared about the main characters from the beginning and by the middle of the book I was rivited to the story. Having been raised by a maid, although thankfully in New Jersey where things were not as described in the book, I could identify with Skeeter. When the woman who worked for our family died, I was devastated and have thought about her every day since. It was of particular interest to read stories from the maid's points of view, This book is not only about how things were back in the early 60's in the South. It's about courage, friendship and love. It's beautifully written. I recommend it highly.

The Help is engaging, written with skill and every word rings true. I loved it and have recommended it to so many people

"The Help" was a wonderful book. With me being from the south, it was very easy for me to understand the dialogue. I love Kathryn's style of writing. It truly depicts what the south was like during those times. This book will leave you not wanting to put it down. It is a book that shows character in people, both good and bad, and it is a well meaning story. I loved the different chapters written in different perspectives. I give this book a big thumbs up!

Strongly advise that you read this book via the audiobook. It is read by 4 good actors who handle the Southern dialect, both black and white with accuracy and personality. Take it from a Southerner!
Great book and I look forward to more from this author

I loved the characters in this book. I could not put it down and have recommended it to several of my friends. My family was not wealthy, but we did have an African American lady who came two days a week to iron and help clean. I loved her and considered her part of the family. This book reminded me of those days almost 60 years ago. It was interesting to read the book and think of what many African American maids must have suffered. A true classic!

This was such a good read, I have recommended this book to all my friends. You will find it hard to put done and afterwards will long to visit the characters.

Wow. This story pulled my in by the 4th page when Aibileen, a maid for a white family in Jackson, Mississippi, describes her employer's attitude toward her own child: "Ever so often, I come to work and find her (Mae Mobley) bawling in her crib, Miss Leefolt busy on the sewing machine rolling her eyes like it's a stray cat stuck in the screen door." Instantly I was transported to that 1960's living room watching the mother ignore her daughter and waiting for the maid to attend to the child. Aibileen is one of three narrators in this book about maids and their relationship (some good, others heart breaking) with their employers. Aibileen is good natured, calm, and patient. Minny, another narrator, is sassy and loud, but buckles under her husband's knuckles. The third narrator is Skeeter, the white college grad who decides to interview the maids and urge them to tell their stories for a potential book , becoming an outcast along the way. All three narrators are interesting and well developed. A few reviews I've read find too many characters one-dimensional, but I disagree-I think they're all compelling and different. The only aspect of the characterization I thought was lacking was Skeeter's relationship with Stuart, the senator's son. It seemed a little shallow, but it was worth reading the pages about the relationship to read the parts that included Stuart's father-he's a hoot.

I know some folks find the story a bit stereotypical-and who am I to judge having grown up in the north without a maid-but come on, what on earth did these women do all day? It's hard to conceive of having full time cleaning and child care when these women didn't work. Yes, they raised money through their Junior League functions, but they played a lot of bridge, went to a lot of luncheons, and spent a lot of time shopping and gossipping. Compared to my world where most of us work, raise kids, make dinner, grocery shop, volunteer, and maybe get a few hours of cleaning help every other week, it's hard to imagine that life. How does one feel fulfilled at the end of the day?

I absolutely loved diving into the lives of each narrator, and I marked several passages that I thought are so well written. Here's another passage narrated by Aibileen describing Mae Mobley and Miss Lefolt, Mae's mother: "She (Mae Mobley) rather be setting out here with the help than in there watching her mama look anywhere but at her. She like one a them baby chickens that get confused and follow the ducks around instead."

Any author that can write a first book in three convincing voices gets high marks by me. This is a great, fast, important read.

I read the review's on amazon and after reading the first chapter - I was hooked.
great book. wish i never read it so i could read it all over again.
would recommend it to everyone.

Just finished The Help moments ago (after starting it less than 48 hours ago). A tremendous book with a unique voice that gives insight into a time I have wondered so much about.

Great characters in this story. Such a page turner. Several stories with in the book all converging to the main story. I would highly recommend this to read. Love a book that you can visualize so well when reading it!!! Two thumbs up.

A MUST READ for anyone...man, woman & teens. I havn't been moved like this since "Kite Runner". Incredible!

