A review by rachel_here
The Help by Kathryn Stockett

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

The Help takes place in the city of Jackson, Mississipi, in the year 1962. We follow the point of view of three characters: Skeeter, a white woman in her early twenties who dreams of writing and struggles to fit in; Aibileen, a black maid who has looked after the children of white women for many years; and Minnie, Aibileen's best-friend and a great cook, but whose temper often get her in troubles with her employers. The three of them feel trapped in their current life, but all is about to change when Skeeter decides to write a book about the lives of black maids in the South and seeks Aibileen's and Minnie's help for her project.

I remember fondly The Help (or "La Couleur des Sentiments" / "The Color of Feelings" in its French translation) from back when I was in middle-school, where I watched the movie, and then highschool, where I read the book. The story is entertaining and easy to read enough, and I particularly enjoyed Aibileen's point-of-view chapters. But fondness for this book and its movie adaptation alone can't make me forget its issues regarding the treatment of its subject matter (which many articles have already discussed online), so I'll have to settle for 3.25 stars. Despite being a fine book, it's still an extremely flawed portrayal of racism in the United States that banks too much on being a nostalgic, feel-good story to offer a true understanding of a still-too-pervasive issue. One must just be aware of that before picking up The Help.
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