The Help: Kathryn Stockett

"Aibileen Clark is a black main in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, raising her seventeenth white child.  She's always taken orders quietly, but lately it leaves her with a bitterness she can no longer bite back.  Her friend Minny Jackson has certainly never held her tongue, or held onto a job for very long, but now she's working for a newcomer with secrets that leave her speechless.  And white socialite Skeeter Phelan has just returned from college with ambition and a degree but, to her mother's lament, no husband.  Normally Skeeter would find solace in Constantine, the beloved maid who raised her, but Constantine has inexplicably disappeared.

"Together, these seemingly different women join to work on a project that could forever alter their destinies and the life of a small town--to write, in secret, a tell-all book about what it's really like to work as a black maid in the white homes of the South.  Despite the terrible risks they will have to take, and the sometimes humorous boundaries they will have to cross, these three women unite with one intention:  hope for a better day."

This book was assigned for my Multicultural American Novel course.  I was excited as soon as I saw it on the syllabus, but wished we were going to read it earlier in the semester.  This past week was Spring Break, so I took advantage of the respite from my incessant homework and essays to read this book.  I had already signed up to analyze the book and compare it to the film (which I have yet to see) for my final project and told myself that reading ahead of the syllabus was only going to help me have a better final.  I picked up the book as soon as I was able and read it in a matter of only a few days.  Overall it was extremely captivating.  The characters were rich and the writing was very enjoyable to read.  I love it when it just feels natural to read a book.

The way the author chose to tell her story through the points of view of Aibileene, Minny, and Miss Skeeter was brilliant.  Rather than an omniscient narrator, the first-person narration and its limitations made the story much more interesting.  I found myself wrapped up in the characters.  It was so much easier for the reader to put herself in the shoes of the characters and fall in love with the story because of this narration choice.  The reader sees and experiences only what that singular character does.  Rather than feeling jumpy and disjointed, the story felt much more--for lack of a better description--“comfortable” and inviting.  The characters really felt alive, like the story that I was reading was brought to life by their unique personalities.  If asked who my favorite “heroin” was, I do not know if I could choose between the three main characters.  Aibileen was such a mother figure that it was difficult not to fall in love with her.  The way she cares for poor little Mae Mobley really tugged at my heart--perhaps due mostly to the way that the little girl was treated by her mother, Elizabeth.  I cannot imagine anyone I know would treat their child in that exclusionary manner.  What really hit me, though, was that--after reading this book--I’m sure it happened (even happens) a lot more than we think.  For all those children who feel smothered by their mothers, there opposite side of the spectrum seems to be an even worse alternative.  I enjoyed reading Minny’s passages as well.  She puts up such a hard façade and it was nice to see another side of her.  I found her job working for Miss Cindy particularly interesting.  Her new employer is shrouded in mystery, which only made me want to read more quickly so I could find out what was really going on with that odd woman.  The contrast of Minny’s home-life with how she behaves in public was another facet of her character that interested me.  The juxtaposition of her strength in public coupled with the way she coped with her husband felt very (depressingly) real.  In a backwards way, it endeared Minny to me.  (Having not been in a situation like Minny’s, I know it is easy for an outsider to say how easy freedom could be.  I’m a little bit ashamed to say that I am disappointed in Minny in that aspect.  I did especially loved finding out about the Terrible Awful Thing Minny did to Miss Hilly…I won’t give it away though!)  Miss Skeeter was enjoyable because she was so relatable.  I think almost every reader can relate to her in some way (being an educated woman when it’s not something that is necessarily embraced, losing love over an inability to see eye-to-eye, a pushy mother, the pressure to conform to society’s norms and what one’s friends expect of her, or even just being that awkward girl who took awhile to come into her own).  It sounds cliché, but I can see a little bit of myself in Skeeter and I think that’s what made it so much fun to read.  She was extremely easy to connect with and the fluidity of her passages was refreshing after the dialectical elements of Minny and Aibileen’s.  (That is another thing that I really appreciated about the writing:  The fact that the author took the time to make each of her characters literally sound different!)

