The Help: Amazon.co.uk: Kathryn Stockett: Books

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Customer Reviews

32 Reviews

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(6)
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Average Customer Review

4.7 out of 5 stars (32 customer reviews)

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38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Brilliant, 28 Jun 2009

By	Ben Ripley (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When a book makes you occasionally laugh out loud, has your eyes brimming with tears or has you shouting at the pages through empathy and anger, you know the author has a very rare talent. 'The Help' is one such book. I have not enjoyed a tome so immensely since Michel Faber's 'The Crimson Petal and the White'.
The story is told through three wonderfully real female characters; Minny, Aibileen and Miss Skeeter. The location is Jackson, Mississippi and it's the early 1960s - a turbulent time as the civil rights movement thunders along to the chagrin of many bigoted fools. One visionary in the small town defies her heritage and vows to make a difference and with the aid of the local maids, begins a project which will create havoc for those with lofty positions and appalling attitudes. Within the pages of the book, we are privy to scenes of amazing warmth, great humour and delightful characters with whom you'd love to spend time. Kathryn Stockett has also created one of the most venomous villains since Cruella de Vil and at times I found myself cursing this woman as if I knew her personally.
Vital, engrossing and utterly compelling, 'The Help' is a book I'd urge anyone to read.

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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, Wonderful!, 11 Jun 2009

By	Ms. Gillian Mullen "Gillian" (UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Wow! As a child watching Gone with the Wind, I always wondered how 'mammy' really felt being a black woman in the deep south, I think this book tries to address this very question. The three main characters in this book are beautifully fleshed out & each very likeable, strong women. This is the civil rights movement from a womans perspective but intelligently told from every angle, rich & poor, black & white, privilaged & margionalised. This is also old fashioned story telling at its best, it is well paced & although it deals with a very serious subject, there is wonderful humour throughout. Roll on the next Kathryn Stockett novel, I'll be first in the que.

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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A different approach to a old subject, 18 Jul 2009

By	Bobby Smith (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Help (Paperback)

This is a brave book that views the American Civil Rights movement largely through the eyes of the people at its sharp end - the black maids who looked after white folks children. This gives the book an authentic period feel and draws the reader in so that they feel transported to the early 1960s - the period the book is set in. The author, however, Miss Stockett, also draws some impressive white characters - especially the poor, ill-educated Miss Celia - a character who could give the average Big Brother contestant a run for their money in the intellectual stakes!
The book is funny in places and certainly makes the reader feel empathy towards the poor, the put upon and the neglected. The only drawback is the language used - as the authentic '60s American style is not so easily read by a 2009 Englishman! Still, I praised the book for its authenticity so you can't have it both ways.
If you like this I also recommend other books about race and the struggle for freedom:One Love Two Colours: The Unlikely Marriage of a Punk Rocker and His African Queen by Margaret Oshindele - a book about a successful inter-racial marriage and Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany - the true story of a mixed race boy growing up in Nazi Germany. Both are extremely interesting reads that leave the reader thinking about their own prejudices and stereotypes.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling read
I recently told someone that I can't read books written in the present tense throughout, and I was over halfway through 'The Help' before it struck me that it was written in this... Read more

Published 1 day ago by R. Dipple

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding
What a wonderful book! Set in the town of Jackson, Mississippi in 1962, it tells the stories of Aibileen and Minny, two black maids working for white families, and Miss Skeeter... Read more

Published 2 days ago by Nicola

5.0 out of 5 stars 2The Help. Kathryn Stockett
This was chosen for our book group and proved to be an absorbing read. The characters were well-drawn; it was easy to empathise with the good ones and loathe the bad!

Published 5 days ago by M. E. Sandberg

5.0 out of 5 stars HELP!
Whilst holidaying in France this summer I turned on the radio while I was making some preserves. We could only get channel 4 and they were doing book reviews. Read more

Published 14 days ago by Mrs. A. Mauger

5.0 out of 5 stars A tale of light at the end of the tunnel.
This book is beautifully written. It draws you in from the very first page and when finished you are left thirsting after the characters, wanting to know more about where their... Read more

Published 27 days ago by Roz

5.0 out of 5 stars From the other side
This book already has enough positive reviews to make you want to read it. So I will just confirm all the positive things that have been written and encourage you to read this... Read more

Published 1 month ago by CJ Craig

5.0 out of 5 stars Sublime First Novel - This HAS To Be Filmed!
Set in Jackson, Mississippi in the 60's, "The Help" tells the story of the black maids who spend their lives working for white people and raising their children. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Scots Lass

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down,
I could not put this book down.When I read the last page, I so wanted it to continue. It's a fantastic book.

Published 1 month ago by Mrs. J. P. Neale

4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth a read!
I liked this book from the beginning. It's well written and the characters are brought to life by KS. Read more

Published 1 month ago by SwissSaz

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent read
I really enjoyed this book! Being from the South myself, I found the voices authentic and moving. Suspenseful to the last minute and an overall literary triumph.

Published 1 month ago by M. Fouere Jacques

› See all 32 customer reviews...

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