SusanAR Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 (edited) Several weeks ago, I thought aabout asking this question, but thought better of it, yet the thread on "not caring for fiction" has me rethinking this.... Did anyone else dislike (strongly) The Help? The characters were VERY stereotypical- no complexity whatsoever. The dialect was surprising, and I'm not sure the author has her historical facts straight. Even if you are writing purely fiction shouldn't you keep your time-line straight? I didn't find the book thought provoking at all. I'm currently reading (and learning SO much from) Sharon Penman's novels. Edited February 11, 2010 by SusanAR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 I've not read that, but "The Great Gatsby" made me want to suffocate myself. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I loved it and my 78 year old neighbor who lived in Jackson Miss during Jim Crow has corroborated the general tone of the book. Others might certainly have different experiences and recollections as well. I did really enjoy the book but felt it softpedaled the reality of the times. It did tend to romanticize the characters plights as well in certain places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2hunangirls Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I'm listening to The Help on my iPod. I live in Jackson and know many people who were here during the times. It is so accurate it's chilling to me. I haven't heard a character yet that I couldn't imagine a family like that now. And there are still African American nannies in that part of Jackson. They may be stereotypical... but I think because they are soooo typical here. Katherine Stockett is from Jackson and is writing from her experiences. I don't think I could have "read" the book because of the dialect, but the audio version in spot-on. So....I like it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I liked it, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I've not read that, but "The Great Gatsby" made me want to suffocate myself. Rosie Moby Dick made me want to drown myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I liked it although it took me two tries to get into it. I read about half the book and then put it down for about a month. The second half is where the story really got interesting for me. Not the type of book I would typically read but it was fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I thought the book was very accurate. I grew up in the South during the 60's and had a nanny. She was my "mother." When my grandfather died, it wasn't my mother I ran to for comfort, it was my nanny. I really liked the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepymommy Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I liked it and I enjoyed the dialect in it too. I could really 'hear' the different voices and tones while reading. It kept it interesting and more 'movie-like' in my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in GA Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 My mother gave me The Help a few months ago and said it was wonderful. I had never heard of it, and I expected to hate it when I read the jacket, but I gave it a try. I couldn't believe how much I loved it!! I could not put it down! However, even though I loved it, I wouldn't say it was the best book ever written. I saw some reviews compare it to Harper Lee. Um, no. One criticism I have is that the end wrapped up too neatly and seemed too hunky-dory-happily-ever-after, especially considering the topic. I did really really enjoy reading it, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Did anyone else dislike (strongly) The Help? The characters were VERY stereotypical- no complexity whatsoever. The dialect was surprising, and I'm not sure the author has her historical facts straight. Even if you are writing purely fiction shouldn't you keep your time-line straight? I didn't find the book thought provoking at all. I'm currently reading (and learning SO much from) Sharon Penman's novels. I loved it. I've never lived in the south, so I couldn't say whether the depictions are accurate. I did find it thought provoking. She mentions at the end that she took some liberties with the historical timeline, and I don't have a problem with that. It might have bothered me if she hadn't mentioned it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 I adored this book. Was it the best piece of writing I've ever read, no, but the story was engaging and believable, and the characters resonated with me. I'd still recommend it in a heartbeat. However, we can't all like the same things... I'm sorry you didn't have a good experience with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwjx2khsmj Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Several weeks ago, I thought aabout asking this question, but thought better of it, yet the thread on "not caring for fiction" has me rethinking this.... Did anyone else dislike (strongly) The Help? The characters were VERY stereotypical- no complexity whatsoever. The dialect was surprising, and I'm not sure the author has her historical facts straight. Even if you are writing purely fiction shouldn't you keep your time-line straight? I didn't find the book thought provoking at all. I'm currently reading (and learning SO much from) Sharon Penman's novels. I didn't love it. I remember rolling my eyes a lot as I was reading it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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