I LOVE this book; it is my favorite read of the summer. I stopped at 'The Benefit' chapter last night because I wanted something to look forward to during my lunch hour :-). I wish I could have met Ms. Stockett yesterday (she visited a local bookseller here in Birmingham), but I had previous plans. I cannot believe this is her first novel; she is so talented. I attended college in Jackson, MS--it is so interesting to read about familiar locations, etc. even though I was there long after the '60's. I love how she develops each character; they are so vivid, emotional and even funny. I'm rooting for Ms. Skeeter and each maid, especially Minny... It's interesting that some people thought this was autobiographical (that Ms. Stockett is actually Skeeter; she indicates that this is not true); the thought never occurred to me. I actually wondered if she was raised by the primary maid in the story, Abileen... She stated in an interview with our local paper that Abileen's character is based on her family's maid :-).

I hope her mother reconsiders and reads "The Help" one day. (Ms. Stockett mentioned in the local interview that her mother refuses to read it; it hits too close to home.) I'll admit the material can certainly be painful in some instances, but this book is too good to miss. Sometimes we all have to face our past and learn from it...

For her first novel, this author did an amazing job. I love to read but it is rare that a book affects me like this. This was one of those books that I thought about all day at work and couldn't wait to get home to continue reading. It's been a long, long time since I've had a book like that.

I enjoyed the first person story telling of each chapter as it went from Minny to Abileen to Skeeter and back. I think this was the absolute best way to write this book. It was brilliant, frankly and I don't think the book would have flowed quite so well if it had been written from only one person's perspective.

This book brought out all sorts of emotions in me. I got angry, (Hilly...grrr!!), I was disgusted, I was happy, I felt respect and for some characters, deep respect, I laughed, (Minnie...oh, wonderful Minnie), I cried, I felt shame, I was scared, anxious, apprehensive...sigh. I've read a lot of books. Many books have made me emotional but I don't know any book that has made me feel these things consistently, throughout the book from the beginning all the way to the end.

This writer grabbed me right from the start and kept my interest to the very last word. Her characters were incredibly well developed and I cared for Skeeter, her mother, the Help and little Mae Mobely. I did not care for Hilly, Elizabeth and their ilk but this writer made me feel intensely about them. I really wanted to smack Hilly right in the mouth. Many times. I even started to care a little bit about that ditz, Miss Celia.

But mostly, I cared about the help. I adored Minnie. I love that woman! She may have had a thick wall of defense around her but inside she was soft. She tried not to care, many times but she did care. Not that she would admit it, maybe not even to herself. I loved how she would bite her tongue, bite her tongue, bite her tongue and STILL something would come out. I totally understand. It does get one in to trouble a lot but for some of us, the candor we cannot control, no matter how hard we try. And the pie? Oh how I laughed! Gutsy, strong willed, beautiful woman.

And Abileen, with her warm, giving heart. Her constant prayers. Her willingness to be the first to work with Skeeter on the book. All the praises she gave Minnie, she failed to realize, she should have given to herself because she was the one who stood up and said, "I'll do it" and convinced others to, as well.

Finally, Miss Skeeter: Young and naive. Eventually though, she stopped being a toy for Miss Holbrook and started thinking for herself. She started the writing for one reason but as she went along, learned a great deal about her life and the life of those around her. She grew stronger with each passing month even as she lost all of her friends and her boyfriend. While those who were "The Help" had much more to lose, Skeeter was also brave. As she grew, so did my respect for her.

This book is about brave women who stood up against those who said such nasty things as, "you can get many diseases" from a black person. Who had their tongues cut out for speaking out. Who were mistreated in so many ways. Who were not looked upon as humans but rather as disposable. They were scared but they did it anyway.

I tried to put myself in the shoes of those maids. Empathize with what it would be like to have someone view me that way in everything I did. I think we've all had a small, very small taste of what these women went through on a daily and constant basis. There is no way for us to ever fully understand it though.

And this is where I found the deep respect for them. It actually affected me in my own life. I found myself standing up for myself more at work. I also found myself brushing off things that I used to think were a big deal but now realize, I've had it really easy all this time.

I just can't say enough about this book or this author. I am truly impressed with the author and I found her "In Her Own Words", at the back of the book to be equally interesting.

