The Help

I miss Connie's Nook! I had a hard time lugging around this hardcover copy of The Help by Kathryn Stockett. And, it took me fooooreverrrr to read this cumbersome book.

The movie premiers on August 10, and I just finished reading last night. I hope the story comes to life for me on the big screen because it certainly put me to sleep every night in written form.

I like the premise of the story, although it did seem vaguely familiar—like I had heard of something with a strikingly similar plot recently. Trouble is, I lost interest in the characters who I felt were very stereotypical.

The author admits in her afterword, "I was scared that I was crossing a terrible line, writing in the voice of a black person." Rightly so, and I also think she was not particularly effective in capturing the nuances of the language. I found myself having to reread passages several times before I identified what the character was trying to say, even though I had no problem deciphering the African-American vernacular in Walter Mosley's book, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey.

Overall, I was mostly disappointed by this book that received many rave reviews and recommendations from friends.

UPDATE:

Loved the movie. Saw it with teacher friends Saturday night and thought it presented the perfect combination of humor and reverence for the subject matter. This is very unusual for me, but I believe I identified with the movie's point of view more than the book's.