The Help
- Narrated by:
- Length: 18 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release Date:01-28-09
- Publisher: Penguin Audio
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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
What the Critics Say
"This heartbreaking story is a stunning debut from a gifted talent." (Atlanta Journal)
“It's graceful and real, a compulsively readable story of three women who watch the Mississippi ground shifting beneath their feet as the words of men like Martin Luther King Jr. and Bob Dylan pervade their genteel town. When folks at your book club wonder what to read next month, go on and pitch this wholly satisfying novel with confidence.” (Entertainment Weekly)
"[A] wise, poignant novel...You'll catch yourself cheering out loud." (People Magazine)
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What Members Say
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"Spectacular"
My wife and I listened to this book on a long drive to FL and back. I chose it for her and she loved it. I thought it was a "chick" book but I liked it as much as she did. You have to listen to this one especially if you are from the South and are over 55.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful -
Kelly Olean, NY, United States 09-27-09 Member Since 2008I love to read... love to listen while I walk my dog, Sally Jo.
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- REVIEWS
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"An interesting topic and story"
I recommend this book to anyone that would like a great story with interesting characters and topic. I found myself engaged throughout the reading and enjoyed all of the readers. I did feel that Ms. Skeeter's voice was a bit young but it wasn't unpleasant to hear. I never think about the black/white issue very often and I was surprised by what may have occured many years ago.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful -
"This is an exceptional audiobook"
My first review, but I had to chime in with the other reviewers on how good the book is and how exceptional the audiobook and narration are. This is an truly great read/listen
0 of 0 people found this review helpful -
"The Best Ever!!!"
I cannot say enough or recommend it enough. Now that I'm finished, I miss the story and characters terribly. Well done.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful -
"Wow!!"
This story is fantastic and rhythmic. As a white child in the south during the early sixties, we had what my mother called "nannies". I think she was decent to them. I just always remember the white uniform and the submissive attitude. They would come and go since there were five kids. I don't know what else to say. I loved this book and particularly Minnie and Abilene.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful -
"Totally Engrossing!"
I listened to this Audiobook while exercising only. It totally captivated me and made me WANT to work out just so that I could listen to it! What an amazing story, narrated so well with the different characters. It made my workouts FLY BY. I highly recommend this audiobook!
0 of 0 people found this review helpful -
"Miss those women"
I listened to this months ago and still miss those women / characters each time I turn on my MP3. I also am more sensitive about how I treat service people and friends and reflect back to past also. Grand LISTEN! Grand READ - I've recommended it to friends who also are raving.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful -
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"Great storytelling"
Audio was excellent using different narrators. Moving story describing the times of the 60's and 70's in the south. One person can make a difference.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful -
"If you are southern..."
you absolutely must hear/read this. Hearing it certainly rings it home, but that would take alot of hours on the road and I had that great fortune. If you are at least 50 years old - it will have greater meaning than you will expect. You will have known the characters and you will be surprised how many mothers of friends you will recognize!
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
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