The plot was unique and controversial.  While I do not have the authority to say that it’s never been done before, I will say that the way it was written and the brilliant characters definitely made it stand out.  Apart from the shining main narrators/characters, the “villains” were remarkably interesting as well.  They helped make the story so much more believable.  Hilly’s cruelties were numerous and shocking.  The fact that she managed to hurt or control practically everyone who appeared in the book was fascinating.  The depth of her manipulation and depravity and her lack of conscience were appalling.  I couldn’t help but hate her.  I love it when there is a character like that!  Elizabeth Leefolt, while not exactly a villain, was made cruel by her inaction when it came to her children and her maid, and her weak will when it came to Miss Hilly.  The only times she ever showed any emotion toward her children were when Mae Mobley was “bad”.  These scenes broke my heart because I know that there is some child out there that has had these experiences.  (It only solidified the resolve I already had to speak to my children the way Aibileen spoke to Mae Mobley.)

If you cannot tell from my review, I absolutely loved the book.  (I wish the ending had been a little bit more satisfying, but I think that would have made it less realistic.  There was not always a happy ending in the struggle for Civil Rights.)  I am so looking forward to watching the movie now--I’ve even made my boyfriend promise to watch it with me.  Sweet torture.  I laughed so many times while reading this book because the humor managed to lighten the piece without diminishing its dramatic impact.  Not to sound racist or uncaring, but I’ve always had a hard time staying interested while studying the Civil Rights Movement.  This book brought it to life for me in a way that history class was never able to.  Though a work of fiction, there was enough historical impact in this book to make me feel like I was being exposed to a time that I’d never before really cared for.  And I enjoyed it.  I absolutely recommend this book on so many levels and to so many different people.  This book has the remarkable ability to be read for entertainment as well as for something more sober like an analysis of Multicultural Literature (as I did).  While I would not recommend this book to someone as young as I’ve seen read it (I know some girls around thirteen who have picked up this book because of Emma Stone’s involvement in the film adaptation) purely for the reason that I do not believe they’re able to grasp all of the nuances just yet or understand why some acts of violence are described, I believe this novel is a fantastic tool for a great variety of readers to witness (and subconsciously learn) acceptance and appreciation.  I would LOVE to hear what others have thought about this book!  Please feel free to comment with your interpretations, input, and thoughts on this work.

*I will be watching this movie soon so I may be updating my review with my opinions of the movie adaptation!  Keep an eye out for it! 

A Mercy: Toni Morrison

"In the 1680s the slave trade in the Americas is still in its infancy.  Jacob Vaark is an Anglo-Dutch trader and adventurer, with a small holding in the harsh North.  Despite his distaste for dealing in "flesh," he takes a small slave girl in part payment for a bad debt from a plantation owner in Catholic Maryland.  This is Florens, who can read and write and might be useful on his farm.  Rejected by her mother, Florens looks for love, first from Lina, an older servant woman at her new master's house, and later from the handsome blacksmith, an African, never enslaved, who comes riding to their lives.

"A Mercy reveals what lies beneath the surface of slavery.  But at its heart, like Beloved, it is the ambivalent, disturbing story of a mother and daughter--a mother who casts off her daughter in order to save her, and a daughter who may never exorcise the abandonment."

This was another book that I read for my Multicultural American novel course.  I can certainly see why Toni Morrison is the winner of the Nobel Prize.  Her writing has something about it that is profoudly deep and almost lyrical.  This book took me only a few days to read.  While I enjoyed parts of it, there were the passages from the point of view of Florens that really, really...baffled (is that the word I want to use...I'm not so sure) me.  I practically got to the point of actually disliking the portions from the girl's point of view.  I really do understand that the point of these passages was to breathe life into the character, Florens, and show that--while she knew how to read and write some--she was still untrained and "simple"-for lack of a better word.  The plot was extremely jumpy and was hard to follow, but I was able to catch up after re-reading passages.  It is very difficult for me to say whether or not I enjoyed the book.  I liked it better than a lot of books that I've had to read for other classes in the past, but it certainly was not my favorite.  The wrting--while rich and interesting--was sometimes difficult to follow.  I genuinely believe that the only reason that I somewhat liked the book was only because I forced myself to look deeper than the words.  I will not try to dispute Morrison's status as a well-known and widely touted brilliant author, but this book was not really the most delicious cup of tea for me.  Like I said earlier, I liked portions of the book.  The work as a whole was not bad.  I am just not sure if I will--by my own choice--choose to read a book by Morrison in my free time.  I recommend this book for the conditions under which I read it--in a classroom/educational setting.  It was a decent book with interesting situations and history to the plot, but one really has to be open to it.

