Everyone has been telling me to read this book since it came out (not to mention the constant requests for it at my place of work). I purchased it a while ago, but for some reason I kept procrastinating reading it. Something about it's cover just bothered me.
After reading The Help, I can honestly say the only thing I didn't like about this book was it's cover. The cover makes me think of bland chick-lit; what the story really is is a completely electric story of three very different women in the early sixties all fighting for civil rights. Kathryn Stockett does a great job at creating palpable tension in seemingly simple "ladies who lunch" type situations. Every character (main, supporting, or cameo) is crafted exquisitely; I believe these people actually existed at that point in american history.
One thing I feel is worth mentioning is her choice to use a southern african-american vernacular when writing in the POV of the two black women, while choosing no dialect for Skeeter (the one white main character) who would have certainly had a southern accent at the time. I'm not really sure how I feel about this (I'm sure I would've loved the book either way), but I'd be interested to hear her reasoning behind this.
It took Kathryn Stockett five years to complete this book and she is now one of the rare authors who created a phenomenon with their debut novel. I am curious as to what her next work will be.
A
*2010 Audie Award
*2010 SIBA Award
*Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers
I am about 5 chapters in and the only thing I have had issue with thus far is the profanity. Yes, some people talk that way but I believe things are better expressed with correct English (or whatever language). Anyway, I'm just saying for the sensitive reader they should be aware.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean specifically by profanity? I don't really recall much foul language.
ReplyDelete