The Help

By: Kathryn Stockett

Narrated by: Jenna Lamia, Bahni Turpin, Octavia Spencer, Cassandra Campbell

Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

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 17th 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.

This edition now includes the afterword "Too Little, Too Late—Kathryn Stockett in Her Own Words", as read by the author.

Bonus Audio: Hear an exclusive interview with Kathryn Stockett.

©2009 Kathryn Stockett, Cover Art: (c) 2011 DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC (P)2009 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“The two principal maid characters...leap off the page in all their warm, three dimensional glory...[A] winning novel.” (The New York Times)

“This could be one of the most important pieces of fiction since To Kill a Mockingbird…If you read only one book...let this be it.” (NPR.org)

“A beautiful portrait of a fragmenting world.” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Amazing!!

I absolutely love this book. I have listen to more times than I can count. Amazing job!!

Empathetic dialog and points of view

Kaththryn Stockett has a finely tuned ear for dialog, and an empathetic and realistic point of view which she reveals in each character's narrations. The excellent and memorable narrators reading this audio book make the story come alive. Every chapter was beautifully written, and this was a book I never wanted to end.

so good

amazing flow, sucha great listen. made me cry like 3 times. love love love it.

A bit slow at times but still good

I really loved how there’s multiple readers and you really get a true perspective of each character.. I did think it dragged along at times and needed to pick up the pace but overall it was a nice read and I loved comparing it to the movie

A Favorite

I was first introduced to this title by watching the Netflix version and was eager to have it as an audiobook. For me this is a winner thanks to the well-chosen narrators. I listen to this title often and enjoy it every time. I have found anything Jenna Lamia narrates to be excellent and have not been disappointed. This is a keeper.

this is my favorite book!

I have listened to this book over and over for a year love it!

Loved this story. Both the movie & book!

If you loved the movie, you will love the book. This is one that I will listen to over & over.

Very enjoyable book - great narration

What a great book. I"m so glad I decided to give it a listen. Usually after I've seen a movie I don't go back and read/listen to the book (I usually try to read the book first), but with the Help it didn't matter that I'd seen the movie previously (albeit many years ago). It was a rich and wonderful story and I highly recommend it.

Simply Outstanding

What can I say.... simply outstanding & well worth listening to. You will not be disappointed.

Didn't want it to end!

The cruel nature of humans is absurd. Throughout this book I laughed and cried, knowing that the turmoil was severely downplayed. I will always be in awe at the way people overcome the evils and nastiness this life throws at us. I can't wait to read this book again!