It takes books as well written as this to get me to write a review. I want to sing this book's praises from the mountaintops. I don't typically do reviews because I feel I'm not very good at them but mostly because I'm just not moved enough to actually write something other than, "it was good" or "it was not good". I tend to stick to reviewing that which I truly enjoyed but even then it's going to be rare that I give 5 stars.

I give this book 5 stars. I would give it more if that option were available. And I will definitely buy books from this author again just as soon as they start getting published.

The only downside to this: After reading something so engaging, so wonderfully written, feeling all the emotions I felt, really caring about the characters, it's going to be a tough act to follow. The next book I read is going to have to be good in its own right or it won't stand a chance.

Quite simply, the best. An enormous pleasure getting to know these people. A great help in understanding the complex issues of class, race, courage and love whether you lived through these tumultuous times, simply seek to understand more about them or are just looking for a great book. Sheer pleasure, even or maybe even especially when the stark truths made me feel uncomfortable. As I neared the end, I read slower and slower, dreading the day there was no more to read about the people I had come to know. I cannot wait for more from this gifted writer!

As an avid reader, I come across a lot of books that are entertaining, humorous, and heartwarming, but not necessarily life-changing. I started reading "The Help" as a free sample on my Kindle but was soon so engrossed in the lives of Skeeter, Aibilene, and Minny that I bought the book. The past two days have been spent sneaking time so I could finish reading the book (finishing it rated higher on my priority list than eating... and that's saying a lot for me). Now that I've finished, I want to read it again. I don't want the story to end... I don't want the effect of the book to wear off. The storyline is beautifully interwoven among the lives of the three women, and the author manages to take a story placed in Mississippi in the early 1960s and make it relevant to modern readers across the world. She captures the truth of being a woman and of the relationships women have with each other--whether it be as friends, enemies, mothers, daughters, caregivers, or somewhere in between. The book makes me want to do more, be more, and I can only hope I can accomplish a small piece of what the characters have inspired me to dream. Thank you, Ms. Stockett, for writing this book.

This is one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a while. So well done!

I throw my hat in with those that found The Help a dreadful read. The use of dialect was absolutely horrid, the stereotyped characters predictable, the plot hardly believable. Has Ms. Stockett ever taken a basic creative writing class? NYTBS - but this is not literary fiction.

I am most grieved that such an painful time in the history of the South was explored with so little depth. The women and men of that era - of both races- deserve more.

I hardly ever buy a book, I depend on the library, but this was a book that my library didn't have. This is the best book I ever paid for. It was worth it, I read the book, then gave it to my sister to read, and then donated it to my library. One of the best books I have ever read.....

I thoroughly enjoyed this story about life in the South in the 1960s. The characters came to life and I didnt want to close my Kindle each night! The book gave a fresh perspective helping me to better appreciate the experiences of Blacks. I didnt want it to end!

This can't be considered GREAT literature.....it was well written, with a compelling storyline, but it went on for far too long, belaboring the point to exhaustion. I hit the next page button twice each time just to get through it!

I did like "The Help". I wanted to see what life was like in 1962, from the viewpoints of folks my age (Skeeter, who didn't get married and start having babies after graduating from college!) and the folks who truly supported them in their lives. I was fascinated by how the "help" lived and thought about all that was going on at that time. Coming from the Northeast and marrying a Nashvillian who really did grow up with help in the house on a daily basis, I was always aware, on visits to Nashville, that there was a whole other population who had lives and dreams and more difficulties in bringing them to fruition. For a good comparision, read "The Space Between Us" by Thrity Umigar, about the same subject but with truly devastating consequences - much better written, too.

This is one of the best book I have read in years. I was torn in wanting to finish it and never wanting it to end. I cant wait for more from this author.

I grew up in the South so witnessed many of the situations described in this book firsthand. I literally held my breath in concern for the characters and what might happen to them if their activities were discovered. The story and characters in The Help were well developed, believable and I enjoyed the author's use of writing in dialect for the different characters.

