# Should I download "The HELP" it's got 5 stars...



## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

Anyone here on the boards read The Help?  Thinking of downloading it...been purchasing like crazy.  I had $25 GC from Amazon and $38.62 Grand Total $63.62 Yipee!!


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

I read it for vine, DTB, and it is a very good "period" read (as in time period   ).  The characters are well developed and easy to bond with, for  lack of a better word.  I really enjoyed it.  It is on Kindle yet?
*Edited to add, DUH, obviously on kindled if your downloading it


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

Yep...it's ready for K.  I was hesitant; only because some period pieces drone on too much about just that; and lose sight of the characters.

So, that isn't the case with the Help...


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## Kindle Convert (Nov 8, 2008)

Read it and loved it!!! Would definately recommend it!


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## LibbyD (Apr 28, 2009)

How useful can recommendations from strangers be?  Decide for yourself -- first by reading reviews to see if the subject interests you, second by reading the sample to see if you like the author's style and if the beginning grabs you or not.


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

I don't mean to be snippy, LibbyD, but if your reading reviews, aren't you, most of the time getting "recommendations from strangers?"


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

I value the opinions on these boards.  

Some have suggested some great books...ones that I normally wouldn't have read. Also, some have steered me clear of some near disasters and wasting time and $$. If you let your likes and dislikes known; other members can be very helpful.  

LibbyD:  Some of the samples aren't really enough because some include the table of contents and preface which hog up the sample.  I have found the boards advice very helpful; they will be sure to let you know if a book drones on or not.

These boards have introduced me to new Authors and new Genres.  I have branched out since owning my K and joining these boards. My reading is much more diversified now.


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## Carol Hanrahan (Mar 31, 2009)

I highly recommend this book.  I hope you enjoy it too.


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

That seals the deal: Ok all, I just downloaded.

Thanks for all your "help" *pun intended!!*


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## ellesu (Feb 19, 2009)

I read it a few weeks back.  I am a Southerner and grew up in B'ham, AL not long after the period the author wrote about.  This was a difficult read for me.  At times I wanted to put the book down and just walk away, but I never did.  All that happened back then - happened.  It was ugly, unjust, and wrong.  Nothing will correct it.  To me, turning my back or ignoring it would only add further insult.  

That being said,    I would definitely recommend the book.  I, too, found the characters well developed.  And, as good books tend to do, it will help you grow.


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

*ellesu:* Thanks so much. Some books are a bit disturbing but in the end so worth the read. I found that to be true with the Glass Castle...Though the subject matter bothered me I loved the book. I value your opinion. I agree, the past can't be changed...but we surely can learn from it. It can teach us what "not" to do.


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## LindaW (Jan 14, 2009)

I read it a few weeks back, and recommended it to many friends. So far everyone has come back and thanked my for the recommendation.  I loved it!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I downloaded a sample. I don't think I've ever seen so many five star reviews for one book! It certainly looks worth a try.

L


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## LBenn (Jan 1, 2009)

I will add my hearty recommendation for The Help.  My family is from the South, and has a history of having "help" as in the book.  I don't remember my parents employing anyone, but their parents and many friends did.  It is a pretty accurate representation of the time, and the characters are very well developed.  I read through it very quickly because I enjoyed it so much.


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

I have to agree with Leslie:  So many 5 star ratings across the board...that's what originally caught my attention.  I also downloaded Fannie Flagg's 1. Can't Wait to Get to Heaven and 2. Standing in the Rainbow for the same reasons.  (Besides:  I LOVED...Fried Green Tomatoes and she had a hand in that as well.)


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## Sanveann (May 16, 2009)

I got this one to review for Vine a couple of months ago and loved loved loved it! I lent it to my mom when I was done, and she loved it too. I hope you enjoy it!


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## bernilynn (Nov 22, 2008)

I will also add raves for this book- I just loved it.


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## cheerio (May 16, 2009)

Buy it


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## Guernsey (May 21, 2009)

I didn't see a link for this book. Here's one:



_(fixed link.  --Betsy)_


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## loriltx (Jul 17, 2009)

I couldn't put the book down.  I was disappointed when I finished.  The characaters were so well developed that you knew them and wanted to know how their lives continued.  Like a previous poster, I have recommended this book to several people who came back and agreed that it was great.  I have not heard one person say anything negative about it.


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## Someone Nameless (Jul 12, 2009)

I love it.  I grew up during that time in Greenwood, MS and she talks about it quite a bit.  I was familiar with all the places.  I listened to it from audible before I got my K but I absolutely loved it.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Excellent book. (another one that I listened to the audio)


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## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

Another interesting book I wouldn't have found w/o KB.  Added it to my wish list.


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

So funny to find this thread while looking for a thread about the movie! 

WOW! Just look at how the book and movie turned out! And all of you knew it would! The KB is a constant source for books and movie reviews for me! I want to give a big Thank You to the KB family I have come to love over the past 2 1/2 years! You ROCK!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

sjc--

let us know what you think after you've read it.  My sister-in-law gifted it to me and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

For new(er) folk, the easiest way to do a link to a book here is to use our link-maker, found in the top menu group in the upper left hand corner, next to "home."  You can put the ASIN, the book's title or the author's name in the search box, click on "Make Link" for the search result, and pick one of the image codes that are created.  The first one is the one most people use, it's 125 pixels high and doesn't overtax those using mobile devices.

Betsy


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

sjc said:


> I value the opinions on these boards.
> Some have suggested some great books...ones that I normally wouldn't have read. Also, some have steered me clear of some near disasters and wasting time and $$. If you let your likes and dislikes known; other members can be very helpful.
> LibbyD: Some of the samples aren't really enough because some include the table of contents and preface which hog up the sample. I have found the boards advice very helpful; they will be sure to let you know if a book drones on or not.
> These boards have introduced me to new Authors and new Genres. I have branched out since owning my K and joining these boards. My reading is much more diversified now.