Shell Shaker: LeAnne Howe

“Why was Red Shoes, the most formidable Choctaw warrior of the eighteenth century, assassinated by his own people?  Why does his death haunt Auda Billy, an Oklahoma Choctaw woman, accused in 1991 of murdering Choctaw Chief Redford McAlester?  Moving between the known details of Red Shoes’ life and the riddle of McAlester’s death, this novel traces the history of the Billy women whose destiny it is to solve both murders—with the help of a powerful spirit known as the Shell Shaker.”

As you may have guessed, this was another book that was not of my own choosing.  It was another novel for my Multicultural American Novel course.  My instructor has Native American blood, so this course has a couple of Native American books assigned.  Shell Shaker was obviously one of them.

I must say that the first chapter did a pretty good job of drawing me in.  I love historical fiction, so the portions told from Shakbatina’s and the other eighteenth century Native Americans’ points of view were interesting to me.  I was expecting to feel the same way about the “modern” portions of the story, but, unfortunately, I did not.  As much as I appreciated the unique way that the story was told—flipping back and forth between the past lives of the characters and the present—I did not feel any sort of attachment to them.  They felt very flat.  I think this is perhaps because the author spent so much time working on making connections between the characters’ past and present selves that there was not enough time to really round them out.  On top of it, the story had so many different characters and was told from several different points of view.  This hindered my creating an attachment to any one or two characters.  I felt very little sympathy for anyone other than the first character I was introduced to:  Shakbatina.  Even Auda, who has terrible things done to her and does suffer, seemed very “fake”. (I’m sure there’s a better word to be used here, but I cannot find it.  I simply mean that she wasn’t fleshed out enough for me.)  Rather than sympathy, I felt pity.  I know it is easy for me to say that it’s stupid because I have never been in such a situation, but I have a hard time connecting with female characters who allow themselves to be led on, tricked, abused, and they choose to remain in that situation.  Overall, I would have to say that I connected the most with Isaac Billy.  His kind heart and quick wit were very endearing.

I wish I had enjoyed this book more.  It was a fairly quick read, but I wish I’d relished the process.  I am not a fan of “magic” books and this was one of those.  I’m not against the supernatural, but this one was a little bit too over the top for me.  I’m sure that there are those out there who love this book—more power to them.  This one was just not for me—not terrible!  Just not for me.

The Chosen: Chiam Potok

“It is the now-classic story of two fathers and two sons and the pressures on all of them to pursue the religion they share in the way that is best suited to each. And as the boys grow into young men, they discover in the other a lost spiritual brother, and a link to an unexplored world that neither had ever considered before. In effect, they exchange places, and find the peace that neither will ever retreat from again....

“This is the odyssey from boyhood to manhood for two Jewish boys amidst the conflict between generations and religious traditions.” – courtesy of Barnes & Noble.com because my copy had no summary.

This book was an assigned reading for my Multicultural American Novel course.  I will admit that I was hesitant to begin reading it and—not to sound anti-Semitic (which I am not…I’m dating a Jewish man)—but I really did not want to read a book about Jewish children growing up during WWII.  I had absolutely no desire to read something on this topic.  As I read further, however, I did not feel as if I was reading an assigned book.  It was definitely the writing that encouraged me to continue on.  I even brought this book on vacation with me and found myself enjoying it.  The writing style was easy to read and kept me very interested.  Where I was pretty off-put by the subject matter, I grew a little more interested in the boys’ struggles as the book went on.  I even found myself asking my Jewish boyfriend for clarification on some words, teachings, and practices where my limited knowledge of Judaism failed me.  Therefore, this book exposed me to a whole new culture and made me interested without me even realizing it.