This is a wonderful book about race relations between the colored "Help" and the white women who hire them in the deep south (Mississippi in this case), written by a woman with first-hand knowledge of what is like to be raised by "The Help". It is heartbreaking, it has the bad buys, the good guys, and makes you want to cheer when the good guy make a point, and it keeps you reading up until the wee hours of the night. I'm sure I am not reviewing it as it deserves to be reviewed, I just can't find the words, but you won't be sorry you read it, and this one's getting passed along to my daughter and friends. What a wonderful book for a debut novel. I can't wait to see what she writes next.

This is an excellent diversion and a stimulating look into black culture of the 50's and the black maid's perspective on their white southern bosses. Best of all, the dialect is musical and authentic, making this a great book to read out loud to someone! Excellent story, completely engaging prose and a thorough relief from mystery and crime novels if you are looking for a break!

This is one of the best books I've read in awhile. It kept me hooked from start to finish. It is laugh-out-loud funny in parts, and heart wrenching in others. Read it, you won't regret it!

This book is a wonderful book! I loved the characters and felt as if I knew them. I could not wait to get back to it whenever I had to put it down. It fell onto my chest many nights giving me a jolt. I didn't want to stop reading. I look forward to the next book from Ms Stockett!

I just finished reading this book and I'm sad to see it end! This book is beautifully written and has deep, wonderful characters that feel like real life. Everyone should read this book!

As with any really good book, i hated to see this end - it's like giving up the friendships you've had with these brave and wonderful women. This book transported me back the early 60's. It's good to be reminded of how far we've come in just - yes just- 45 years!-- that after these shameful years, we can now be so very proud that a great man was elected president... and that he just happened to be black.

This is a good book for lite reading. Don't eat chocolate pie unless you made it yourself! I know I never will look at a chocolate pie without thinking of this book.

I could see the whites of their eyes and feel the wetness of their sweat pads. Miss Kathryn sho nuff got them right. The other characters pale in comparison but, law, I kep on readin'. That Mississippi heat made me reach up and click on the ceiling fan...to add to my already installed 'cool blow'.


A well developed story....a familiar one too. I remember the lap, the soothing, the rocking... the Junior League. I miss them.

Bravo!

This is by far the best book that I have read this year.
Kathryn Stockett's characters are so real!
I laughed and I cried. I could not put it down.
Thank you for such compelling story!

wonderful book, bound to be an 'oprah' movie in the same vain as "Secret life of Bees". please read, wisdom for all.

This is one of those books that will stay in your thoughts long after you've read it. I savored it and feel so disappointed I finished it. Didn't want it to end, but also couldn't put it down. I just loved it and truly hope Ms. Stockett is working on a sequel.

This book was very hyped, but for me fell a bit flat. It is definitely a great beach read. Not too much to think about, but an easy story to read. It's the kind of book that will become a made for tv movie.

A young white women wants to write a book telling what life is like for black maids to work for white families--from the maids point of view. She gets the maids to secretly tell her their stories. This at a time when a black man gets beaten almost to death with a crowbar for mistakenly using the white bathroom and people are getting hung for less--if the book gets published, how will they keep people from knowing they talked . . . Very moving book, great writing, great characters. I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

Well written about the relationship between many women in Jackson, Miss. in the early 60s.

It's a great relief to see the lower-end reviews here. I thought I had finally lost my mind watching the lionizing of such a sophomoric piece of literature! Granted, I only went as far as the sample portion on my kindle, but, thank God for kindle's sample portion. The forced voice of the piece was insulting on so many levels and kept me from really hearing what the person was trying to say. So glad I didn't go ahead and blindly follow the rest. Oh, I'm sure Oprah will jump all over this thing, but then I'm kinda over her, too.

Sorry to sound so bitter, but to see a book like this mentioned in the same universe with Harper Lee really frightens me.

With so many great reviews already posted on this book, it is hard to come up with something original to say about it. For me, I enjoy historical fiction or fiction that takes place outiside my own culture and I found a little of both here. Stockett wove an entertaining tale around a sensitive topic. I laughed in places, cried in others and walked away with what I hope was a little more insight and understanding of life in MS during the civil rights movement. It wasn't heavy, it wasn't difficult, I would classify this from everything to a simple beach read to a thought provoking tale. I enjoyed it and have recommended it over and over again.

