Wednesday, July 6, 2011

2 Books in Review

Don't worry -- you won't find any spoilers here. I just wanted to let you know of 2 books I finished over the weekend. Anyone who knows me, knows that Sparks is one of my indulgences. Of course, with school and work, I only get to read a new Sparks book about once a year! :)

If you're one of my FB friends, you already noticed I've gushed over "The Help". I've heard this book criticized for it's "tone" or "voice", accusing the writer of stereotyping the characters. Well, suffice it to say -- "PHBBBT! I loved it!"

Here are my official "GoodReads" reviews! :)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sparks has done it again. I could totally picture the characters coming to life as I read this book. I will admit, I usually hate reading "prologues" but this one was riveting enough to keep my attention. Unlike many of his other stories, this one starts off with twists of excitement. I kept wondering, "If he shows all of his cards now, where else can the characters go and will the climax make enough of an impact? Or is this a case of a story peaking too soon?" Trust me -- it can go places and the climax is great. Even though I had figured out a little bit of the pivotal moment beforehand, there was still the element of surprise and I didn't think the story felt predictable at all. It was great! Loved it!


The HelpThe Help by Kathryn Stockett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I completely loved this book. I didn't want it to end, and I wanted to know what happened to the characters years later. This book definitely deals with some raw emotions and it's hard to imagine these were the attitudes only a decade before I was born. The character development in each of the main characters was well executed and I was impressed that Stockett chose a 1st person narrative and chose to tell the story from the point of view of 3 different characters. This is very difficult for a writer to [successfully] pull off. She not only does it, but she does it well. I think writing in the first person helps to pull the reader in. Each section reads almost like a memoir. Despite it's length I found it to be a quick read. I read half of it in about 4 hours and couldn't wait for this past holiday weekend so I could finish it, which I did. The characters have become real to me now, and I feel vested in them and their plight. I am amazed that this is Stockett's first novel and I cannot wait for the movie to come out in August!



View all my reviews

5 comments:

Puphigirl said...

I loved The Help and can't wait for the movie, which is coming out soon. I didn't feel like I was reading a fiction novel but journals or diaries of real people. I too wonder what happened to the characters years later.

Holli and Billy said...

I loved The Help! I am kind of torn whether or not I want to see the movie though...

Janet said...

I was impressed with the writing, as well. She did such a great job of writing for each character, with such individual voices. Great book.

andrew's mom said...

I loved The Help! Can't wait for the movie. You should read Little Bee which is totally different but equally good and they are making a movie of that too!

andrew's mom said...
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