Seee... I missed this thread so long ago but STILL value every bit of advice in it! The KB has grown so much since I joined in May 2009... but the closeness of the real KB family is a constant... Even when I drift in and out... I still come back... and LOVE everything about my KB family.  Happy New Year Everyone!


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## ciscokid (Oct 10, 2010)

My daughter bought me the paperback for Christmas and I am over halfway through it.  So far its been a really good book.  I can't wait to finish and rent the movie to watch.


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

My 12 year old DD's friends have the book but I was afraid of her watching the movie so I looked up a movie review and found a very descriptive one with which bad words were in it and I decided DD would be OK... as they were really not BAD words like in other movies today, so we rented it and LOVED IT! I think she will download the book today. She always loves books more than the movies anyway! SHe did say that her friend let her read one particularly funny part that was in the movie and she laughed when she saw it in the movie! Good luck finishing the book so you can run out and rent the movie!


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## Buttercup (Oct 28, 2008)

I won a football bet with a Facebook friend last year around this time.  We were trying to figure out what my prize would be so I just asked her to send me a Kindle book that she really loved.  She sent The Help, I had NO idea what it was about.  I was a bit thrown off by the way Aibileen talked at first but was very quickly hooked.  I absolutely LOVED the book!


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## azellia (May 27, 2010)

I read the book and watched the movie a few weeks later. I loved them both. The movie was true to the book and very well cast. It was hard to put my kindle down, a very good book!


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## Melissa71 (Dec 21, 2011)

I just finished this book, on my Kindle.  I loved it, and was sad when it was over.


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## davinci (Feb 24, 2010)

I thought "The Help" was a very well written book. But something about the tone bothered me. If you want a more contemporary view of race relations in the South, I would read Carl Hiaasen, or Ruth Francisco's new book, Sunshine Highway.


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## JennaAnderson (Dec 25, 2009)

Melissa71 said:


> I just finished this book, on my Kindle. I loved it, and was sad when it was over.


Yes, I was also sad when it ended. The Help was the only title my book club picked that 1) everyone finished and 2) everyone loved.

I recently finished Sophie and The Rising Sun - it was free for Kindle. Not sure if it still is. It has the same flavor as The Help. Not as deep but still a nice read.

~ Jenna


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

Unfortunately I'm not paying that for an e-book. Even the soft-cover is too expensive at Costco. 

I'll have to wait for it to show up on my Kindle price-tracker (lol, may be waiting awhile) or wait for a 2nd hand copy. I'll rarely pay that for fiction...just seems artificially inflated to me...both electronic and paperback. Popularity, what the market will bear......ah well.


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## Darlene Jones (Nov 1, 2011)

I would say no. I didn't like it at all, but I'm probably in the minority.


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## JennaAnderson (Dec 25, 2009)

Was this a debut novel for Stockett? I thought it was.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Lursa (was 9MMare) said:


> Unfortunately I'm not paying that for an e-book. Even the soft-cover is too expensive at Costco.
> 
> I'll have to wait for it to show up on my Kindle price-tracker (lol, may be waiting awhile) or wait for a 2nd hand copy. I'll rarely pay that for fiction...just seems artificially inflated to me...both electronic and paperback. Popularity, what the market will bear......ah well.


Overdrive library. Long wait probably, but worth it.

FWIW, I bought *The Help* 2 years ago for $8.55, before it was so popular. So $9.99 doesn't seem that bad for a book that's still on the NYT Bestseller list...and especially one where Penguin sets the price.


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## Brad Murgen (Oct 17, 2011)

JennaAnderson said:


> Was this a debut novel for Stockett? I thought it was.


Yes it was. I thought it was decent, worth reading.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

Meemo said:


> Overdrive library. Long wait probably, but worth it.
> 
> FWIW, I bought *The Help* 2 years ago for $8.55, before it was so popular. So $9.99 doesn't seem that bad for a book that's still on the NYT Bestseller list...and especially one where Penguin sets the price.


That's one reason it took me years...I mean years...to read The DaVinci Codes. It took forever to go to paperback and then was still very expensive (this was before ebooks, for the most part). Sorry. Not payin' And I thought it was interesting...good, but not worth all the hype necessarily.

When paperbacks jumped from 4.99 or so to 6.99...I stopped buying fiction unless I found it on sale or at Costco. Since I would buy whatever was available on sale...it introduced me to new authors. Just like high e-book prices do....it encourages me to check out indies, small pubs and their authors.

I know I'm just a drop in the bucket, but I'm stickin' to it!


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Lursa, you can check it out from your library. It may be a long wait, but I bet you'd have a better chance of getting it from the library than the price dropping.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

Luvmy4brats said:


> Lursa, you can check it out from your library. It may be a long wait, but I bet you'd have a better chance of getting it from the library than the price dropping.


Sure...I think you and Meemo are right.

And I'm not in any real hurry, have lots of good stuff already on my K (and bookshelf) to read


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

I recently read the book and then got the dvd from Netflix. Loved them both.

By the way, some of us aren't total "strangers" to sjc, as we've become virtual friends. Right, sjc??


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

Cindy416 said:


> I recently read the book and then got the dvd from Netflix. Loved them both.
> 
> By the way, some of us aren't total "strangers" to sjc, as we've become virtual friends. Right, sjc??


Wow this thread is still going...and the help is still doing well in numbers. It was a good book (read a long while back...time sure does fly.) Cindy: Right!! We are like family just ask Meredith!! Love these boards.


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