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)

One of the best books I have ever read

I just lost days out of my life.. could not put these down. It was voiced like a great radio play.

Great read

This is one of the best books I have ever listened to. The story and narrators take me back many, many years ago...well done!

First audiobook and I loved it!

An acquaintance recommended The Help and then I read on a blog that this was a good audiobook to start with if you've never done books on tape. I couldn't agree more. The narration was superb. Like a good book you can't put down I couldn't stop listening. I'm glad I joined audible and I'm looking forward to listening to my next audiobook.

A great listen.

A great story told using multiple voices. Gives a perspective of different times with core issues that are still relevant.

First Audible

The Help was my first Audible book from Audible.com and found it to be wonderful. The experience of listening to a book transported me right into the era. Besides the book being a wonderful and learning experience, I found a new and enjoyable way of listening instead of reading. I love reading but every once and awhile you need a break and to have the book read to you is pricelss.

LOVED "The Help"! I was transported!

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

Yes, it was mesmerizing and I was transported to another time.

What did you like best about this story?

The plot and characters.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The spellbinding voices of the characters. The narrators brought the story to life.

Any additional comments?

This was my first Audible book and I am thrilled with this great service.

Riveting

As a teenager in the 60's I was personally aware of the Civil Rights movement. To read this now, it so thoroughly creates the atmosphere of the situation. It should be a must read for anyone who wants to understand the way it was and still is to some extent. Wonderfully, masterfully written. Poignant, depressing that it was like that but definitely has its funny moments to lighten the tension.

Engrossing

One of the best books I have read or heard this year. Wonderfully narrated and written. It is not a thrill a minute mystery, but you get thoroughly caught up in the characters and you don't want to stop listening. Personally, I think this book should be required reading for any course on race relations or the history of the civil rights movement.

Favorite book of all time

I never thought Harry Potter would go to second place but The Help is now my #1.
If you like historical fiction, you'll love this book. I cried, I laughed, I grew angry... it touches every emotion & really submerges you into another time. I love how she wrote the story from so many perspectives as well. You're not only getting one side of the story from a single character.
Buy it - You won't regret it!!

Deserves more than 5 stars!

I only listen to audiobooks while I'm on the treadmill or doing chores. This book was so good, I couldn't stop listening, which meant I couldn't stop working. Even though I was exhausted, I didn't want it to end. The narrators were the best and the story was wonderful.