"The Help" purchased today

J

JT

Cathlete
Hello CatheNation.

Thought I would read the book before I see the movie that premiered today nationwide.
What are your thoughts? Did anyone see the movie yet? Please don't tell us the ending. Thanks.

Last book I purchased was "Eat,Pray, Love" which I read before renting the movie and I plan to do the same with this book.

Also, if your a Barnes & Noble Club Member, you get it at 10% off.


JT
 
I plan on seeing the movie this weekend with my mother. She has read the book and loved it.

Part of it was filmed in Jackson, MS not far from where I work. The area is called Fondren. It is a throwback to the 1950s. What you see in the movie are the actual stores pretty much they way they look today. I don't think they changed anything other than using cars from that era. The neighborhoods surrounding the area are gorgeous but the crime rate is pretty high. Most of the movie was filmed in Greenwood which is in the Delta.

My mother told me that the author is related to a former preacher at her church. It is truly a small world.
 
JT:

definitely read the book before seeing the film. What seems to be different between the two is the tone. The book is permeated with a sense of anxiety. Obviously, the ives of so many black women and their families could have been ruined if Skeeter's secret writing and meetings with the maids had been discovered. White violence against blacks is the background against which the action takes place.

On the other hand, excerpts I have seen from the film seem to have focussed the tone on comedy. It is not a comedic book. Yes, there is comedy in it, but to make this book into a comedy film is to downplay entirely the threat to black existence that Miss Hilly and her ideology represent.

Book first, then film if you think that seeing it won't ruin the experience of the book. It is a tremendous book.

Clare
 
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maddiesmum said:
JT:

definitely read the book before seeing the film. What seems to be different between the two is the tone. The book is permeated with a sense of anxiety. Obviously, the ives of so many black women and their families could have been ruined if Skeeter's secret writing and meetings with the maids had been discovered. White violence against blacks is the background against which the action takes place.

On the other hand, excerpts I have seen from the film seem to have focussed the tone on comedy. It is not a comedic book. Yes, there is comedy in it, but to make this book into a comedy film is to downplay entirely the threat to black existence that Miss Hilly and her ideology represent.

Book first, then film if you think that seeing it won't ruin the experience of the book. It is a tremendous bok.

Clare
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I agree with Clare. Read the book first. I read the book but I really have no interest in seeing the movie. The clips I've seen of the movie tend to make it seem more lighthearted than it really is. Seeing the movie for me would ruin the experience of the book.
 
I am reading this now, I think it's very good. A couple weeks ago I asked for some book suggestions and this was one of them. It's going slowly for me, but it's a very enjoyable read so far.
 
Love love loved the book! Loved it. Am going to see the movie tomorrow with my mom and sister!! Highly recommend the book! :)
 
maddiesmum said:
JT:

definitely read the book before seeing the film. What seems to be different between the two is the tone. The book is permeated with a sense of anxiety. Obviously, the ives of so many black women and their families could have been ruined if Skeeter's secret writing and meetings with the maids had been discovered. White violence against blacks is the background against which the action takes place.

On the other hand, excerpts I have seen from the film seem to have focussed the tone on comedy. It is not a comedic book. Yes, there is comedy in it, but to make this book into a comedy film is to downplay entirely the threat to black existence that Miss Hilly and her ideology represent.

Book first, then film if you think that seeing it won't ruin the experience of the book. It is a tremendous book.

Clare
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ITA - the book is tremendous. It actually made me furious because it painted their lives so vividly that I could "feel" in a very small way the degrading way they were made to feel. It definitely is NOT a comedy!
 
I'm pretty sure Kathryn Stockett was on the movie set so hopefully she didn't let them turn it into a comedy.

My MIL invited my kids over to spend the night so I was hoping hubs and I could go see it tonight but it's already sold out :(
 
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I am hoping to have it done by the time Cathe's new series is delivered but I haven't even started it yet. But, when I read a book, that's all I do. The promos of the movie make it look all sweet but there is an underlying current of tension.
Clare-the threat was very real if it came to light. Haven't heard the reviews of the movie yet.
 
I read ( and loved) the book a couple of weeks ago and I just saw the movie today. I think the movie was very true to the tone of the book. The comedic portions mentioned upthread are in the movie, but are a very small part of the plot. I am almost always disappointed in the movie version of books, but this was NOT THE CASE.

I would read the book first, then enjoy the movie!!
 
I am about halfway thur the book and loving it. Aibileen and Minny both make me laugh in the book with their humor! It def is a serious book but it adds a lot of humor from time to time. I can't wait to see the movie but have to wait till I'm done with book first.
 
Saw it yesterday. It sold out right after we got our tickets.

My mother read the book and said the movie wasn't as "detailed" as the book. She also said the actress who played Hilly wasn't bitchy enough. The book portrayed her a lot worse. The casting of the actresses for the Junior League was dead on. You guys would have to have grown up here in Mississippi to get a feel for the women who are members of the Junior League. They are so "uppity."

There are a lot of touching, emotional moments and a lot of lighthearted, laugh out loud moments. The screenwriter gave you a taste of the racial tensions that were going on in Jackson at that time. Over the years, I have talked to my mother about it. She said it was scary living in Jackson during the 1960s.

Sissy Spacek was a hoot as Hilly's mother.
 
I read the book and LOVED it. I am so excited to see the movie. I am going to
go see it this week. I would love to hear more reviews.
 
Saw the movie with my mom and sister Saturday, and it was oh-so-good. It totally did the book justice. Loved it. A word of advice for all of you going to see it: TAKE TISSUES! :) Even though I read the book, I was so deeply touched by the performances. Aibleen and little May Mobley will break your heart. :( Oh, and Brice Dallas Howard deserves an oscar for her performance as horrible Hilly Holbrook. :p

I urge everyone to go see it and then go grab some coffee and dessert afterward to discuss it... (Just not pie. :eek:)
 
I read and enjoyed the book. I haven't seen the movie yet but I plan to. I wouldn't be deterred by a movie trailer that makes the movie look like a comedy because I've seen other trailers that misrepresented the movie, probably because they are designed first and foremost to lure people into theaters. I'm sure the movie is true to the book.

It's interesting that Sissy Spacek was cast in this movie because she starred in The Long Walk Home, another good movie about civil rights set in the south during the 1960s. Whoopie Goldberg played her maid.
 
Stephanie0523 said:
I urge everyone to go see it and then go grab some coffee and dessert afterward to discuss it... (Just not pie. :eek:)
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Stephanie, LOL!

I'm so glad to hear everyone's reviews and that the movie did the book justice. Can't wait to see it!

I heard Kathryn Stockett is working on her next book about the "roaring 20's" also set in Mississippi. Should be another good one :D
 
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