- Win DOUBLE VISION by F.T. Bradley (Ends 12/30)
Kathryn Stockett
Penguin
Audio Book
Be prepared to meet three unforgettable women:
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.
Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.
Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.
Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.
In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women-mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends-view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.
Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.
Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.
Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.
In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women-mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends-view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.
MY REVIEW:
Why did I wait so long to read this? Well, actually I listened to it in my car, and it blew me away. The story of Skeeter, a white 20 something woman in 1963 Jackson, Mississippi and two "colored" maids, Aibiline and Minnie, is touching, heart-breaking and hilariously funny all at the same time.
The story is told from each of the three women's points of view. In the audio version, each POV has its own narrator. They were stunning. Talented. Right on the money as far as voices and accents and personalities go. I was so drawn into this story I found myself looking for reasons to drive around town just so I could listen to it.
Almost everyone has heard about The Help by now, either by reading the book or watching the movie, so I won't bother telling you about the story. I will just say that this is one of the most remarkable stories I've ever read or listened to. I enjoyed it so much I went out and bought the book AND the movie just so I'd have them. I would gladly read it again and again.
The story is told from each of the three women's points of view. In the audio version, each POV has its own narrator. They were stunning. Talented. Right on the money as far as voices and accents and personalities go. I was so drawn into this story I found myself looking for reasons to drive around town just so I could listen to it.
Almost everyone has heard about The Help by now, either by reading the book or watching the movie, so I won't bother telling you about the story. I will just say that this is one of the most remarkable stories I've ever read or listened to. I enjoyed it so much I went out and bought the book AND the movie just so I'd have them. I would gladly read it again and again.
There are a handful of bad words, and one scene involving a naked man who handles himself. Other adult issues are discussed such as spousal abuse, racism, pre-marital sex (though no sex actually occurs within the story itself) and substance abuse. But I will say that these topics are handled with sensitivity.
All in all, The Help deserves a whopping 5 stars!
All in all, The Help deserves a whopping 5 stars!
CONTENT RATING:
Violence: Moderate
Profanity: Moderate
Sex: Moderate
It's nice to know I'm not always the last to read a hot book. 8-) I love this books. So rich. Maybe now I will listen to it. It sounds like a good way to revisit those wonderful characters. Thanks for the review. Merry Christmas.
ReplyDeleteLaurisa, this is one of my all-time favorite books. I absolutely loved it. I read the book before watching the movie, and I'm so glad I did. Although the movie is amazing, they had to leave out so many wonderful pieces of the book.
ReplyDeleteI heard the audio was great. I think Leslie listened to it. The book was a little tough to read in Aibileen's pod, but boy, was it worth it.
The audio was amazing, Julie. But I loved it and the movie so much I then bought the book. It's a story I'll treasure and keep on my shelf forever.
DeleteIt took me a long time to read this book and I loved it, too! The audio sounds interesting. I might have to listen to it, too!
ReplyDelete~Jess