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)

Simply Wonderful!

I wish there were more than 5 stars to award to this book. It is a wonderful,thought provoking story and the narration is the best that I have listened to. I actually dreaded finishing this book because I became so attached to each character. I highly recommend this book.

If you're new to audiobooks, Start Here!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Help to be better than the print version?

YES!! The voices that these ladies capture ... it just MAKES this book. I am so pleased to have this audiobook in my collection. I will listen to it over and over.

This book was my 2nd audiobook experience and it almost ruined me for audiobooks in the future. The next book I listened too seemed so dry in comparison!

Which scene was your favorite?

It is impossible to pick just one. I just love all the characters so much. Abilene with "her children". Minnie with Miss Celia. Skeeter and the complexities of her story that just can't be glanced over as (I feel) they were in the movie.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Don't watch the movie; Listen to the audiobook. :)
(Just kidding. The movie was good too. But the book - as always - was just so much better.)

beautiful!

This book was beautifully and thoughtfully written and narrated. I find myself wanting much much more of this story - not because the ending was unsatisfying, but because I have fallen in love with these characters. I really can't say enough about this book. (p.s. Hang out at the end of the book past the "credits" for a great message from the author.)

Best book I have "read" in years

This book made me laugh, cry and cheer for each character (ok maybe not Hilly). I couldnt stop, I had to force myself to go to sleep and not listen to this superb reading. The voices fo the characters were perfect. I recomend this book to anyone who likes books. I might just have to listen to it again and again.

One of the Best Narrations

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and have listened to it several times. While the story is well written, easily capturing and keeping the listeners attention,the narration guarantees a fully satisfying experience for the listeners. No horrible fake southern accents here! The women narrators read beautifully with true melodic accents from the deep south. The women bring to life the characters - I felt that I had met them all by the end. Truly the best narration I have ever heard.

THE HELP WAS OUTSTANDING IN EVERY WAY

This book at a captivating story line, so well developed by the author. The women that read it did an incredible job of conveying the feelings and actions of the characters in the story. Five star rating only because they do not allow higher marks.

Loved it!

I watched the movie first and then listened to the audiobook. I enjoyed both! I often prefer just one narrator as opposed to several, but it worked for this book.

Should Be Required Reading

I am a very picky reader, but I can confidently say that this book is very well written on topic that is still relevant today. The audio version is outstanding because the voices really help bring the characters to life. I think it should be required reading for every secondary school student in America. Sure hope it becomes a movie.

Amazing Book

I recommend this book to everyone. Until I moved to the SC low country four years ago, I lived in the north, and I am a caucasian. The South is like a different country. I did not understand the issue regarding the confederate flag flying over the state capitol. Since listening to this book, I have an entirely different perspective regarding both the flag issue and some of the problems black southerners faced in the 20th Century.

Loved this book!

This was one of the best books I've listened to and I've been at it for several years. The story is wonderful and having three different readers gives the narrative even more richness. I highly recommend this book (and I don't believe I have bothered to write more than one or two other reviews).