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. It was very well written for a first time author and I look forward to reading future books by Kathryn Stockett. I'd love to see a future book on Aibileen--what a great character. This was the first book I downloaded onto my Kindle! Love my Kindle and loved the book!

I'm just going to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th everything positive that people have said about this book. I laughed, I cried, I couldn't put it down, even when my eyes wouldn't stay open. Buy this book, you won't be disappointed!

The hype surrounding this book is so totally wrong! I finished this story wondering what happened to the characters? I mean she writes what happens to them, however, your left with a feeling of dissappointment as to what "really" happened. She could have done so much with the ending of this book-I loved it until that point. She introduces peopple throughout this book such as Stuart, Skeeter's love interest and it makes you wonder why did she ever even put him in the story? What was his purpose? It definately does not have a happy ever after. And what happened to Celia Foote? I kept waiting for this character to realize she was better than Hilly Holbrook, but at the end there really is no mention of her. And Abileen gets fired-I thought this bopok was supposed to prove something? So I am left with?? Will there be a sequel?

This novel is deeply moving as well as consciousness- and conscience-raising. I am still thinking about some of the issues of racial tension, class and privilege vs disadvantaged persons, and our human fallibility to blinding ourselves to most of these problems and the terrible pain that blindness exacts which this book mines, months after reading it. And I am giving it to friends. While set in a well-realized South of an earlier time in the civil rights movement, it is, sadly, very far from dated. But don't think of this as a sermon, it lives and breathes, cries and exults. Read it. You won't be sorry.

Kathryn Stockett hits a home run with her very first novel THE HELP. This novel is a success on so many different levels and in no way shows signs of a first novel. Ms. Stockett writes with an authoritativeness, honesty and literary ease that equals a writer of the highest caliber who has been writing for years.

THE HELP serves as both a historical time piece novel as well as a deep character study. The novel takes place in Jackson Mississippi in the early 1960s when life was lived with black women steadily employed taking care of white households. We are introduced to a white woman Skeeter who is different than the others and sees the black women as real people and gets very angry at how they are treated. She enlists the help of two black maids Aibileen and Minny who tell her their stories and together they interview over a dozen maids and publish a novel called HELP written by ANONYMOUS which is a compilation of the true stories of maids and how they are treated by their white employers.

These three women are very real and three dimensional. The history of the day is dramatically told through the eyes and lives of these women. All the characters in the book come to vivid life and none are caricatures. Some of the book is difficult to read due to the actions inflicted upon these maids. At the same time we see how some bond gloriously with their employers. This book is a very important piece of work. As a period piece it fully illustrates how life was in Mississippi in the early 60s. One will be very saddened to realize that that really was not that long ago. And the heart of the novel comes to life through the stories of the three lead women - Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny.

This is a book that you will read compulsively as you follow the journeys of these characters. The novel will be very difficult to put down yet this is one I recommend that you savour. The reader should take each chapter and give it thought. There is so much in this important novel that it should be savoured slowly to make sure you get its full impact. In todays age when many popular books are merely pop fiction it is a great gift to find a true literary piece of work. Kathryn Stockett knows how to tell a story and most importantly knows how to put pen to paper and create literary magic. The people and the times will come to life for you in literary glory. This book will change you and give you much to think about. After you read it, share it with another. This book is meant to be discussed over and over. It has a very important theme and message.

I highly recommend this novel and greatly anticipate seeing what Kathryn Stockett will come up with next.

Really enjoyed this book. Wish I could share my Kindle version with my friends.

Normally this would not be a book I would be attracted to. If a movie I would, from the description, consider it a chick flic. Well paint my toenails, I loved it. It was so real I felt I was in the homes with the 'Help'. OK maybe I was naive, being a transplated Yankee, but I guess I never considered, let alone understood the dynamics, of post slavery 'employment'. The tragedy is the help were superior to the employers, by far. Truly informative but most of all enjoyable reading, it was almost a textbook of the struggle of civil justice. Please read this book, it is eye opening and sooo real. The book puts you in the homes and situations of these very real people and you are an invisible voyeur, guilty you are there, yet too into it to turn away.

love and hated. loved it because it was an excellent read. hated it because i was up late many a night...unable to put it down.