The contrast between Danny and Reuven was really what made the book.  Their characters felt so real that I couldn’t help but feel for them.  This book was truly artful and masterful.  The boys’ unlikely friendship was touching and made all the more interesting by its tumultuousness.  Some history-laden portions were a little bit slow reading, but—now that I’ve finished the book—I can see how integral they were to understanding the characters.  While I cannot say that I would necessarily choose to pick up a book on this subject, I did end up enjoying this piece.  Potok is a gifted author and one that certainly belongs in the greats of Multicultural American novels.

Shakespeare's Daughter: Peter W. Hassinger

"Susanna Shakespeare finds the small town of Stratford-upon-Avon much too quiet and provincial.  She yearns to travel to London to see her father's world of players and poets, and to follow a secret dream of her own.  Once Susanna arrives in London, nothing is quite as she expected it to be--least of all her relationship with her famous father.  But propelled by her love for Thomas Cole, a Catholic chorister, and her desire to sing, Susanna discovers that it is only with the support of those who love her that she has the strength to succeed.

"Screenwriter Peter W. Hassinger creates a Shakespearean tale rife with imagery and beauty that pays homage to the Bard himself."

I didn't realize it when I first picked up the book that this is a young adult novel.  I thought it was just a shorter adult book.  Still, I was extremely impressed!  When compared to another book I just read (see the depressing review just before this one), this book is BY FAR magnificently and remarkably better than some of the other material I've delved into as of late.  I was extremely impressed with the plot and the characters.  While the plot itself was a little bit heavy on the religious turmoil of the time--something I fear might put off some readers--the rest of the storyline more than makes up for it.  The language is lyrical and the descriptions are woven as if from magic.  Hassinger's background as a screenwriter is very evident in the eloquent manner in which he describes his characters' surroundings.  Though a YA book, this is definitely one to treasure.

The portrayal of William Shakespeare was definitely an interesting one and--though it's most assuredly a fanciful tale with contrived personalities of its characters--I took delight in witnessing Shakespeare's interactions with his children.  It was the children that made this story for me.  Their personalities were so touching and lifelike.  Their dialogue was charming.  I could picture them perfectly.  Even though anyone who knows about the life of William Shakespeare knows the tragedy that befalls his family, I was still touched by the loss they suffered.  It was extremely well-written and I tragically, morbidly beautiful.

While I very much enjoyed Susanna as a character, her actions were not always true to the time period. Now, one can argue that Susanna behaved the way she did because she's a great example for female readers of a strong young woman until he is blue in the face, but that does not necessarily mean I am willing to overlook the historical inaccuracies.  ***These aren't really spoilers, but I do discuss tiny bits of the story to prove my point.  Fair warning!***  Under NO circumstances would a Tudor-era father allow his daughter to flit around alone with a boy!  The informality between some of the characters also rubbed me the wrong way.  The interactions between Tom and Susanna were another issue I had.  Their lack of modesty and uncharacteristic behavior was not what they would have been raised to practice--not to mention a devout Catholic boy like Tom!

However, if one is willing to overlook the issues with some historical inaccuracies, this is a simply MAGICAL book.  I devoured it in about two days and I'm definitely giving it to my thirteen-year-old cousin tomorrow!  This book is a wonderful and quick read that I recommend.  It has Shakespeare, art, history, and amazing writing all rolled into one.  What's not to like?

Eragon (Eragon, Book One): Christopher Paolini

"One boy...

"One dragon...

"A world of adventure.

"When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter.  But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.

"Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power.  With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds.

"Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders?  The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands."

So, long story short, I went to review this book yesterday but had to stop when I realized that I'd forgotten to review another book that I'd finished a few months ago.  Now, I'm back to reviewing after quite a bit of a hiatus.  Many things contributed to this lack of posting, not the least of which was the words inside of this book...  While the first few chapters were alright, I quickly reached a point that I could hardly stand reading it!  Now, before I get angry comments from devoted fans, please give me a chance to explain my stance.

For several years I've been told from numerous sources how much I would like this book and I just never picked it up.  The plot seemed okay, but the premise was not my usual cup of tea.  Then, some time ago, I picked up Eragon at a book resale store...then it proceeded to sit on myself for months before I actually opened it.  Thought it had taken me a while to get to this book, my expectations were somewhat high after all of the hype from bookstores and fellow readers.

