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)

Much better than the movie

I'm so glad I listened to this book before seeing the movie. While I enjoyed the movie quite a bit, the book is much better, and the narration is mostly fantastic. I wasn't as fond of the narrator for Skeeter's parts of the books--her interpretation of Aibileen and Minnie felt off to me--but overall very good. The book, for me, takes a more complex look at the reality of the time period than the film.

Narration was perfect!

I love this book. In fact, I am waiting to listen to the ending because I do not want it to be over! I loved all the characters and the narrators who read their stories. The characters were funny, sad and beautifully honest. I do not think I would have liked the book so much if i had not listened to it. The narrators really did make the story for me.

I loved this book so much I bought the hard copy.

The characters are so well drawn that not only will you feel that you know them, but when the book ends you will miss them.

Audible always says "We hope that you have enjoyed this story..." and at the end of this one I just said, "Yes Audible, I did indeed."

I didn't want it to end. Producers in Hollywood - please make this into a motion picture!!

Awesome!!! I've listened to it twice in a row!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Definitely! Great book!!!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Minnie Jackson - her spunk!!

Which scene was your favorite?

All the scenes with Minnie and Celia Foote

You're going to love it.

A perfectly wonderful, entertaining and enlightening book. It is one of those books that you have just got to read. I am not sure the men will appreciate it near as much as the women.

This might be THE BEST BOOK I have ever enjoyed!

The story...Wonderful.
The narration...Wonderful.
My only disapointment is that the book is finished (for me). I would easily listen to it again, but it won't be the same (but I just might do it anyway!).
Plain and simple...I Loved It! Every word written, every minute of narration! I Loved It!
To anyone thinking of listening to The Help...I offer one word...Enjoy!

Wonderful book

What did you love best about The Help?

I loved there were different narrators for the characters

What did you like best about this story?

This book had a wonderful story to tell of the civil rights era. It really tells the story from all different perspectives. Wonderful story and easy to listen

Totally enjoyable

Excellent, one of my favorite "listens" totally engrossed in the story. I was sad when it ended.

Hated to listen to the last few words....

This is the best book I've downloaded and listened to so far and I've purchased several. This was so touching and so real. I can't wait until the author writes her next!

Absolutely Wonderful

This book is an engaging, entertaining and enlightening journey to a time and place many of of know nothing about but always thought we did. The characters are real, the plot moves right along and the narration is splendid.