As I said before, the first few chapters were okay, but my interest quickly diminished and I was extremely put off by the writing style.  The novice abilities of the writer were made extremely evident in the blatant overuse of explanation and the constant inconsistencies in the formality of the language.  (Not to mention, half of the book was written in internal dialogue!  That's the cheapest way to create filler and description for a story.)  It was as if Paolini wanted to make sure he answered any and all questions the readers might have about any of the characters' actions, so he felt he had to unnecessarily repeat himself and describe every little interaction to the point of exhaustion.  Eragon didn't seem to know if he was a poor farmer or a hero-in-training.  His mannerisms and language didn't always fit his character.  One of the biggest problems I had with Eragon was that I just didn't care about him!  He was too perfect and too good.  He  didn't have any flaws, which made him entirely flat.  He was so similar to many of the old characters in some of the first children's literature.  He always made the right choice, he preached good examples to others, and he was purely and entirely good.  In other words, the character of Eragon was BOOOORING!!!  There was no personality other than the flat one you would expect from a very basic character created to be an example for children rather than one they can relate to.  Essentially, the only thing that makes Eragon different from Abbott's "Rollo" was that Eragon rode a dragon.  He was just about as interesting and exciting as a character created purely with the intent to help children decide between "good" and "bad."

Before I get a hundred comments telling me that I don't know what I'm talking about when I discuss and critique children's literature, let me say that it was my minor and I've taught a Children's Literature course to college students where the head of the college's English department deferred to my knowledge of the topic.  That is partially why I read this book--I like to read popular modern children's literature to compare and contrast and see how literature has evolved.  I have to say that Eragon was a bit of a step back from a lot of other books I've read.  Just because you graduated school early, your parents own a small publishing company, and you think you know what you're doing when you write does NOT mean you should.  Sorry.  That's the harsh truth.  You may say that all of the book sales don't agree with my opinion, but just because Gossip Girl and books about farting dogs make sales does not mean it's literature that is worth our child's time.  There are so many better choices that will captivate and enrich our children's minds and expand their horizons.

I hate to say it, but I'm not recommending this book.  The only reason I finished it was because I cannot stand to leave a book half-done.  With its flat characters and less than thrilling writing, I have to say something I've never had to say before:  I won't be reading the rest of this series.  It's just not worth my time.

Red Dragon (Hannibal Lecter, Book Three): Thomas Harris

"Before The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal, there was Red Dragon, the book that introduced Hannibal Lecter to the world.  Hailed on its arrival by The Washington Post Book World as "the scariest book of the season" and by Newsday as "crime novel of the year," Red Dragon is for all time "and unforgettable thriller with equal parts of horror and suspense" (New York Daily News). In Red Dragon, Thomas Harris leads you on a journey into a madman's mind:  a reverberating torture chamber where Francis Dolarhyde is both monster and victim; a furnace of devouring memory where man and dragon can coexist only by constant vigilance and blood sacrifice."

I thought I'd reviewed this book months ago and was just writing my review for another book when I saw that I somehow forgot to do this one!

Anyone who read my review for Hannibal Rising knows how much I enjoy the Hannibal series.  I was so excited to pick up one of Harris' books again.  I saw the film adaptation of this book many times before I read the hard copy, so my expectations were high.  Harris did not disappoint.  The characters were strong and complex.  The plot was dramatic and dark without crossing the line into cliche.  Dolarhyde was frighteningly real and his crimes were unbelievably heinous.  The little snippets of Hannibal Lecter's input were a tantalizing taste of the sinister genius that I love (in a twisted literary way) from the previous stories.  Though I do give this book a good review and I definitely recommend it, I did not love it quite as much as I loved reading Hannibal Rising.  To be honest, I believe this is only because there was not as much Lecter and not because there was something lacking from the story itself.  I think I'm forever wrecked because of the truly haunting story that was told in Rising.

As for those of you who are wondering how similar this book was to the film, I'll only say that I am happy with some of the changes Hollywood made and others were much better conveyed in the story.  I won't give away anymore spoilers, so you'll have to go pick it up for yourself.  (Sorry!  I know I usually provide more of a book-to-film analysis for something like this, but the movie adaptations of Harris' works really need to be witnessed first-hand.)